Safe Soul, Solid Pen: Why Wale’s Newest Project Embraces the Chill Vibe

I distinctly remember 2007—having newly joined the Air Force and being in what’s called technical training (the military version of job training/college) at the time. During a break, a homie of mine from the DMV area got ahold of the aux cable and put on “Nike Boots” by a little known artist named Wale, and I thought to myself, “This dude has something here.” Fast forward 18 years, and Wale has carved out a legendary career, complete with radio hits, cult classics, superstar collabs, heralded mixtapes, some label drama, and everything in between.

With this being said, I was very excited to check out his latest release and see what the veteran had in store at this point in his career. At first listen, I was definitely a bit taken aback, as this release decidedly feels more like contemporary R&B with some Hip-Hop elements. This realization made me temper my expectations on subsequent listens, and once I got past my initial disappointment in not getting a project a bit more balanced, I judged this from a strictly melodic/Neo-Soul type of experience. From that perspective, I can say it’s a solid listen.

From Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life” to SWV’s “I’m So into You,” this album features some very creative R&B sampling, which—unlike a few recent releases—actually feels like a transformation of the original song while keeping the soulful elements. The album continues a pretty chill and soulful vibe throughout, with Wale providing an always solid pen for what some of my colleagues would refer to as “cleaning the crib” music. While the production is definitely top-notch, the album does feel a bit “safe.” Outside of the up-tempo moment provided by Michael Fredo, this release is definitely tailored to a certain level of mood music, which could limit its appeal.

As to be expected, Wale has always been known for his masterful pen, so you won’t find many “WTF” moments as far as flow or any outright lyrical fumbles. The project features a host of producers with credits from Mike Hector, Go Grizzley, and Brian Wall, just to name a few. While sonically it is well-produced overall, the variety does somewhat throw off the cohesiveness of the project. We hear everything from Soul to Afro-beats, to what feels like a bit of contemporary country with “Lonely” feat. Shaboozey. Noticeably missing from the mix is anything that feels like a Go-Go track, which is surprising given the artist’s DMV roots and affinity for the highly regional sub-genre. The features are mostly R&B, as expected, with standouts Leon Thomas, Ty Dolla $ign, and Nino Paid, who provides the sole rap feature on the project.

In closing, I can applaud Wale for being comfortable in his role as elder statesman making an album that he’s inclined to make. While I do wish we had more tracks reminiscent of prior classic projects like The Album About Nothing or even Ambition, in the immortal words of Shawn Carter, “If you want the old me, go buy my old albums.” On face value, everything is a lot is a chill experience for fans of the artist and those appreciative of this R&B-infused version of Wale.

Standout Tracks: Where to Start, Blanco, Michael Fredo, Power and Problems, Watching Us, Big Head, City on Fire

Album Rating:👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 (7.5/10)