To an extent greater than that of
Over It,
Still Over It exhibits
Summer Walker's knack for writing with detail and specificity while relating to a broad range of listeners. Take "4th Baby Mama." First, there's the title, named for the singer's role in the life of
London on Da Track, the producer of nine of the album's other songs. The ballad digs into the minutiae of
Walker's grievances with her ex, but it's the numbness and bafflement at egocentricity, unfaithfulness, failure to accept responsibility, and other issues common among bad partners, that cut through. In the majority of the songs ahead of it,
Walker likewise lays bare her thoughts no matter how particular or detailed. Colorful and plain critiques alike, from "I wanna start with your mama/She shoulda whooped your ass" to "You should know my body by now," have major significance. One doesn't need to have experienced such unique scenarios, or even be familiar with how
Walker's life has played out on social media, to understand and feel where she is coming from. Somewhere in the second half of this hour-plus album, the mostly sedate sequence of productions -- some without beats, others with dragging trap-styled percussion -- make for laborious listening. The trade-off is
Walker's vivid and biting lyrics and knack for singing them with such grace that they please the ear as much as they raise eyebrows. The stagnation is all the more tolerable when the first half contains "Ex for a Reason," a Miami-meets-Atlanta bass jam and one of the era's most flavorsome crossover R&B hits. The la-di-da "Try me, trespass/Guaranteed to beat yo ass" is wielded like a knife coated in icing. ~ Andy Kellman