Let’s begin this album review of Travis Scott’s third studio album, ASTROWORLD by giving a moment of silence to Mac Miller, and YG for releasing their projects on the same day as the Houston MC, Travis Scott (don’t get me started on Trippie Redd). With some, Blonde-esque hype, Travis Scott’s latest musical endeavor, ASTROWORLD, has had fans waiting two years for him to release his follow up to Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.

 

Peripherally, seeing the tracklist alone makes it impossible to avoid listening to the project. Travis reaches out to and producers is what follows. Thankfully, in ASTROWORLD, fans can take a sigh of relief knowing that Travis didn’t compromise his genius whatsoever, and the many years in the studio, has resulted in one of his highest quality products.

 

While the question of, “Rodeo or ASTROWORLD?”, will likely strike some musical Holy War, the only question that matters is, “Did Travis Scott deliver like he was supposed to?”, and the answer is a resounding, “Yes”. Mike Dean, Metro Boomin’, Drake, JuiceWRLD, Weeknd, 808 Mafia, James Blake, and the as:memeworthy whispers of Nav; all while still managing to cement in this album that he is more than a curator, and can contribute more than ad libs (we’re looking at you DJ Khaled).

 

The mere attempts Travis makes in this album is commendable on it’s own, and comes back to his roots of experimenting, and expanding as a creative. This is evident in tracks such as “SKELETONS”, and “WAKE UP”, which display that Travis is capable of harmonizing with a very bare-bones, and more acoustic instrumental. So, for all you Travis-stans, whoever told you he’s one-dimensional, or a one-trick, auto-tuned pony, can now choke on songs like the moody, Alternative-R&B song “WAKE UP”, accompanied by eerie, yet melodic tracks such as “R.I.P SCREW”, and “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD”. This isn’t to disgrace any of his more reminiscent songs, like “CAN’T SAY”, and “STARGAZING”, that are playing to strengths we’ve known Travis is capable of, by emphasizing his undeniable ability to use his vocals to synchronize with the instrumental.

 

From a holistic review, Travis took no shortcuts on this project, successfully ensuring each song is as relevant as the next. The only album in Travis’ discography that can match the experimental aspect that he brings to the table with his newest project, is Rodeo. The notable difference between Rodeo and ASTROWORLD is Travis never had to worry about millions of fans speculating Rodeo. And, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, shows exactly how significant those factors are. When any artist, not just Travis, is expected to catch lightning in a bottle twice, the results can be disappointing. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened with Travis’ attempt to replicate Rodeo, simply resulting in what he got with Birds, which felt like a more watered-down, and rushed version of Rodeo. But, you simply can’t rush genius, and Travis’ achilles heel is that unlike his contemporaries, although he has a sound, he doesn’t have a niche.

 

Travis excels when he is in an environment where he is free to experiment and work freely, and his creation of Grunge-Trap,  is what follows. Thankfully, in ASTROWORLD, fans can take a sigh of relief knowing that Travis didn’t compromise his genius whatsoever, and the many years in the studio, has resulted in one of his highest quality products. Complexities aside- Astroworld, is a journey, much like the aforementioned Rodeo, and while ASTROWORLD isn’t the most introspective project, or the most lyrical, listeners need not turn to Travis Scott for words alone. Because he encapsulates a sort of feeling, that words on their own cannot do justice. While the question of, “Rodeo or ASTROWORLD?”, will likely strike some musical Holy War, the only question that matters is, “Did Travis Scott deliver like he was supposed to?”, and the answer is a resounding, “Yes”.