REVIEW: Childish Gambino is a melodious shapeshifter with “Awaken, My Love!”

Childish Gambino’s new album “Awaken, My Love!” is a portrait of a man in transition. Gambino, born Donald Glover, has gone through multiple career shifts, from acting on NBC’s “Community,” to his career as a rapper with successful breakthrough studio albums “Camp” and “Because the Internet.”

Gambino, working in multiple artistic fields, has forged a career buying into the modern millennial lifestyle: trying on all hats, seeing which one fits.

It seems that in regard to Gambino’s music career, his success is derived from his understanding of combining artful composition with meaningful rap. Gambino often uses technology to his advantage in his musical themes and mixes. Until this most recent album, Gambino had been on a trajectory to be known as a rapper with soulful embellishments.

Gambino’s newest studio release, however, may prove to be another shedding-of-the-skin moment in his movement forward as an artist: the album is a retro extravaganza, minus the classic raps.

Without the rapping, the record otherwise plays as a solid funk album, audibly smooth and soulful. The one problem, however, is that at times it comes off as vaguely derivative. Take the song “Have Some Love.” The high chorus and lamentations of “Have a word for your brother / Have some time for one another / Really love one another / It’s so hard to find” is an echo of a very good Sly and The Family Stone song, or even Parliament’s classic dance tune “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker).”

If the entire album were songs like “Have Some Love,” it would be an offshoot R&B funk album, good enough to play as background music at parties, but not much beyond that. 

But the album proves itself beyond simple background beats. The old Gambino uniqueness, after letting the album marinate for a while, does ultimately shine through.

One minute “Awaken, My Love!” seems like an album from 50 years ago. Then a synthesizer arrives, and you’re reminded of where you are and who you’re listening to: technology maven Donald Glover himself.

Gambino excels beyond simple derivativeness through the minor flourishes of 2016 society he sprinkles in his songs. Specifically, the overarching theme of police brutality on the track “Boogieman” as he sings, “With a gun in your hand, I’m the boogieman / I’m gonna come and get you.”

On “Zombies,” he says, “You can hear them coming (they come to take your life) / You can hear them breathing, breathing down your spine.” It’s a vital reminder that although Gambino has not reinvented the wheel in terms of funk, he has in fact added modern thematic elements that are relevant and prescient in today’s society. These aren’t just empty tunes; there is meaning behind each note.

Since this album is so different from Gambino’s past workings, it remains unknown whether this album will please the masses. It may prove hard for a devout fan to enjoy the surprising lack of rap. This album will, however, certainly appeal to soul and funk purists — those who desire a resurgence of what seems like music of days past.

Good artists should always try to reinvent themselves and try new styles and genres. There are signifiers hidden throughout “Awaken, My Love!” that prove Gambino is attempting to push past his old style. Maybe soul and smooth funk will gain resurgence because of this album. Maybe all funk as a genre needed was a chameleon-like figure, such as Gambino, to pick it up, dust it off and mold it into a sellable modern record for mass consumption.

If that’s the case, then welcome to a new era. If not, the world continues to watch as Gambino attempts to reinvent genres. Even if “Awaken, My Love!” isn’t his magnum opus, it’s certainly a time piece that proves Gambino has a larger plan for his career, one that spans multiple fields and time periods.

It is hard to keep diversifying oneself, but the more Gambino experiments, the closer his career inches towards legacy. As Gambino croons on the final track “Stand Tall,” “Keep all your dreams, keep standing tall / If you are strong you cannot fall.”