Still, these poppy moments feature Drake as the wounded lover, being treated poorly yet again. Of the songs that stand out, his uptempo, Caribbean-flavored duet with Rihanna ('Too Good') is the most enjoyable 'One Dance,' another song with a Jamaican dancehall feel, is another fun track. No matter how ably the production casts his raps and ballads in the best possible light, no matter how well the frequent use of chopped and swirled samples from '90s R&B songs fit in the mix, no matter that the occasional song rises up from the narrative and makes a splash, the album is a meandering, dreary rehash of what Drake has done before in much better fashion. Frankly, it's become as boring and annoying as a needle stuck in a groove. He's already delved deeply into his insecurities, lambasted all his exes, and displayed his fierce self-pride, never shying away from telling everyone exactly where he started and how far he's come. As before, he casts himself as both the melancholy bachelor looking out over the city from his penthouse manor, and the criminally underrated rap genius demanding his due, and it's one album too many for both personas.

2016's Views is another in a string of dour transmissions from the dark night of Drake's soul. Since the release of his last non-mixtape/non-collaboration album in 2013, Drake has solidified his position as a pop music icon, scaling the charts, dominating gossip columns, and generally living the good life.

Drake views from the 6 album art