I've followed Abel Tesfaye's career for years now. All the way back when a standard song by The Weeknd was seven minutes long and featured a casual Drake collaboration. Abel's newest effort arrives, surprisingly, without a Drake nod but Beauty Behind The Madness may be the Toronto based singer's Magnum Opus.
I wrote a piece for Popbuzz a while back questioning whether or not Tesfaye had lost his signature sound. I stand by the piece because, in a sense, he has. Tesfaye was never one for a catchy hook and a big chorus, but Beauty Behind The Madness is full of them.
The album picks up momentum with second track "Losers". This, in itself, is classic pop in direct opposition to Tesfaye's former signature sound. From a compositional standpoint The Weeknd takes advantage of quite a catchy hook on "Losers", firmly aligning it with a trumpet-touting chorus.
"Tell Your Friends" is classic in its own way. From the second that first piano riff comes in, you know it’s a Kanye West produced track. Still, this one is more reminiscent of Tesfaye's older work. "Tell Your Friends" gets mighty self-aware as Tesfaye sings the line: "I'm that nigga with the hair/singing poppin' pills, fucking bitches."
"Often" and "The Hills" aren't new or too far outside of Tesfaye’s repertoire, but "Acquainted" might be. On this, Tesfaye’s lyrics are candid and, dare I say, vulnerable. "Acquainted" goes hand in hand with "Shameless", undoubtedly one of the best tracks on the album.
"Shameless" is near heartfelt, but all the way perfect in its execution.
The only thing that dampens the album is the feature from Ed Sheeran. If I could ditch one track from Beauty Behind The Madness it would be "Dark Times". If there is one thing I don't need in my Weeknd records, it's Ed Sheeran.
The record is strong, balancing the bravado out with the near heartfelt platitudes of a man in his mid-20s. While Beauty Behind The Madness is a far cry from Tesfaye's days as a bedroom producer/high school drop out, the album is mature and carries immense weight. If you buy anything this week, make sure it’s this album. A-
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