For George Watsky, poet-turned-rapper, the strange is pretty much par for the course. So it really shouldn’t be surprised that he’s released another full-length album less than a year after his previous one. Cardboard Castles was a solid album that passed under the radar for a lot of people, which is a shame because it’s really incredible. Watsky’s established style of rapping and poetry intermixing shone out much clearer than it did on his first self-titled album, and All You Can Do seeks to be a continuation of that. While it falls a little short, it’s still a solid effort, especially given the time it took to make it.
Watsky has never been one to shy away from more serious subjects, and All You Can Do is no exception. While previous outings had him taking on subjects like racism, gentrification, and the state of the world in general, this new album has more of a tighter focus. The cover, his father Paul Watsky, exemplifies this, with the whole album keeping ties to more personal themes. Tracks like “Tears to Diamonds” explore his struggles with epilepsy and prescription medication, and even sillier songs like “Woah Woah Woah” still keep ties to themes like proving wrong those that doubt you.
Musically, All You Can Do feels a little less cohesive than Cardboard Castles. While it’s a good album, it falls into the trappings of sounding like a collection of singles rather than a complete album. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, and it still features some stellar instrumental parts, particularly with the instrumental outro of “Cannonball”. Other stand-out tracks include the melodically somber “Sarajevo” and the single “Ink Don’t Bleed”. Sadly, there seems to be an omission of the more poetry-centric songs that have been present. It’s a hit-or-miss change for most people, but All You Can Do has a much greater focus on musicality and rap, at the expensive of poetry.
All You Can Do is a solid album. While it doesn’t quite match up to last year’s album, it’s a great listen for fans and newcomers alike.
TheIndieCritic 