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Vinyl Days is the eleventh studio album by the popular rapper and Maryland native known as Logic. Produced by Def Jam Records, this release is the first full-length album following Logic’s self-proclaimed retirement in 2020. In 2021, Logic announced his return to the music scene with the very lackluster Bobby Tarantino III, which delivered a half-baked collection of tracks that felt more like an EP rather than a full-length project. However, after delivering No Pressure in 2020 (Logic’s best work) I was cautiously optimistic about what he would put out next.

Clocking in at an hour and eleven minutes and boasting thirty tracks, this album is certainly one of Logic’s lengthier records. However, about half of the tracks are simple complimentary skits in which a variety of guests leave voicemail messages to Logic and contribute to the overall vibe of the album. While I did find a majority of these somewhat long-winded and excessive, there are a few fun ones that add to the whole charm and light-hearted tongue-in-cheek humor that encapsulates Logic’s style.

Fortunately, the actual songs on the album do a lot to mitigate the somewhat awkward pacing of the skits. The opening track, “Tetris” immediately slams you with breakneck pacing and dozens of snappy quick rhymes that complement a killer beat and production. The track isn’t super deep lyrically but manages to stand out among other brag rap tracks because of the unique connecting metaphor which compares Logic’s continued success to the classic 1988 puzzle video game. This track sets the more positive tone for the rest of the album and gives you a taste of what’s to come.

The next two songs, “Decades” and “BLACKWHITEBOY” are both solid and more introspective tracks and exhibit Logic’s talent as a storyteller. In “Decades”, Logic reflects on his life and career noting how far he has come and discussing how he has rediscovered his passion for music after his break. The follow-up track, “BLACKWHITEBOY” continues with this idea as Logic details his struggles with mental health that pushed him to retire. He then fires back at critics with smooth flows and fun bars, a theme that has become quite common across his music.

In past projects, this idea has led to Logic sounding somewhat whiny and immature. However, in this album, I feel it works as you can tell from lines such as, “And I ain’t got time to diss you, I’d rather dismiss you.” that Logic has adopted a more positive outlook on the critiques of others. His return is proof that he feels prepared to take the critiques of others and not take them so personally, instead choosing just to have fun with his music.

“Therapeutic” and  “Fun” are just the words I would use to describe the rest of this project. Tracks like “Bleed It,” “Porta one,” and “Kickstyle” deliver some great nods and sampling of classic Hip- Hop artists such as The Wu-Tang Clan and The Beastie Boys with RZA delivering a great verse on the second half of “Porta one.” “Kickstyle” is a lightning-fast banger that I wish went on for another verse. On the other hand, tracks such as “Clouds,” “Rogue One,” and “Therapy Music” paint a more mellow picture of Logic’s current mindset and new carefree attitude hidden within effortless mind-bending flow. My personal favorite is the title track itself, which contains some of Logic’s most clever bars beneath a soothing classical mix.

Despite my praise of the album thus far, there are a few misses on here. Tracks like “LaDonda” and “Carnival” have some graphic lines that are meant to be comedic but took it a step too far. Additionally, “Breath Control” features a low energy and somewhat dull verse from Wiz Khalifa. This was quite disappointing considering Logic has a fantastic second verse on the close. Finally, the song “Orville” has a great beat but dozens of lines that came off awkward. The guest verses from Blu and Exile again felt lackluster.

Overall, while the album is far from perfect, I believe this to be another of Logic’s better projects. It plays to his strengths as an artist, while delivering more substance than his earlier work on albums like Bobby Tarantino and contains songs I can happily revisit without cringing a little. You can see the passion Logic has for his craft here, contrasting the somewhat somber tone of No Pressure. As a fan who acknowledges the hit-or-miss nature of Logic, It makes me happy to say I look forward to his next release. If you love classic 90s Hip-Hop I would highly recommend this.

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Vinyl Days

$13.79

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Fantastic Production
• Great flow and delivery from Logic
• Fun overall tone

Cons

• Too many skits
• Unfocused Feature Verses
• Some awkward, lines and verses