A woman scorned is like the sun scorching the Earth. After it’s all said and done, the aftermath is an inhabitable reminder of the emptiness left behind by something that used to represent light, but now just symbolizes something that burns. No one makes this point more than R&B singer Summer Walker, who stole our hearts with her sultrily honest single “Girls Need Love” from her 2018 album Last Day of Summer.
Back then, Walker’s heart was open, as she anticipated the thought of true love and all its mystical wilds. This translated into her music with her effortlessly delivering a range of emotions that included a new love, a late night creep, and karma. Fast forward a couple of years and a baby later, Walker sounds more like one of the enraged characters from the female-centered film Waiting To Exhale. Summer Walker is mad. Better yet, she’s pissed, and the writings are scribbled in red lipstick all over her ex’s walls.
Now a bonafide superstar whose name is tossed around with the likes of Adele and Alicia Keys, Walker has singlehandedly introduced herself as the reincarnation of blues in R&B. With the exception of artists like Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton, for instance, not many artists have been able to keep their listeners engaged with projects that sulk about their former flames the entire way through.
Yet, with the number of mental health issues rising amid the pandemic, along with relationships being highlighted nearly everywhere, Walker basically walked into a goldmine of brokenhearted fans looking for her type of music for an outlet. So, she delivers her much-anticipated follow up to her hit album Over It with the 20-track studio album Still Over It. Walker prepares fans for what has become a cautionary tale about love.
“Take this opportunity to learn from my mistakes,” said Walker in an exclusive memo for Apple Music upon the release of ‘Still Over It.’ “You don’t have to guess if something is love. Love is shown through actions. Stop making excuses for people who don’t show up for you. Don’t ignore the red flags. And don’t think you have to stay somewhere ’cause you can’t find better — you can and you will. Don’t settle for less — you don’t deserve it and neither does your family.”
As it stands, the track “4th Baby Mama,” produced by Canada’s own Nineteen85, appears to be the talk of the town as Walker rips through her former ex and calls out his lazy mother for not rearing her child right, but instead, letting him manipulate and impregnate multiple women. The song samples male R&B group Profyle’s single “Liar,” a story of a man discovering that his romantic partner is “nothing but a liar, cheater, deceiver, heartbreaker” — an experience Walker apparently shares.
Listen To ‘Still Over It’ Below:
The 19th track on the album is followed up by “Ciara’s Prayer,” featuring R&B singer Ciara. Ciara narrates a nearly two-minute prayer requesting healing and a better man. Although Ciara’s real-life story is similar to a fairytale considering how she leveled up from “F Boy” to a more well-rounded man, the actual prayer being on the album unedited is near cringe — yet, it adds to Walker’s theme.
Still Over It starts strong with feature-heavy tracks that include “Bitter,” featuring Cardi B, “Ex For A Reason,” featuring JT & City Girls, and “No Love,” featuring SZA. The trinity of songs signifies the new era of R&B that Walker ushers in, while also taking notes from the genre’s past.
Other features include Pharrell Williams & The Neptunes on the surprisingly upbeat bop “Dat Right There,” which definitely sounds like it was made for a different age demographic than Walker’s, but it works in that it’s a shakeup from the homogeneity. Omarion joins in on the fun with sex-driven track “Screwin.” No tact is necessary as Walker gets straight to the point singing, “I begged you to do this / You all up into me / N—-, you better not pull it out / The s— we be doing / Our folks call it screwin’.” Enough said.
Check Out On YouTube: Summer Walker – Over It vs. Still Over It Livestream
Another feature includes Lil Durk on the tranquil “Toxic,” where Walker smoothly rifts through a cloud of toxic relationship scenarios that incite judgement from peers and spectators, alike. It’s one of the standout collaborations on the album that definitely deserves album single treatment. But, that seems to be the case for most of the songs that Lil Durk is featured on.
In the same vein, Walker and Ari Lennox make a case for single treatment on the jazzy empowerment ode “Unloyal,” a song that easily fits somewhere in between the Erykah Badu and Jorja Smith section of an antiquated music store. It’s all about a no-good partner that is deservingly deserted. Relatable, empowering, and right on time, “Unloyal” remains among the standout tracks.
A lot of the songs on the album reiterate the same theme of betrayal, heartbreak, and disbelief — with the exception of “Circus.” The song cry anthems are almost overly exhausted, providing no moment for air to celebrate the other offerings of life, which Walker has more than enough content to inspire a few songs. For instance, she hardly pays homage to the fact that she’s a new mother with a new body, and a successful career. Instead, she prefers to see the cup half empty and uses Still Over It as a therapeutic channel for the worst of her innermost emotions.
Despite this, it’s still one of the most solid projects out this year. Perhaps, when she’s really over it, she will finally get back to the style of music that made love to our ears — instead of adding salt to the wound. But, if the empress of R&B decides to do otherwise, her fans won’t be bothered at all.
