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Childish Gambino gets funked up

Actor Donald Glover's rapping alter-ego finds his groove

Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love! is a funky trip down memory lane, offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince.
Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love! is a funky trip down memory lane, offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince.

These days, Donald Glover is known more for his acting (in the critically-acclaimed FX series Atlanta, and before that, Community) than his musical endeavors as alter-ego Childish Gambino. But he’s about to even the score with his third studio release, Awaken, My Love!, on which the multitalented artist gives his rapping past a rest to rouse some retro-funk.

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"Me and Your Mama"

...off of Childish Gambino's latest, <em>Awaken, My Love!</em>

...off of Childish Gambino's latest, Awaken, My Love!

The fuzzy guitar of album opener “Me and your Mama” sets the stage for Awaken — a funky trip down memory lane offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince. Gambino does an excellent job of embodying these electrifying front men — sounding like George Clinton at his gruff best on “Boogieman,” and then turning on Prince’s bedroom falsetto on “Redbone” (perhaps the album’s crowning achievement).

This isn’t to say, however, that everything feels at home on Awaken. “Zombies,” for instance, seems better suited for a Walking Dead soundtrack, while “California,” with its auto-tuned vocals and tropical shuffle, doesn’t match the soulful, ’70s groove of the rest of the album.

Awaken might disappoint fans expecting a rap record as follow-up to 2013’s Because the Internet, which yielded the hip-hop hit “3005.” But taken for what it is — an exploration into uncharted territory that both elegantly pays respect to the past and paves a new path to Gambino’s future — the album is bold, inviting, and enjoyable if given an objective listen.

  • Record: Awaken, My Love!
  • Artist: Childish Gambino
  • Label: Glassnote Records
  • Songs: (1) Me and Your Mama (2) Have Some Love (3) Boogieman (4) Zombies (5) Riot (6) Redbone (7) California (8) Terrified (9) Baby Boy (10) The Night Me and Your Mama Met (11) Stand Tall
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Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love! is a funky trip down memory lane, offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince.
Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love! is a funky trip down memory lane, offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince.

These days, Donald Glover is known more for his acting (in the critically-acclaimed FX series Atlanta, and before that, Community) than his musical endeavors as alter-ego Childish Gambino. But he’s about to even the score with his third studio release, Awaken, My Love!, on which the multitalented artist gives his rapping past a rest to rouse some retro-funk.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

"Me and Your Mama"

...off of Childish Gambino's latest, <em>Awaken, My Love!</em>

...off of Childish Gambino's latest, Awaken, My Love!

The fuzzy guitar of album opener “Me and your Mama” sets the stage for Awaken — a funky trip down memory lane offering shades of Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince. Gambino does an excellent job of embodying these electrifying front men — sounding like George Clinton at his gruff best on “Boogieman,” and then turning on Prince’s bedroom falsetto on “Redbone” (perhaps the album’s crowning achievement).

This isn’t to say, however, that everything feels at home on Awaken. “Zombies,” for instance, seems better suited for a Walking Dead soundtrack, while “California,” with its auto-tuned vocals and tropical shuffle, doesn’t match the soulful, ’70s groove of the rest of the album.

Awaken might disappoint fans expecting a rap record as follow-up to 2013’s Because the Internet, which yielded the hip-hop hit “3005.” But taken for what it is — an exploration into uncharted territory that both elegantly pays respect to the past and paves a new path to Gambino’s future — the album is bold, inviting, and enjoyable if given an objective listen.

  • Record: Awaken, My Love!
  • Artist: Childish Gambino
  • Label: Glassnote Records
  • Songs: (1) Me and Your Mama (2) Have Some Love (3) Boogieman (4) Zombies (5) Riot (6) Redbone (7) California (8) Terrified (9) Baby Boy (10) The Night Me and Your Mama Met (11) Stand Tall
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San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
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Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
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