Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy
Columbia
July 21st, 2017
Something of a transitional album from Tyler, the Creator ventured into more focused, less reactive material. Musically speaking, Flower Boy is stylistically mature. Bringing on elements of soulful, soothing etiquette, Tyler's fourth studio album resorts to relying on the music to speak for itself. No longer are shock rap pastures called upon to make a statement. These seas are of a soothed mind.
A shift in scope in a musicality sense, Flower Boy shows more of Tyler, the Masterful Melder, rather than Tyler, the Reactive Rapper. A turn in the tides of intent makes Flower Boy a revelation - a sense of focused direction gives it replay value and a cohesion which previous projects lacked.
Pulling off a record in the direction of a masterpiece was always on the cards for Tyler, however doubts surrounding its possible creation persisted. Governing erratic behaviour and stripping talent back to its essence is harder than it may seem. You can have all the natural talent, even learnt talent, in the world. It means nothing unless it is guided through years of graft and well intentioned work. Placing the edgy character on the side, Tyler found new ground within his own being - a test of character if there ever was one. Fully dismissing the troublesome tendencies would be a mistake - they are important in manifesting a man/musician. Setting sights through the unpredictable instead of within them, Flower Boy finds itself a cohesive, developed structure. The potential to spin loose is still firmly there, but more within arms reach of quality.
Heading into the more soulful side of Tyler's repertoire, a new page awaited the pen of a mature musical mind. Flower Boy is the culmination of tweaks and forward steps, and a large leap in artistic merit. Honing in on the craft of song and its possibilities outside of turning heads, Flower Boy signaled a change in attitude and maturity in Tyler, the Creator's career. Things seemed to get more well-rounded and thought through from here on out. A deeper purpose was pursued in a sense.
