Album Review: Kanye West – Donda

Kanye West – Donda
(GOOD Music / Def Jam Recordings)

Reviewed by Sam Smith.

After three listening parties, release delays, and seemingly never-ending album pushbacks, Kanye West’s tenth studio album ‘Donda’ has finally arrived, and in terms of Ye’s waning career musically, he is back with a bang in what can only be described as a significant return to form.

Recorded over three years amidst arguably the most controversial period of West’s career where he ran for President of the United States, declared slavery was a choice and became a born again Christian, ‘Donda’ is a lengthy affair coming in at an hour and forty-eight minutes, twenty-seven tracks to be precise.

Call it his ‘White Album’ if you like because it kind of has that feel about it, encompassing all the best parts of his past albums. There is obviously an entrenched religious aspect to it, and the gospel elements of the lackluster ‘Jesus Is King’ are still there, with many of the tracks referencing God. However, this is no gospel album, not by a long stretch.

The industrial nature of ‘Yeezus’ features on tracks such as ‘Off The Grid’ and ‘God Breathed,’ tracks which also see Kanye make a triumphant return to rapping, a skill of his that has at times gone a miss on his recent efforts.

Then there is the boisterous and overblown production of ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ on tracks such as ‘New Again’ and ‘Jail,’ the latter with its blistering guitar and a solid verse from Jay Z, the return of the throne he raps.

Speaking of Jay Z, the roll call of featured guests is extensive and in between the big names such as The Weeknd, Kid Cudi and Travis Scott are some lesser-known names who put in good performances. Vory is one of those, whose soulful vocals are a worthy standout on tracks such as ‘Jonah.’ Kanye has this ability to find and foster new talent on his releases, and ‘Donda’ is another great example of this.

The eclectic nature of the production and musical styles on display holds this album together well and keeps the listener’s attention on what on the surface can appear a laborious task getting through twenty-seven tracks.

The light and shade that occurs as you move down the tracklist from, say, the gorgeous ballad ‘Moon’ to the festival bop ‘Heaven and Hell’ show a carefully crafted album and an album that can never be described as being boring. This is the sort of thing that made Kanye’s best albums so good, and it is impressive he has returned to this formula on ‘Donda.’

‘Donda’ is a definite return to form from an artist many thought had long done his dash and transcended into conspiracy theories, petty politics, and a failing relationship. This album is the result of what time, dedication, and hard work can deliver, a project that required all of that and more to come to fruition.

‘Donda’ is Kanye’s best album since ‘The Life of Pablo,’ arguably his best since ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,’ and if anything is proof you can’t write off a genius of hip hop musically speaking just because of a few dud projects and the trappings of fame and celebrity distractions.

Hopefully, this is the start of a new era for Ye and shows that when he puts his mind to music, he can still show us glimpses of the magic that saw him become one of the biggest names in hip hop.

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