Kanye West did everything in 2014 except release new music. He went on tour, collaborated on a clothing line, got married, executive produced an album and recorded a new solo album.
While his fans still don’t have a new album, on New Year’s Eve he released “Only One” featuring Paul McCartney to hold them over. While the aggressive, potential radio hit called “All Day” was expected, West did the unexpected and dropped a heartfelt ballad.
The song starts with the lines “As I lay me down to sleep, I hear her speak to me,” which refers to his deceased mother speaking to him. The rest of the song is from his mother’s, Donda West, perspective. She goes on to give him encouragement and comforts him despite his mistakes saying “No, you’re not perfect, but your not your mistakes.”
McCartney plays the keys on the track, a simple yet soulful instrumentation. The melody is a far deviation from anything that appeared on West’s last album Yeezus while being more reminiscent of his 808’s and Heartbreak and Late Registration albums, coming from 2008 and 2005, respectively.
Although the production is relatively simple compared to his previous work, it has a timeless feel due its meaningful lyrics and classic production. The exclusion of drums might be noticeable on another West track, but the minimalistic approach fits the nature of the track, which is gentle and selflessly loving.
West auto-tunes his vocals on the single, less noticeably than in the past on tracks like “Blood on the Leaves” and “Heartless,” but enough to be noticeable and help elevate West’s singing abilities. While critics of auto-tune think this damages the song, West is not the best singer despite his top tier musical abilities, and the auto-tune adds a further melodic addition furthering the song’s emotional power. Or Nah-singer, Ty Dolla $ign, known for his hip-hop infused R&B, provides well placed background vocals that provide a soulful depth to West’s singing.
The song ends with the sincere “Tell Nori about me,” which is repeated multiple times, bringing to light the tragedy of West’s mother not being able to meet her granddaughter, North West, a hardship that people of all race and class can relate to.
Serving as just the beginning of a multiple song collaboration between West, McCartney and Ty Dolla $ign, with the next featuring Rihanna too, “Only One” is a touching reintroduction for West that will help win backfans who were alienated by the polarizing Yeezus.
The Hilights
Song Title: “Only One (feat. Paul McCartney)
Release date: 12/31/2014
Cost: $1.29
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Streaming: Kanyewest.com
Download: iTunes