By: Brayden Dodson

The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) is an Pop and R&B artist from Toronto, Canada; he has 3 mixtapes and 5 studio albums and countless awards. The Weeknd has revolutionised the sound of Dark R&B with his smooth vocals, dark almost evil lyrics and symphony. I am going to review every album and mixtape in chronological order with a star rating, and give my opinion on how I felt on the album. I will also list my three favorite songs on the album and also give my reasoning why;Note these songs are for older teens and adults.

House Of Balloons (2011) 4.5/5 stars

House Of Balloons was Weeknd’s first of his three mixtapes, this mixtape is a hint on what The Weeknd would become, because this mixtape is a generational debut for an artist in any genre. As this mixtape has a hunted strip club sound as his smooth vocals sings about drug addiction and adultery actions. Wicked Games is the song that made The Weeknd and is one of the list bangers on this album, the mix of R&B beat and Rock Guitar hits you, as Abel sings about cheating on his girlfriend and the regret of doing it in a Michael Jackson Esc falsetto. I highly recommend this song as it is in my playlist of favorites. The first track on this mixtape High For This, sets the vibe of the mixtape as a hunting club synth plays until a club type beat dropped then Abel sings about peer pressuring a woman to do drugs with him. I think that High For This is a fantastic tone setter and gives the listener an idea of what the album is about. House Of Balloons/GlassTable Girls is one of the most iconic songs on this mixtape, as he sings about the highs and then the eventual lows of doing drugs; And he also sings of depravity and adult seduction. At the beginning it sounds fun and energetic then the second half the song drops the energetic beat for a low and slow beat as Abel raps about in detail the feeling of drugs.

Thursday (2011) 4.5/5 stars

Thursday is the 2nd mixtape of the three and in my opinion one of the best out of the three.As Abel experiments with new sounds and still keeps the feel of House of Balloons. Still keeping the feel of House of Balloons, Thursday is more about the female protagonist than the party itself. Rolling Stone is my favorite song on this mixtape, the song is unlike other songs in his discography at the time as it is mostly acoustic guitar rather than strip club beats and synths. The song depicts the celebrity life and the struggles of finding a relationship that is genuine. The title song Thursday is going back to roots of Abel style, as it has a similar sound to songs on House or Balloons, Thursday is about Abel meeting a girl only on thursday as they have adultery relations. Life Of The Party, is a hypnotising song as it starts slow with a rock guitar; until the beat drops and the song picks up pace as Abel's voice is still slow and hypnotizing. Overall I give Thursday 4.5 stars because of its story and sound as it experiments with new sounds, adds onto the House of Balloons story and gives more light to the female protagonist.

Echoes Of Silence (2011) 4/5 stars

Echoes Of Silence is the last of the mixtapes, and in my opinion the weakest of the three as it has a more emotional and slower feel than House of Balloons and Thursday. Abel did experiment with new sounds on this album as it really doesn't have that club sound, but this mixtape is still good; as it gives a new perspective on Abel as he is way more emotional than he is in the others.The title song Echoes Of Silence fits right in to the dynamic as it is a slow piano song, which is the only base piano song in his discography. The song explores themes of isolation, trauma, and loneliness, and shows how emotional Abel can be. Montreal is the most recognizable song on this mixtape, in this song Abel wrestles with guilt and emotional detachment, he also confesses of being cold-hearted on past relationships. Outside is a Weeknd classic, his smooth almost hypnotic vocals sing in detail about a drug-filled sexual encounter with a woman. A House of Balloons type beat kinda gives us a mental note that Abel has not changed.

Kiss Land (2013) 4.5/5 stars

Abel’s first studio album Kiss Land and is the most underrated album in his discography, as some critics say “It lacks in the bite,” which is not true in the slightest. In my opinion this album is fantastic, as he really focuses on storytelling in the tour life and experiments with new sounds, as in some songs in this album you can hear sampled screams and with an eerie feel. Like in the title song Kiss Land, Abel sings about his new level of fame and his new subsequent lifestyle and on his conflicted emotions on his desired thirst for pleasure. Wanderlust is one of the most fast paced songs, as it had a kinda 80’s funk beat which contrasted to the dark lyrics. In the song Abel sings of the pursuit of temporary sexual thrills over an actual genuine relationship. In the song Adaptation, Abel sings about the regret and heartbreak of trading a potential relationship for temporary thrills, in contrast to the song Wanderlust. I overall give Kiss Land a 4.5 stars for the genius storytelling and great use of sounds to give ambiance to the album.

Beauty Behind The Madness (2015) 5/5 stars

Beauty Behind The Madness is the album that Abel found new levels of fame, as he began to step into Pop. I personally think this album is almost the perfect combination of Dark R&B and Pop, but it sounds majestic. The Micheal Jackson esc Can’t Feel My Face is the most recognizable song on the album and it is great. I like the catchy funky feel and this is the first Weeknd song I listened to then I was hooked. Then the Hills is the most noticeable R&B song on this album, and it goes back to his old sound and personally for me the third best song on this album. The best song on this album in my opinion is Often, as it is a mix of R&B and Trap, the mixture of Abel rapping and singing got me hooked on the rest of the album. Overall I give Beauty Behind The Madness 5 stars not only because it got Abel to new heights of fame, but also because the mix of R&B and Pop is almost perfect.

Starboy (2016) 4/5 stars

Starboy is the album where Abel’s mood and tone changed, as this album is all Pop rather than Dark R&B. Unlike Beauty Behind The Madness where it was a good blend of Dark R&B and Pop,Which some critics didn’t like as it wasn’t Abel’s sound.I think he did great as he still kept the demeanor and didn’t make this album all glossy and bubbly. This is also the album that pushed him more into fame because he went to a more Pop sound, instead of the dark and moody R&B sound. The title song Starboy is the biggest song on this album, the song has a Club Funk feel. Abel’s tone in thai song sounds arrogant, egotistical, and condescending but also regretful as the hit line in the song “Look what you done, i'm a motherf**ken starboy” kinda like he’s blaming us for his fame. My favorite song on this album is Party Monster is the perfect mix of the Pop sound and Abel’s dark lyrics, as Abel sings of an unfulfilling thrill. And my third song on this album is Sidewalks, as this song hints at the Weeknd’s past life of being homeless. Another reason why I like Sidewalks is because it has a feature from one o f the best rappers of his generation Kendrick Lamar. Overall, I give Starboy 4 stars as a full Pop album is not really my feel, but I still like the production and Able’s lyrics overall.

After Hours (2020) 5/5 stars

After Hours is the perfect album from top to bottom, and it shows with the album having 12 billion streams and also with a song with 5 billion streams and probably the most recognizable song of all time Blinding Lights. After Hours is one of those albums where I can’t just choose three to review, because I love every song on the album; so I will review 5 songs on this album that are my absolute favorites. The 5 billion streamed song Blinding Lights will stand the test of time not because of its popularity, but for its prestian sound. The mix of 80s pop and current production is unimaginable. The insanely catchy song Save Your Tears is a Pop track that I really enjoy not only because of the synth sounds, but because of great production and lyrics.The Trap, R&B mix song Heartless shows off Abel’s diversity as one second he’s rapping then the next he’s singing in a smooth falsetto.The almost haunting song Faith is a slight call back to Able’s past tracks with the dark sounds, but with a way better production and it's fantastic. The reflective track Snow Child is a dark track about Able’s past life of homelessness then his rise to fame, the chill production on this track fits the vibe of the theme of this track well. After Hours is absolutely fantastic and would be the album I would recommend to people if they were interested in The Weeknd, and that is why I give After Hours 5 stars.

Dawn FM (2022) 4.5 stars

Dawn FM is one of the most lighthearted albums in Abel’s discography, and it’s in my opinion one of the most creative as well. Dawn FM has a radio feel about it from the 80’s Pop, to the radio intro in some songs which I like a lot. My favorite track on this album is I Heard You’re Married, I love the 80’s synth and production on this track; although the feature from Lil Wayne kinda ruins the mood of the song for me but not enough for me to hate it. The emotional Best Friends has a pulsating with smooth synths which I can’t stop listening to, Able’s voice on this track is astounding as it carries the emotion on the track. The upbeat but yet emotional tack Sacrifice continues the 80’s sound, and in my opinion has Abel’s best vocals of any track in his discography. Overall I would give Dawn FM 4.5 stars because I love the 80’s sound, synths, and production overall, However the features from Lil Wayne and Tyler, The Creator are a little bland and don’t fit the sound and feel of the album in my opinion.

The Weeknd is one of the influential R&B and Pop artists of this generation and probably of all time, his flexibility of styles is unmatched. I hope you give some of his tracks a listen and enjoy and appreciate the music.

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