THE WEEKND'S MY DEAR MELANCHOLY REVIEW

Album Review

By Solomon Obi

Name of Musician: The Weeknd

Name of Album: My Dear Melancholy, (EP)

Genre of Music: R & B

Label: XO and Republic Records

Release Date: 30 March, 2018

Initial Response: As we are still trying to get over the Star Boy buzz, The Weeknd blazes our trail with another joint, though it is nothing compared to the star studded Star Boy Album from 2016. This project is different, it takes us back to the traditional tone The Weeknd is known for, the tracks from this joint exhibit more electronic flair than the raw constructions of his early days. Well I felt a deep connection with MDM.

What I know about The Weeknd: His real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. He is an Ethiopian/ Canadian Singer, Songwriter and Record Producer. He anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name “The Weeknd” in 2010 and released the critically acclaimed mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence in 2011.

How long has he been in the music scene: The Weeknd has been in the music scene since 2010, in 2011 he released three mixtapes namely; House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which received critical acclaim, these mixtapes were later remastered and released on the compilation album Trilogy in 2012, after he signed with Republic Records and created his own record label XO.

What’s his Background: He was born on 16 February, 1990 in Toronto, Ontario and was raised in district of Scarborough, in the city’s east end. He is the only child of Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye, who were Ethiopian immigrants to Canada in the late 1980s.

Overall theme of the Album: Sadness

How do I describe it: The Weeknd expressed his guilt, mistakes, hopes and pain that he feels deep within him, though we can’t really say for sure who these songs are addressed to in particular, there are rumors that they are for his ex girlfriends Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid. But if there is one thing I know for sure, The Weeknd is truly sad and bitter.

The lyrics: They are deep and you have to take your time to harness them, in order to get the messages behind them, a few could be understood at a glance.

Here are few examples
Call Out My Name
“We found each other
I helped you out of a broken place
You gave me comfort
But falling for you was my mistake”

I was Never There
“What makes a grown man wanna cry?
What makes him wanna take his life?
His happiness is never real
And mind sex is how he feels”

Tracks that stand out: Call Out My Name, I was Never There, Try Me and Hurt You.

Tracks that don’t: Well it is hard to say because all the tracks on this EP are dope and each have a story to tell about his love life and other issues related to it. Well as for me, I will say none.

Why: They all carry deep rooted messages about his love life, struggles and matters that affect him as an individual.

How does this album compare to others in this genre: This EP is nothing compared to his Star Boy, though this project returns him to his traditional dark R & B tone with an upgrade. I don’t see this joint getting too much buzz or achieving great strides like Star Boy, but on a general note the EP is quite wonderful.

My overall ratings and why: I will give this EP eight over ten, the lyrics as I have said before were deeply rooted, to reflect the pain, anger and sadness of The Weeknd. He returns to his traditional style of R & B, after his experiment with Pop centered Electronic Dance Music or will I say the “Hit and Miss” approach, one would say it is due to commercial appeal, this joint doesn’t break new grounds it is just focused on a conceptual nature of R & B. However there are reservations on the lyrical contents of this joint but in all it was a well produced EP.