American rapper Don Toliver released his newest albums, Love Sick and Love Sick Deluxe on Feb. 24, marking his third studio album, following his 2021 release, Life of a DON. 

Toliver prides himself with many hits such as After Party, Drugs N Hella Melodies, and Cardigan. He also stars on popular tracks like Moon by Kanye West and Used by SZA. 

Love Sick was very on-brand for Toliver, following his usual hip-hop, trap and R&B mix; it features many well known artists such as Kali Uchis, Justin Bieber, Future, Charlie Wilson, and Brent Faiyaz. The deluxe version of this album even highlights other performers like Travis Scott and upcoming artist Teezo Touchdown, it also boasts a few songs that are produced by musicians such as DJ Dahi and KAYTRANADA, all of which fit the artist’s consistent style, helping take listeners on an entrancing journey through the ups and downs of love. 

The album opens with Lovesickness, a face paced, heartfelt serenade that discusses the struggle that comes with loving someone to the point where you feel sick. This is a unique but clever start to Love Sick, as it clears the path for a smooth transition into the remainder of the album. 

The best song of this Love Sick in my opinion is 4 Me, it features the artist’s current girlfriend, Kali Uchis. 4 Me talks about loyalty, continuously repeating lines that hint only wanting and needing one partner and in this case, Toliver and Uchis referring to each other. Beenie Man’s Girls Dem Sugar is credited as a sample for this song. It adds a nice touch that allows Uchis’ distinctive but alluring voice to join the vocals on the sampled track, which made me want to hear more of her on this number.

Overall, Love Sick was not an album that fully displayed the dexterity or skills of Don Toliver. Some find this album to be repetitive and too similar to previous LPs, and it’s easily comparable to Lil Yachty’s Nuthin’ 2 Prove or even Playboi Carti’s Die Lit, just further proving the opinion that this album is easily forgettable and mediocre. Part of me has to agree with this statement, despite the fact that it has many notable songs and vocalists, the general vibe of Love Sick was quite mundane and too alike past albums.