“Certified Lover Boy” by Drake is a certified A in my gradebook.

The album was an instant hit from its Sept. 3, 2021 release.

In only its first week since release, the album racked up 613,000 sales and 744 million streams in the United States.  

In any case, its popularity is reflective of the album’s quality.

CLB has a good mix of songs, ranging from rap to slower paced songs.

The best songs to come out of this album are “Way 2 Sexy,” “Champagne Poetry,” “Papi’s Home,” “In The Bible,” “Girls Want Girls” and “Fair Trade.”

“Champagne Poetry” is a standout with its unique rhythm. Drake seems to speak to listeners instead of singing and it feels like he is talking to you.

“Papi’s Home” is a little more rap, a little faster, a little louder and a little more confusing. In the song Drake portrays himself as a dad apologizing for leaving his kid.  The song doesn’t make sense and Drake’s voice is occasionally overpowered by the booming beat. Still, the solid beat solidifies the song as one of my favorites in the album.

“Love All,” is another solid track. The song is intriguingly catchy for a slow paced song and serves as the perfect background noise for homework. 

While these are CLB’s best tracks in my opinion, it’s hard to go wrong with this album. Pretty much all the songs are spectacular and the beat, pace and sound changes and overall balance of rap and slower music offer something for everyone.

Still while the majority of the album’s 21 songs are bops, “The Remorse,” “You Only Live Twice,” and “Get Along Better,” disappointed me. 

“The Remorse” and “You Only Live Twice” both feature irritatingly loud music and almost sing-shouting from Drake while “Get along better” slow pace feels lethargic. 

Few critiques aside, “Certified Lover Boy” is a solid 9/10. 

The variety of unique and outstanding songs and  balance of good quantity with quality is impeccable and rare amongst most albums on today’s market. 

I know that I will be adding many of CLB’s songs to my playlist.

Favorite tracks: “Fair Trade,” :”Champagne Poetry,” “In The Bible” and “Love All”