There’s absolutely no need for opener “High Hopes” to be over seven minutes long, and on “Problems & Selfless” the atmosphere crosses the line that separates intoxicating from suffocating. The downside: left unchecked, this freedom can devolve into self-indulgence. ”And then there’s “Brown Skin,” which could go toe to toe with anything from Fade to Mind’s catalog, and Brathwaite never once sounds unsure of his footing on the track’s ever-shifting surface. PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 is stuffed with such moments: the random drops of water punctuating “High Hopes ” the rusted pipes that act as percussion on “Nobody ” the Carlos Santana-esque guitars that weave in and out of “Spiteful.
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These are the rewards of a studio rat given free reign, where awe is found in the novel arrangement of sounds in space. He tucks unexpected elements in spots they may go unnoticed at first-you might not catch the whistling littered throughout “You’ve Been Missed” until the fifth listen, but once registered, it’s just another memorable hook amongst a litany of others. Once again, helping elevate Brathwaite’s lust is his production. When he claims that “she knows what I have to calm her down” on “Don’t Run,” it’s both a reference to his sexual prowess and the mindful attention of a supportive partner. “Why do you act like I’m sexist or something, just for calling you sexy?” Brathwaite asks with genuine confusion on “Nothing Easy to Please,” a line suggesting some of his relationship woes might stem from not understanding women quite as well as he thinks. Unfortunately, he’s not always as tuned to his partners. “Come and See Me” is tuned to more a nuanced frequency, disguising a lament about uneven give-and-take in a relationship in the clothes of an “R U up?” booty-call anthem.
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Given the time PARYNEXTDOOR 3 dedicates to the aftermath of infidelity, that’s pretty often. Clothes that don’t quite fit his boss feel effortlessly tailored to Brathwaite: “You heard a lot about Jamaicans, and you wanna know what it’d be like,” he sings with an infectious assuredness on “Don’t Know How ” “Only U” is three minutes of sweat and anticipation erected on top of a skeletal swing on the cavernous “Not Nice,” he expresses his need to “hold the corner and then slow whine it.” The way physical pleasures intertwine with emotional turmoil encompasses most of Brathwaite’s focus on the album-in Brathwaite’s world, sex is not as a shortcut to intimacy but a reflection of it, even if he has a tendency to latch onto carnality in the absence of intimacy. The album helps prove he’s a lot more than just Drake’s patois advisor.
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There's a refreshing lack of jealousy and possessiveness on PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO, even as Brathwaite argues that he's in a league far above his competition on almost every song here.The island vibes of “Work” soak Brathwaite’s third studio album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3. Brathwaite does open-minded sincerity much more convincingly than he does charming asshole: "I want you to turn up every night on me when I see you," he urges on the Drake-assisted "Recognize" while acknowledging upfront that both he and the woman he's singing to have other lovers. He spends the majority of the album in awe of the women he sings about: "East Liberty" teems with talk of sunset-watching and proclamations of "forever" in less capable hands, a line like "the ocean's calling your name" would be an eye-roller, but Brathwaite's puppy-dog earnestness-not to mention the track's woozy, dense throb-prevents it from inducing gag reflexes.
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Brathwaite has scrubbed this occasional creepiness from his sophomore effort, as PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO matches his self-assured cockiness with an increased benevolent streak.