Album Review: Wale - Wow… That’s Crazy
‘Wow… That’s Crazy’ almost feels like a response to Summer Walker’s excellent ‘Over It’ album. On it, Wale lets the world see this vulnerable version of himself — one that is proud of his decisions when it comes to finding romance, peacefulness, and most importantly, self-love.
If you think about it, one of Wale’s biggest hits is ‘Lotus Flower Bomb.’ On it, both him and Miguel were able to create a powerful tune that empowered women. In my opinion, the majority of ‘Wow… That’s Crazy’ is influenced by ‘Lotus Flower Bomb.’ Not only are the instrumentals on the album R&Bish, but for a good chunk of the tracks, you get R&B features and subject-matters you would hear from someone who probably wishes he had a voice comparable to a R&B singer. You know what, f**k it, I will call this album a R&B album in disguise (There I said it).
Even though I consider ‘Wow… That’s Crazy’ a R&B album now, I do want to acknowledge that Wale put up some pretty good verses on it. On songs like ‘Sue Me’ and ‘Love & Loyalty,’ the DMV rapper spit bars that are aggressive, complex, and hella clever. On tracks such as ‘Poledancer’ and ‘Routine,’ Wale spits even harder, reminding the world of his kill-a-rapper ways. Lastly, you get a poetic version of Wale on the majority of the other songs — one that takes his time to piece his feelings together. S**t, to be completely honest with you, I think Wale puts up his best rap performance on ‘Wow… That’s Crazy.’
The features on ‘Wow… That’s Crazy’ are spectacular! I thought Mannywellz gave us something authentically Naija in ‘Love & Loyalty,’ Ari Lennox and Boogie did a great job of playing Wale’s supporting cast in ‘Cliche,’ Rick Ross and Meek Mill showed the world that MMG is still poppin’ in ‘Routine,’ and Jacquees did a solid job of blessing Wale with a memorable hook in ‘Black Bonnie’. All in all, I enjoyed everyone’s contributions on this album a lot!
In ‘Wow… That’s Crazy,’ I feel like Wale has finally found his comfort zone.
Reviewed by: Carter Fife