After having Dreams Money Can Buy and Marvin's Room on repeat, I threw on Thank Me Later recently and it's a lot better than I remembered.
Little re-review I threw up on my RYM page:
1.) Fireworks (ft. Alicia Keys) | 4.5 - 5
2.) Karaoke | 5
- I used to hate this song when this album first dropped.
3.) The Resistance | 4.75 - 5
4.) Over | 2
- Not feeling the production here like most people. Some of the lines are extremely cringe-worthy.
5.) Show Me A Good Time | 4.75 - 5
6.) Up All Night (ft. Nicki Minaj) | 2.5 - 3
- Nicki Minaj destroys Drake here.
7.) Fancy (ft. T.I. & Swizz Beatz) | 3 - 3.5
8.) Shut It Down (ft. The-Dream) | 3.5 - 4
- More cringe-worthy lines, plus the song is seven minutes of the same thing.
9.) Unforgettable (ft. Young Jeezy) | 4
10.) Light Up (ft. Jay-Z) | 5
- I love everything about this song. Both verses are nice, the hook is great and the production is nice as usual.
11.) Miss Me (ft. Lil' Wayne) | 3 - 3.75
- Mediocre at best lyrics, but once again awesome production.
12.) Cece's Interlude | 2.25 - 3
13.) Find Your Love | 4.25 - 5
- I don't care that this sounds like a 808's & Heartbreaks throwaway, I like it. Listen to the Cookin' Soul remix with good headphones sometime and prepare to be amazed.
14.) Thank Me Now | 4
- Opposite of Miss Me...nice lyrics, meh production. AI/Jordan line is great.
Overall: 3.92/5 [previously rated 3.43/5]
Brief Notes:
- A decent debut for Drake here, which surprises me because I felt he'd be hampered down by the Young Money style more than he actually was. The middle of the album really hurts this.
- One of the more underrated albums from a production standpoint in 2010.
[Updated (7/1/2011): After having "Dreams Money Can Buy" and "Marvin's Room" on repeat for the past month, I ran through this album again a few times and it's so much more refreshing than the last time I heard it. Drake knows his lane and is up front and honest with his subject matter. He might not be the guy you want beside you in a street fight, but when you need someone to relate to in some deeper, real life stuff, he's there. I wish more people would realize this instead of dismissing him as just another Young Money rapper in Wayne's crew. And with the influence of upcoming R&B sensation The Weeknd in his recent tracks, Take Care might be something really special.]<hr>I know a lot of people won't agree with this, but whatever.