Late one this week but timely for the release of (maybe?) Cole’s final album on Friday. I think this is the record where he truly found his voice and evolution as an artist. More melody, soul, self-reflection, overall vibe. All things we came to appreciate Cole for… but this was the one that really changed his trajectory as an artist and was the foundation for a run of all the albums to follow.
Coming in hot off the worst album I've hosted over in Xennial Rewind! Need a palette/ear cleanser. We've talked about it before, but I really felt like KOD was the album that helped place J Cole for me. It's been a while since I gave this one a spin. Excited to see if it finds a new home as my favorite of his.
Following along with the lyrics to January 28th. Cole's honesty about being honest is always so refreshing. To your point, his self-reflection is true reflection that you don't hear from other artists in the genre.
Yeah, this is way better than KOD. I never spent time with the lyrics. I'm dumb. I mean...just an incredible story from front to back of Cole's experience with change, personal growth, public exposure, on and on and on. Each of the songs are deeply meaningful on their own, but as an album they create such an honest picture. THIS ALBUM IS WHY ALBUMS MATTER. And behind the story is some incredible production. The compositions were a step above what you usually get in the genre. The instrumentation was thoughtful. The rhythms were so unique. Deeply evocative. Man, what a pick. This deserves it's place at the top your (my) charts!
