Childish Gambino has just dropped a new single, a brooding yet funky slice of synth-drenched soul music entitled ‘Redbone’, which serves as the latest cut from his eagerly anticipated new album, Awaken, My Love!, set to drop 2nd December.
Gambino, who was recently confirmed to be playing a young Lando Calrissian in one of the upcoming Star Wars films, shared the first taste of his new album last week. ‘Me and Your Mama’ pointed towards a new direction for the rapper, more aligned with R&B and soul music than the alternative hip-hop with which we’ve come to associate Gambino.
We’ve previously been treated to Gambino’s surprisingly smooth and stylish vocal chops on songs like ‘Sober’, but the throwback funk of ‘Redbone’ sees the rapper reinventing himself as a ’70s-style R&B crooner in the style of Teddy Pendergrass and Freddie Jackson.
By all accounts, it seems Awaken, My Love! will be vastly different to 2013’s critically acclaimed Because the Internet, and more in line with the direction Gambino took on 2014’s surprise release Kauai, but as always the consummate artist will be taking plenty of risks and experimenting with his sound and his style.
