I’ve been listening to The Weeknd’s  last album, Beauty Behind the Madness, on repeat for months.  Abel Tesfaye released the anticipated album, Starboy, on November 25, 2016. The upbeat 80’s vibe makes Starboy a different listening experience.  I like the album, but if you are looking another “The Hills,”  this album is not what you would expect.

The album contains 18 tracks and features Lana Del Rey, Future, Daft Punk, and Kendrick Lamar. Lana Del Rey and The Weeknd have proven to create incredible music when looking at past work. “Prisoner” from his last album made the top 40 in the US. Their enticing, smooth voices compliment each other very well.

“All I Know” featuring Future is a little disappointing. Their last collaboration, “Low Life,” showcased both of their talents well; Future rapped while The Weeknd hit the higher notes, creating a nice balance between rap and R&B music. Future only has a small part in “All I Know,” and the lyrics aren’t original. Overall, the rhymes are repetitive  and there is not much variation in the refrain, “All I Know.” 

Leading up to the album release of Starboy, The Weeknd was posting teasers on both Instagram and Twitter, hyping up his fans. He released short film “M A N I A” on November 23rd. The 12-minute film directed by Grant Singer included parts of new songs “All I Know,” “Sidewalks,” “Secrets,” “Die for You,” “Party Monster,” and “I Feel it Coming” with guest appearances from Travis Scott and Anais Mali.  There is also a cool panther.

“M A N I A” showcases each song well, with pleasing aesthetics and unique, creative concepts to each video clip. The Weeknd really captures the feel of each song through the visuals in “M A N I A.” The dark blue, red, and purple color scheme portrays the mood of the album as a whole and stays a constant theme throughout the video, tying each video clip together beautifully.  The video adds to the enjoyment of the album.

The Weeknd has established a smooth R&B sound through his first two studio albums, Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness. Beauty Behind the Madness was The Weeknd’s first hit album, with four songs making it into the top 20.

Starboy is more on the pop spectrum of music due to its 1980’s Michael Jackson impression. Earlier this year in an interview with Vogue, The Weeknd said, “When I was born, that was the music my mother was listening to. Michael Jackson is a third parent to me.” There is no question The Weeknd uses him as inspiration in the majority of his work. However, has this path of music moved The Weeknd away from R&B? Since his first releases, his music style has changed from “primal and emotionally removed” R&B to a more cheerful sound.  I would rather The Weeknd focus his future efforts in the area where I think he has the most strength, R&B/Soul.

Regardless of his music style, the album is impressive. “Starboy,” the first single from the album released on September 22, made number 1 on Billboard’s Top Hits on October 8. This was quickly followed by “False Alarm” on September 29.

When you get the standard holiday gift of an iTunes gift card, this album is a good way to spend the money.

If you are ready to spend a little more, go see The Weeknd perform his Starboy: Legend of the Fall 2017 World Tour and get tickets here. He will be performing at the Verizon Center in D.C. on May 18, 2017.