Summer Walker delivers her best album yet with "Still Over It"

by Julia Sullivan
2021-11-15

Summer Walker delivers her best album yet with "Still Over It"

Summer Walker does not hold back at all on her new album Still Over It. Each track brutally narrates the downfall of her relationship with producer London on da Track, who she describes as “a ghetto baby daddy from hell” on her Instagram. The beginning of the album and also the initial single, “Ex For A Reason” is a disappointment and heavily uses auto-tune, setting a horrible tone for the record that does not sound like the real Summer Walker at all. This, however, is compensated for throughout the rest of the album, as Walker reconnects with her organic and raw R&B roots, letting out genuine emotions in breathtaking melodies throughout the project. According to Walker, the album is meant to help listeners learn from her mistakes and recognize their worth in a relationship, so that they do not end up in the same situation that she was in. The album provides extremely personal and honest insights into her relationship, while fusing new R&B production styles with classic bass lines and harmonies that leave the listener with chills. The album is accompanied by narration from Cardi B in the leading track, urging Walker to put the drama and hardships of her life into her album. It later ends with narration from Ciara providing an inspirational prayer that explains how pain can lead to better things, both for Walker and the listener.

Standout track “Unloyal” with Ari Lennox channels the same production style used on Walker’s LP Clear, transporting the listener into a blissful paradise guided by angelic piano runs and a saxophone solo that takes the listener into a bed of clouds. She ironically says that she must be unloyal on the track, while alluding to the fact that she is being cheated on. Her lyricism flows masterfully on this track and throughout the album, grappling with the concepts of trust and betrayal. She is able to effortlessly make a direct connection to today’s society, where meaningful relationships and honesty are seemingly rare in this digital age of social media. The track “Session 33,” a follow up to past single “Session 32,” further alludes to this, discussing how materialism and the glamorized rock-star lifestyle leaves Walker and her child alone and destroys her relationship. She painfully sings, “Long as you got your cars and toys to drive, I should’ve known I couldn’t get your time,” delivering a beautifully raw ad-libbed melody, allowing the listener to experience the depth of her emotions. For anyone going through a breakup or dealing with a bad relationship, this is the perfect album to listen to. It will make you cry and then help you find the strength to completely move on from your ex – or want to fight them. This conflicting energy is seen on the closing track “4th Baby Mama,” where Walker brutally drags her ex and his family through the mud, starting off by saying “I want to start with your mama, she should’ve whooped your ass.” Walker struggles through the ups and downs of toxicity, finally letting out every possible grievance on her final lyrical track and not holding back in the slightest.

Summer Walker delivers an instant R&B classic on Still Over It, using a toxic relationship to produce a beautiful and ruthless album that reminds you to never settle for less than what you deserve.