On
Set It Off, his second solo studio album and first since the messy-then-tragic breakup of his world-dominating trap trio
Migos, Atlanta rapper
Offset aims to establish his range by covering as much stylistic ground as possible. There's larger than life melodic trap that sounds tailor-made for mass airplay and streaming on tracks like the magnanimous
Travis Scott-assisted "Say My Grace" and the dramatic "Night Vision," but
Offset is able to transition seamlessly into soul-searching pop on "Worth It" (featuring a smoothly sung chorus by
Don Toliver) and the Auto-Tuned, sex-crazed R&B on "Princess Cut" (featuring
Chloe). He even uses dance for an unstoppable flow around the soul-blues sample that anchors the beat of album-opener "On the River." A somewhat unexpected Memphis rap influence comes through on the album's better tracks. Both of
Set It Off's songs featuring
Cardi B: "Freaky" and "Jealousy" have a distinctly raw production reminiscent of the blunt power and sinister hooks of
Three 6 Mafia.
Offset seems equally at home in almost every style he tries, and though the heavily varied production and artistic approaches from track to track can give the album a less-than-consistent feel, the steady stream of guest appearances from stars like
Future,
Young Nudy,
Latto, and others all help to emphasize how
Set It Off is more exciting than it is uneven. ~ Fred Thomas