Dawn AM – The Weeknd ★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2022	Dawn AM	The Weeknd	★★	49	Pop	Pop Hip-Hop	Synthpop

If there were still any holdouts hoping that The Weeknd would start inching back towards his darker, more hip-hop roots, Dawn AM should squash any of those lingering thoughts. If 2020’s  After Hours was The Weeknd finally admitting he’s meant for dance-pop radio, this year he married it and had some kids. The music is clean, bright and slick, some of the darker themes have been sterilized, and the Weeknd is operating at almost a robotic energy level throughout. 

The first third of the album is nonstop action, blaring 1980s synths and electronic drum beats, with songs that seamlessly flow from one to the next like you’re at a Micheal Jackson -themed dance party or cover night.  However, the middle section is so much of a slog that it really makes you forget how much fun you were just having on the dance floor, and only a few moments of the later part of the record, like “Less than Zero,” really shine through. 

Compared to After Hours, I feel Dawn AM has much fewer top-tier songs, and the low points can be pretty darn cringy. The spoken word stuff in on the second track didn’t really work for me even if the interstellar beat got me going, and the whole concept of the radio station interludes throughout the record is executed at a very basic level, where they feel more like filler on an already bloated album than a clever, essential inclusion. The Weeknd also officially holds the honor of having the worst Tyler, the Creator feature verse of all time on his album, and a forgettable Lil Wayne contribution. 

There are for sure tracks here that could light up the dance floor or that deserve some nice radio play — “Take My Breath,” “Sacrifice” and “Out of Time” work —  but there isn’t any new ground covered, or anything that initially jumps out like a potential classic that we’ll be listening to for years to come. It’s a collection of fine songs, with a few highs, a few lows, and not nearly enough raging hits or grimy sleaze to hold my interest.