Album Review: The Weeknd-Starboy

The past year and a half has been a whirlwind for The Weeknd. The 26-year old Canadian R&B/pop crooner was the breakout music star of 2015 thanks to a trio of number one singles ("The Hills", "Can't Feel My Face", Fifty Shades of Grey theme song "Earned It") and an album in Beauty Behind the Madness that went double-platinum (two million copies sold) in the United States less than six months after it was released. Despite having plenty of reasons to relax and just bask in his good fortune for the next year or two, he didn't let his sudden breakout success stunt his work ethic. His third LP Starboy-which comes a mere 15 months after the release of Beauty Behind the Madness- is a glorious collection of pop tracks that reinforces exactly why he's risen up the musical ranks at such a rapid clip.

As hinted on by its cover featuring the first public photo of him without his signature wild haircut, Starboy is the start of a new era for The Weeknd. The mysterious, low-key R&B artist that burst onto the scene in 2011 with a trio of self-released mixtapes and guest spots on Drake's Take Care album has been replaced by a larger-than-life pop superstar that is one of the most buzzed-about musical acts on the planet right now.

The Weeknd's change in visibility and persona has also resulted in a change in sound. This record sees him shifting gears from the gloomy pop of last year's Beauty Behind the Madness to a dance-friendly style that resembles the '80-inspired sound he utilized on his hit singles "In the Night" and "Can't Feel My Face". While it's definitely a long way removed from his grimy, atmospheric wheelhouse, The Weeknd's transition to a Michael Jackson-esque pop/soul/R&B figure is pretty damn effective. His smooth falsetto vocals and passionate delivery are a perfect match for the massive-sounding, groovy production found on tracks like "Love to Lay","A Lonely Night" and "Rockin'". It's hell of a lot of fun to listen to him let loose for a large portion of a record and his infectious enthusiasm for the bygone era he's paying tribute to ensures that Starboy's nostalgic tone never feels contrived.

Despite the focus on a revamped sound, longtime fans will be glad that The Weeknd hasn't completely abandoned his roots on Starboy. The upbeat pop tracks are broken up by bursts of the dark, nihilistic R&B that made him a superstar. "Party Monster" and "Reminder" are the two latest entries in The Weeknd's repertoire of brilliant sleazy ballads while "Six Feet Under" and Future-assisted "All I Know" are trap-tinged bangers that should be tearing up nightclub playlists for the next several months. As refreshing and endearing as the breezy pop tunes on Starboy are, The Weekend will always be at his most compelling when he's drowning in illicit substances, a revolving door of women and gratuitous self-loathing.

Starboy serves as a near-perfect bridge between The Weeknd's recent mainstream pop endeavors and his downtempo R&B roots. It never leans too heavily on either side of his sound and that sense of balance allows Starboy to remain relatively consistent (the only real misfires are the snoozefest ballad "Attention" and the overly frantic "False Alarm") over its lengthy 18-track, nearly 70-minute runtime. The Weeknd has adjusted to superstardom without any crippling hiccups along the way and if his last two records are any indicator, he'll be able to avoid the creative pitfalls that typically come with runaway success.    

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Love to Lay
2.Six Feet Under
3.Party Monster