North Carolina rapper
Cordae
ascended at an almost unimaginable rate, moving from the release of his first single to Grammy nominations and Super Bowl commercial appearances in just a couple of years.
's early singles displayed so much character, technical ability, and uncommon approaches to lyricism and attacking his beats that his rapid rise to mainstream acclaim seemed almost predetermined by his talent. For his second studio album,
From a Birds Eye View
, he doubles down on the neo-soul undercurrents of his 2019 debut,
The Lost Boy
, subtracting almost all of the trap elements and club-minded bass of his earlier releases in favor of dusty, organic drums and tightly arranged production full of warm soul samples and live instrumentation. The result is a smooth, sometimes mild-mannered rap record with lush production.
returns to themes of family, grief, and being in the game for the long haul as he's joined by guests as prestigious as
Lil Wayne
on the jumpy "Sinister,"
Stevie Wonder
and
Freddie Gibbs
on the dreamy glisten of "Champagne Glasses," and spots from
Eminem
,
H.E.R.
Roddy Ricch
Lil Durk
Gunna
, and more.
Despite the celebrity guest list and rich production,
can sometimes drag.
's performances never come off as lethargic, but they lack the attention-grabbing quality of some of his earliest singles. "C Carter" is a by-the-numbers nostalgic reminiscence of the times before fame, yet it's hard not to tune out as
wanders through lyrics about when he used to be broke with big dreams over a sweet and summery throwback beat. The album isn't without its surges of excitement, but much of it blurs into the same light, inoffensive sound. The immediacy and hunger that made
's earliest tracks feel so promising is harder to locate on
. Still in command of strong technical skills and now rapping over instrumentals crafted with bigger budgets,
falls short when he starts sounding a little too comfortably at home in the mainstream. ~ Fred Thomas