After my first play I have to say that the big difference between Cole and Kendrick is really the production. Obviously there’s more differences than similarities. But from a quality standpoint, I can listen to a Kendrick album without listening to the lyrics. That’s how dope the beats and overall production is, the creative structure of his songs, the alignment between voice and arrangement, mixing and all of that.
Coles production could really have been the production of an amateur at times, not wack at all but it’s just nothing special on too many songs. He’ll hit you with a few dope songs production wise but not consistently as should be the case for someone who obviously knows good music, knows how to make good music and has all the resources he wants at his disposal.
As far as how good the album is, still need some more time. First play was solid and production a lot more consistent than e.g. the last album.
