Smino is an artist who has always had to deal with comparisons to other rapping sensations, like JID (He sounds almost identical to him on the chorus from “Pudgy”, with his high pitched and uptempo rapping) and Isaiah Rashad (Plenty of songs on here remind me of “Headshots” with the summery production and falsetto singing and rapping). However, he also takes inspiration from other artists and pays homage to these influences. The first actual song on the album is clearly inspired by Kendrick Lamar, as even the opening skit invokes Kendrick’s spoken word segments like “BLOOD” or the poem from “To Pimp a Butterfly.” So how does Smino distinguish himself on Luv 4 Rent? Simple. He’s a fantastic singer. The previously mentioned artists can work well on lofi RnB production, but none of them can sing a full soul song like Smino does. The album closer “Lee & Lovie” has such strong vocals, which I find might even be appealing to my mother.

After a short, mainly spoken-word intro track that invokes Frank Ocean (who is directly mentioned on the next track), the album formally starts off with the mellow “No L’s”, which features many references to celebrities (“Been afflicted, feel like J-Lo”) and some clever wordplay. The following three-track run contains arguably the best three songs on the album, with “90 Proof” having a very fun chorus from Smino and a fantastic J-Cole feature. The next song, “Pro Freak”, is one of the most upbeat songs on the album, with great verses from both Smino and Doechii, and a beat switch leading into a final verse from Smino, which is maybe his best on the album. “Old Ass Kendrick” would be better if it was longer, but it still has an electric beat complimented by an incredibly catchy “She bad!” adlib that’s used throughout the song.

The album staggers a little in the middle, as “Louphoria” has a somewhat repetitive guitar riff and a Cruza verse that could’ve used some more padding, but Smino’s singing is still as great as ever. “Modennaminute” is too long, and “Settle Down” didn’t need to slow down at the end, but both are still good songs. While some of the verses seem to lean too hard into the low key sound and loses a lot of Smino’s charisma and energy, such as with the hand drums on “Garden Lady” causing it to drone and feel longer than 3 and a half minutes, the album still offers much more. “Curtains” starts off with a nostalgic feel through the beat and vocals, although the song does end up devolving into spoken word.

The best moments on Luv 4 Rent come when the beats are energetic, like on “Pudgy”, which features a fast kick drum and fun verse from Lil Uzi Vert. “Matinee” has another fast kick drum and an upbeat vocal sample, with a sound so fun and warm it’s impossible to dislike. Smino’s carefree singing and rapping combined with the groovy production results creates a warm, cozy listen that is perfect for the winter season ahead.

CRITIC SCORE: 8/10