Artist: Summer Walker
Album: Over It
Genre: R&B
Record Label: LVRN Records
Recommended Tracks: Fun Girl, Girls Need Love (feat. Drake)
Summer Walker is an up and coming singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. Her music style is best described within R&B and Soul, and Walker says she takes inspiration from Amy Whinehouse, Jimi Hendrix, and Erykah Badu. Her first commercial mixtape, Last Day of Summer, released on October 19, 2018, and her debut studio album, Over It, premiered on October 4, 2019. The album showcased Summer Walker’s voice, beat, and style, serving as her introduction as an artist. Summer Walker is a truly talented artist that has a unique style which is sure to translate into future success in music. On a rating scale, I would give her album Over It, an impressive 8.5 out of 10. This generous rating is a result of the album being a bop-filled, diverse, and overall groovy. The album is a diverse template with catchy tracks and emotional narratives, and truly has something for every kind of listener.
The seventh track on the album, Fun Girl, is one of the more emotionally deep and illuminating tracks on the album. The song is about a relationship of Summer Walker’s, and the double standard that exists between men and women. The slow, melodic track explores a relationship in which Summer loves her partner for being who he truly is, but he does not love the honest version of her. Summer Walker is forced into the position of always being the “Fun Girl” because she is not considered the traditional “wife material”. To others, Summer cannot be a serious option because she is as active and open in her sexuality as men are, including the partner she is with. But even though her partner is sexual with other women, he does not face any of the same social repercussions as Summer does. The song conveys Summer’s hurt, heartbreak, and turmoil. Fun Girl is a beautiful and honest track.
The last track on the album, Girls Need Love, is my favorite for the entire album. It, like Fun Girl, explores the sexual double standard between men and women but draws attention to the fact that women need comfort and love in the exact same ways that men do. While men in the traditional gender role can assert their sexuality and their needs openly and without fear, Women enjoy none of these same privileges and many times do not feel comfortable to even admit they have these needs. The song is light and flowing, showcasing Summer Walker’s beautiful voice by accompanying it with a rich bassline. The song also features Drake, who has a fantastic set of verses that pairs with the song perfectly. Drake also acts as a male ally who provides his experience and point of view. This song is perfect for someone trying to get into their feels or just trying to unwind with a catchy melodic song.
Over It is a fantastic album with a wide array of songs that range from catchy bops to emotional centerpieces. No matter what kind of music you typically listen to or what kind of mood you are in, there is something everyone can enjoy and relate to in Summer Walker’s Over It. If you enjoy Ella Mai, 6LACK, or Stefan James, I would highly recommend Summer Walker, and specifically Over It, to you.
