The Chant prelude sounds stupid; Kanye West should’ve replaced the whole Donda concept with something else because it’s too specific for an album that only mentions his mother in spurts; but it gets better from there. Remember when he said he was going to follow Graduation with A Good Ass Job? Perhaps that should’ve been the title here.
Donda is surprisingly good; not so good that it’s surprising but surprising that it’s good after a multi-album slump. It’s easily his best since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy thanks mostly to a bunch of songs with gorgeous beats; the best thing about gospel music is the sound of the organ; and catchy choruses. West is also a good rapper.
Some listeners will complain about the set being too long and it is. It might near greatness if it were limited to its best twelve songs. Hurricane, Jail, Moon, No Child Left Behind, Pure Souls and Jesus Lord would all have to be included. No Junya and no unnecessary Part 2 bonus remixes at the end. It would also need a proper album cover.
my rating : 4 of 5
2021