Drake’s effort Take Care doesn’t disappoint

Lil Wayne's protégé has returned to his unique style of lyrical delivery - clean versus punctuated with hit or miss vocals and, of course, a bevy of well-placed hooks.

On the debut single from the album "Headlines," Drake proclaims his return proudly: "I had someone tell me I fell off/ Ooh, I needed that/ And they wanna see me pick back up/ Well, where'd I leave it at?"

Feature artists dot the album's track list and add variety to Drake's already diverse style. Nicki Minaj hijacks "Make Me Proud" with her one-of-a-kind flair while Lil Wayne and Andre 3000 (of Outkast fame) redeem a weak performance by Drake on "The Real Her."

Overall, Drake incorporates a range of styles, from a new school take on old school R&B on such tracks like "Shot for Me," a cut that made me reconsider Auto-Tune as the death of hip-hop and more of a sort of rebirth for it, to "Underground Kingz," which taps the form of the Southern rap super-group of the same name. Drizzy spits on that track, "I could tell a lie if you askin' me my whereabouts/ But I might talk that real if you ask me what I care about."

Speaking of production, the album shines on nearly every track, even when the title artist's delivery is off. The beats, mostly produced by fellow Toronto residents T-Minus & 40, support the aforementioned range of styles Drake and various featured artists deliver. The title track "Take Care" is a duet featuring R&B songstress Rihanna. It's less than stellar lyrically but borrows heavily from the current dance style with a heavy percussion and piano backed performance. The energetic "Just Blaze" instrumental of "Lord Knows," is backed by a gospel choir sample and features a strong appearance by Rick Ross.

"Take Care" goes out on a limb. It takes cues from a number of styles of music: electronic, dance, rhythm and blues and hip-hop styles, both new and old. That limb is supported by a strong foundation attached to the hip-hop tree of women, money and the fast life (and Auto-Tune), but even those safe bets are delivered with that monotone/melodic style unique to Drizzy.

The limb becomes a little more shaky as the artist questions the consequences of the lifestyle's indiscriminate spending and love of drugs, alcohol and sex. Think conscientious hip-hop music that simultaneously questions and embraces the fundamentals that have taken it over in the present day but also pays homage to the poetic roots where it originated.

Drake's unique delivery warrants "Take Care" at least a listen in a rap world saturated with a lot of the same thing.