Summer Walker's Over It: Breakdown + Review

Since the beginning of the genre R&B, singers would harmonize over soulful beats while telling their stories of love, sex, and passion. In recent years, current R&B has been criticized for lack of the raw substance that the genre was built off of. Lyrics were becoming artificial and highly sex-driven, vocals filled with too much autotune and lack of talent, beats were becoming less soulful and too hip-hop or too pop. However, there has been a shift in the genre and new up and coming artists have been redefining R&B while still keeping the raw soulful aspect alive. ATL native, Summer Walker is one of those artists.
In her debut album, Over It Summer Walker tells a modern love story, while showcasing her strong pen and vocals. She gives us the classic R&B that we grew up on, but instead of the same dreamy love songs we’ve heard before, she gives us songs about love and lust that this generation can relate to because it tells an imperfect story.
Walker starts off the album strong  with the first track “Over It” setting the tone for the rest of the album. “Am I really that much to handle?” Walker sings over an airy beat, already triggering millions of women at once. For the rest of the track  she goes on to admit that she can get a little wild sometimes cause her personality is not on a leash. However, she is looking for a man that can tame her when she acts up. But most of the time she encounters men that only say they are about it but that’s really not the case. When she finds someone that can really handle her, she will know he is actually worthy of her. Many women can feel this because we feel if you’re not willing to go the extra mile for us, are you really down for us? Or are you just a “fan  of me” as Summer says. This is an excellent introduction into the remainder or the project.
The next track “Body” has all the qualities to become Summer’s next hit. The soulful yet fun track samples “Get It Together” by 702. In this track Summer sings about wanting someone who isn’t giving her the time of day. She has options but it’s just something about this one person that makes everybody else irrelevant. The song has a hell of a replay value and a hook that will be stuck in your head all day. Even Summer Walker herself said this was her favorite song on the album and it is also one of mine.
The next track is an extended version of her first single “Playing Games” however this extended version features a verse from Bryson Tiller. Summer opens with the lyrics “Whip, bought it, crib, got it, job, on it.” This really is a good opener for the song because it establishes that she has obtained everything that she owns, on her own, so she never needed a man to do that for her.  This furthers her point in the next line that she never asked her man for any material or lavish things. She simply wants time and attention. He claims he can do that for her, but his actions say otherwise, thus “playing games” with Summer’s mind and emotions. Story of my life right? The song was good on its own but Bryson coming on the track made it exceptional. His verse was short and sweet but his passionate vocals and cadence were enough to make it perfect.
“Drunk Dialing...LODT” is the first and only two part song on the album. Summer starts to get more vulnerable on this track has she melancholily sings the classic tale of having one too many drinks thus calling somebody you know you shouldn’t. She sings this over a soft melody. The first part ends with a sound of an unavailable Facetime, then smoothly transitions to a soulful ballad about her love for someone who is not capable of loving her the way she needs. Are you crying yet? The two parts of this song compliment each other well to make an elaborate song.

The tone then picks up on the next track “Come Thru” which samples the classic hit “You Make Me Wanna” by Usher,  featuring the R&B legend himself! This is another one of my favorites on the album. London on Da Track revitalized the classic track and gave it a more modern and fresh feel. This is definitely a feel-good record. Summer sings about wanting to pull up on her current lover and, as Summer says, “put it down”. Summer delivered vocally and Usher of course did not disappoint either on his verse.
We are back in our feelings in the next track, and are staying there for the rest of the album. In “Potential” sings about a possible love interest who seems to have what she wants but is he really? One things for sure, if he doesn’t have it all now, he has potential. She sings over a simple atmospheric beat that seems to be mostly man made, composed of several background singers harmonies. It gives the track a raw feel and does a good job of displaying Walker’s angelic voice.
“Fun Girl” is another one of my favorites. It is an acoustic song that is only composed of a guitar and Summer’s voice. She vulvernably sings about how a man tells her she isn’t fit to be cuffed because she is a “fun girl”. He will kick it with Summer but will never take her too seriously to be anything more than friends. She will only be a “fun girl “ to him because she is sexually liberated and basically does what she wants. She ends the song repeating the lyrics “life’s so unfair”. This is because many men are able to behave how they want and still settle down but women are shamed for the same behavior and then deemed unfit for commitment. This is one of my favorites because it is so raw and unapologetic. It exposes harsh reality society holds upon women.
After the warm and sensual “Tonight” we are back to getting triggered with “Me”. In this song Summer sings about a passionate and fiery love story. Her man can strike a nerve in her so deep that she is tempted to get the strap out, even though she would never shoot him. Her partner brings out the worst in her but at the same time her love for him is deep. So deep that Summer claims he will surely be her last love. She sings this calmly over a melancholy beat. In this song she shows how hard her pen game is by evoking strong emotions from many.
I wasn’t much of a fan of “Like It” ft. 6LACK as it sounded more pop than the classic R&B Summer delivers. Nevertheless, I wasn’t disappointed with the next track “Just Might” ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR. Its obvious by the first half of the album that love is not easy for Summer. Sometimes it gets so complicated and frustrating that she wants to give up and use men as a tool for sex. That is what she says on the record. She sings in a hopeless tone over a daunting melody. PARTYNEXTDOOR comes on the track adding a verse that compliments Summer’s Lyrics. He gives fans exactly what they want by giving us the classic … voice a cadence that we love.
The song is her second single “Stretch You Out” ft. A Boogie wit da Hoodie. It has a nice sensual vibe but the lyrics are still a mystery to me and the rest of her fans. I'm hoping that genius lyric video will drop soon. “Off of You” is not fully acoustic but still gives us that raw guitar sound with a fresh twist. Summer comes on the track more confident than usual as she sings about being over someone that clearly wasn’t doing enough for her. This track is a refreshing addition to the album being that she takes back her power that she has given to undeserving men.
We are back into a somber tone with “Anna Mae”. Summer sings over a slow and somewhat sensual beat. She sings about a forbidden arrangement, her spending time with a man that has a girlfriend, all while she herself has a partner. However, Summer says they’ll reap the benefits and “have our cake and eat it too”.  Even though I’m skeptical of the message, the song has an intoxicating pull that makes me love it anyway.
“I’ll Kill You ft. Jhene Aiko” was probably one of the most anticipated songs on the album being that Jhene and Summer both have a similar fan-base and a collaboration with two favs always sparks excitement. Also, of course, the title of the song got people’s attention. However, this was not the song most people expected. Despite what the title might insinuate, Summer sings about a deep passionate love that she has been waiting for. The love is so deep she doesn’t want anybody to come between them, and will do anything to make sure they won’t, letting her crazy show. The beat is deep and trance like, complementing the lyrics well. This was a great collab; Jhene did what she had to do on the record. Her lyrics matched Summer’s crazy and territoriality. Her smooth and tight flow complimented her lyrics beautifully making you want to hit a replay by the end of the verse.
Even though this is technically not the last song on the album, I consider it to be because the last two are singles we’ve have all listened to countless times. “Nobody Else” closes the album beautifully as listening to it reminds me of watching the ending credits to a movie. Over an intricate and piano-driven beat, Summer sings about somebody that seems perfect for her. He gives her just what she needs and sees her for her true self. She is putting her full trust in him, and hopes it’s the right choice because she wants it so, so bad.
Over It was a beautifully written and executed project. It was slightly different from her past EP’s she has released but I feel like she is going in the right direction due to this having a more traditional R&B sound but still keeping the spicy elements that makes Summer Walker so unique.