While Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd has released many successful projects including Beauty Behind the Madness and his most recent album After Hours, I decided to review his underrated 2016 album Starboy. It’s a blend of R&B and pop and today, I’ll be sharing some of my favourites from the 18-song project.
The tracklist seems to alternate between trap bangers and 80’s pop-inspired songs. The album opens and closes with the Daft Punk-assisted singles “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming.” While the former comes off as slightly generic and repetitive, the latter sounds fresh and The Weeknd sings about wanting more in a relationship. Even though the production and lyrics are great, the highlight of the song is the singer's vocal performance. The Weeknd’s vocals shine over the mid-tempo track and his performance is reminiscent of the legendary Michael Jackson, which the singer has said multiple times is one of his inspirations.
In fact, Jackson’s inspiration can be heard throughout the album. For example, “A Lonely Night” caught my attention on my initial listen. Between the background vocals in the pre-chorus (“Better when we’re both apart, better when we’re both apart”) and the melody in the chorus, this song has Jackson written all over it. While it may seem like The Weeknd is stealing the pop legend’s style, “A Lonely Night” still has that The Weeknd flair that makes his music so good.
In terms of R&B-trap bangers, Starboy does not disappoint. “Party Monster” is one of the first songs on the album and details the singer’s “lavish party lifestyle and his pursuit of a woman who is already spoken for.” The Weeknd sings “I'm good, I'm good, I'm great / Know it's been a while, now I'm mixing up the drank / I just need a girl who gon' really understand” over the dark instrumental. Later in the album is the Future-assisted “Six Feet Under.” The banger is about a girl who will stop at nothing to make money, even when she’s six feet underground. The Weeknd and Future have released several collaborations, including “All I Know,” another track on Starboy.
However, some of the highlights on the album are when The Weeknd strays away from the trap or 80’s pop production. “Sidewalks” features rapper Kendrick Lamar and the instrumental is backed by guitars and live drums. The “raw” feel of the song combined with the lyrics about growing up in less-than-ideal areas makes this song one of the standouts on Starboy. “Die For You” is one of the few slow songs on the album. The singer sings about the pain that comes with a breakup when you still have feelings for the person. He sings “It ain't workin' 'cause you're perfect / And I know that you're worth it / I can't walk away” in the pre-chorus of the song. The combination of the lyrics, simple production and The Weeknd’s emotional vocal performance makes this song another standout on the album.
In conclusion, Starboy is a perfect blend of trap bangers and 80’s pop songs and The Weeknd has never sounded more in his element in his career.
Stream Starboy by The Weeknd on Spotify and Apple Music.
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