Melding R&B and rap, Don Toliver maintains reign as a distinctive talent
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Evolving Houston’s rap scene, melodic genius Don Toliver has developed a one-of-a-kind, staple voice in hip-hop, further showcasing his ability on the next installment of his discography with the release of “Love Sick.”
First gaining popularity in 2018 with hits off of his first album “Donny Womack” and a surprise feature on fellow Cactus Jack member Travis Scott’s “ASTROWORLD,” Toliver has become a well-known superstar in rap and even R&B. Versatile in lyricism and vocal departments, there are many reasons Don has reached stardom a lot faster than many other members of the industry.
“Life of a DON” set the tone for how his beats and sounds were progressing in 2021 while also settling concerns from fans that he’d reached his peak. How was his next project going to beat the success “Heaven Or Hell” or “Life of a DON” produced?
February’s drop of “Love Sick” utilizes all of Don Toliver’s skills and could skyrocket to the top of his discography, producing hits that will be on loop and dominate the charts for months to come.
Album overview & rollout
Don Toliver’s “Love Sick” was first announced back in April 2022. He then slowly found ways to keep fans on the edge of their seats, not releasing the lead single “Do It Right” until Nov. 18, 2022.
“Do It Right” introduced us to the futuristic effects that he was looking to bring in with his next project, while also sampling the classic “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” by The S.O.S. Band. The nostalgia intertwined with Don’s newer sound heading into “Lovesick” generated a great amount of publicity, as the corresponding music video raked in massive attention as well.
It wouldn’t be until this February that listeners would see more new music ahead of the album, as Toliver released “4 Me” with his girlfriend Kali Uchis after Valentine’s Day. Toliver shared the official release date and cover art via Instagram on Feb. 17, ending the speculation for the drop’s date.
“Leave The Club,” the third and final rollout single, came out the same day as the announcement. It’s a transcendent track featuring Lil Durk and rising Memphis rapper GloRilla, an interesting combination brought together by a jaw-dropping beat transition.
In addition to singles, a short movie links all of the songs together, teased on the release day of the album. Most solo songs had their own mini-movies posted on Instagram, capturing the creative rollout Toliver was targeting.
The talent on board is stacked, with James Blake, Justin Bieber and many others highlighting a phenomenal body of work, possibly Toliver’s best in his current discography.
Standout Tracks
The introduction of “LoveSickness” is a hypnotic, bass-boosted track that sets the tone of the album. Toliver discusses the mysterious, dark side of himself that his significant other may not see in him, while also knowing that they still love each other.
An outro of muffled lines — “a wise man once said, falling in love, is the one fall you don’t get up from, guess we’re love sick,” — was a thematic launch of what Toliver would discuss across the project.
The following piece, titled “Let Her Go,” features English producer/singer James Blake. Keeping on the theme of making significant others feel special, Don leaves his past relationships behind him. The chorus emphasizes this, stating “and you know I let her go (shawty come here, talk to me),” showing that he only wants to be talking to her at this specific moment.
Synths matched with James Blake’s floating vocals transform “Let Her Go” into a gem, embodying the quintessential Blake musical features matched with the experimental, futuristic sound Toliver perfects.
Moving away from features, tracks six through eight are all solo performances, each having their own style to them. “Time Heals All” has distorted bass and heavenly vocals from Toliver which demonstrates his progression in delivering a modern take on R&B.
Future and Justin Bieber are presented within the middle portion of “Love Sick,” appearing on the ninth track “Private Landing.” Bouncy and up-beat, the instrumental and occasional warped/reverberating lyrics make it feel like a psychedelic trip while also acting ominous and dark thanks to the bass.
Per usual, Future produces an exceptional verse, continuing to make references towards jewelry and ensuring that people are aware of his toxicity. Bieber surprisingly fits in well beside the two rappers, going back to the style he used on 2015’s “Purpose,” chalked full of lust related songs.
A sped up sample from Blackstreet’s “I Can’t Get You (Out Of My Mind)” provides the high octane, energetic background for “Bus Stop” with Brent Faiyaz, another face of R&B.
Toliver exudes confidence on this track, belting “since you came back, I am not involved, she said ‘do you still love me?’, I said ‘not at all,’ please don’t wait, I won’t be here long.” He files through his options of a new significant other, while Faiyaz gives off an unsafe type of love, not afraid to go for two women at once.
The beat and instrumental from Hit-Boy does not disappoint, giving Toliver and Faiyaz the ideal outlet to create a highlight track on “Love Sick.”
Final thoughts
Don Toliver continues to show the industry how distinctive he is, with many others unable to replicate the vocal talent and quirky notes that he has been able to spread across his catalog.
“Love Sick” encompasses some of his best work; pioneering new sounds for R&B and pulling together many of the brightest stars in R&B and rap.
He released the deluxe edition of the project, which includes four bonus tracks, on Feb. 28 in a collaboration with Travis Scott and Teezo Touchdown, continuing to emphasize Don’s extraordinary skill set.
