This album has definitely grown on me after more listens, but the pacing feels a bit off I think. There's a huge gap between the two big moments of intensity, DNA and XXX, and while the gap contains some of the best tracks on the album like Pride, the lacklustre tracks like Loyalty and general dreariness of the whole section makes it a little off-putting.
Kendrick manages to resolve things very well with Duckworth, which is my favourite track. Not only is the storytelling super captivating, but it also manages to round up the main themes of the album. However the album's main idea which is discussed at the end of Fear is not one I agree with, that being associating his struggles with a lack of connection to God, rather than a lack of improvement and action. This gets resolved in his next album, but in the confines of Damn things are pretty cold, and as a full package it doesn't quite compare to his other works. There are a lot of good tracks though, so it's a solid project.
By: Breakthrough