It’s been six years since we’ve seen an album from Ab-Soul. Throughout the past year we’ve seen him release a few songs. Now that we’re closing out the year, we finally get the full project. Even though he’s always inherently been himself through his music, this album he laid it all out on the table. He self-titled his album, not after his stage name, but his real name, HERBERT.
Ab-Soul Herbert Album Review
Right off the bat, the album has grandma’s blessing in the beginning with a message of her praying for Herbert on the opening track. Straight from the beginning, “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE.” gives you both the smooth poetic flow balanced beautifully with the rougher, more chaotic deliveries and production.
“NO REPORT CARD” is one of my favorite tracks on the album because it just feels so light and fun with a smooth delivery from Ab-Soul. It sets the tone for the next track, “HOLLANDAISE,” to come in and smack the listener across the face with its bold lyrics and catchy composition. It’s in the same vein as “FOMF,” which has a visually striking video to accompany the hard-hitting track. That whole run of songs is worth playing over and over again.
Ab-Soul “FOMF” Music Video
This is a very personal album, an offering of a part of himself to his fans. I’m a sucker for these kinds of soulful additions on a rappers project and I’m a sucker for the beat on “GOODMAN” for that reason. Now, when “DO BETTER” came on something took over me and it was a cathartic release of self-induced anxieties based on my insecurities. Herberts’s constant vulnerability allows the album to soak in and mesh with your deepest, most honest feelings.
Every song makes its own impact in different ways. “ART OF SEDUCTION” has a comforting beat with a soothing lyrical delivery from Ab-Soul. Ambré captures the art of seduction in her sultry vocals. I’m a romantic at heart so any sort of loved up song like this will make me swoon. On the other hand, the following song, “BUCKET” makes me swoon in a whole different way. The confidence he exudes in that deliver just makes my ears melt.
Big ups to the transitions on the album. The hour and change project felt like a cohesive string of songs that flowed effortlessly from one to another. The beats themselves also blend well, even with many producers lending their talents to the beats; DJ Premier, Sounwave, James Blake, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, DJ Dahi and more.
Unfortunately, “GO OFF” with Big Sean was sadly a super lackluster song and didn’t really live up to its title. However, the title track “HERBERT” gives a super solid depiction of who he is as an artist, as Ab-Soul. It’s spiritual, poetic, and a dramatic story of his life encapsulated into a song. Immediately after, he takes that spiritual energy and picks up the vibe for “CHURCH ON THE MOVE,” giving a nice break to the slow dip in the album.
Ab-Soul sat atop a retro television set. | Sourced from Instagram (@souloho3)
The final feature on the album comes on track 16 with SiR hopping on the track “IT BE LIKE THAT” with Ab-Soul. I can’t count the times I’ve shrugged off some of the rougher things in life with the phrase “It be like that.” But to reference Ab-Soul earlier in his project, “I gotta’ do better,” is the mantra to live by, and when you live by that it’ll “take an army to stop you.”
I love the message behind the song “POSITIVE VIBES ONLY” but for me, the song is a little too chaotic. Compared to its surrounding tracks, it’s jarring for my eardrums. Even though the whole album balances that dichotomy between calm and chaos, this one ain’t it for me. The closing track, “GOTTA RAP” smooths everything out for me and ends the album on an insanely good note. I added this track along with three others onto my playlist immediately.
Overall, HERBERT is going to be in heavy rotation for me. Although there are a few tracks I might skip from time to time, the album as a whole is easily a contender for one of the best of the year.
