Review: CHILDISH GAMBINO - “Bando Stone & The New World”

I still haven't been able to fully understand this goodbye scene with Donald Glover as Childish Gambino. I've listened to it a couple of times but I still haven't found the end of the sonic mess.

Glover's artistic versatility perhaps overflows in the seventeen songs of this latest chapter. Without a doubt, his creative arrogance leads me to have to deal with continuous changes of register.

This is absolutely not a bad thing, but to do this you need to listen more carefully and less superficially. If to this musical extension we add the never banal and predictable lyrics and the basic conceptuality developed as a soundtrack, the album becomes a delight but could be less immediate to listen to.

That said, “Bando Stone & The New World” is still a bomb and Glover in the Childish version brings urban music to a level of excellence, managing to contaminate, mix and shake everything.

To understand what I'm saying, try listening in sequence Steps Beachsoft, languid, light and associate it with the next one Talk My Shit, trap, fast, powerful and then do a somersault with the next one Got To Bea dark piece that seems to have come out of a sound session with the Prodigy, only to then return with a super pop piece with soft tones like Real Love.

This is just an example of the creative tension of the whole album. A continuous disconcerting surprise between Rap, Rock, R&B, Electronic, Country, Jazz and Pop.

Finally, the lineup of collaborators also reflects the evolution of the album and features guests such as Amaarae, Chlöe, Flo Milli, Fousheé, Khruangbin, Legend, Jorja Smith and Yeat.

Ultimately I have to admit that Childish Gambino is incredibly versatile and has managed to create an album-project-soundtrack with an astonishing cinematic and musical vision.

The best farewell to Childish Gambino while waiting for the film where Glover will be actor and director, to see him live (in November in Milan) and discover his new world!

MUST LISTEN NOW

Steps Beach – Yoshinoya – No Excuses

MUST SKIPP NOW

Nothing impossible. You have to listen to it all!

SCORE : Vote 8.00

1. “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT TO F7Y” Feat. Amaarae – RATING 7.00
2. “Lithonia” – RATING 7.25
3. “Survive” Feat. Chlöe – RATING 7.50
4. “Steps Beach” RATING 7.50
5. “Talk My Shit” Feat. Amaarae & Flo Milli – RATING 7.50
6. “Got To Be” – RATING 7.00
7. “Real Love” RATING 6.50
8. “In The Night” Feat. Jorja Smith & Amaarae – RATING 7.50
9. “Yoshinoya” RATING 8.00
10. “Can You Feel Me” Feat. Legend – RATING 7.50
11. “No Excuses” RATING 8.00
12. “Cruisin'” Feat. Yeat – RATING 7.50
13. “We Are God” RATING 7.00
14. “Running Around” Feat. Fousheé – RATING 7.00
15. “Dadvocate” RATING 7.00
16. “Happy Survival” Feat. Khruangbin RATING 7.50
17. “A Place Where Love Goes” – RATING 7.00