Sonically the inspirations for Sirens washes of watercolor, evolving out of the hard edges of Drake’s last album and inviting you into a warmer, rounder, softer musical world. Starting with the track “Upstream”, Drake enters into a hopeful but carefully-paced plea for divine help in the form of an imaginary (or perceived) friend upstream. The song is enveloped in watery synths and anchored by a cautious, detuned piano, admitting the fragility of asking for a lending hand. Later in the album, listeners are greeted by the title track – a call to female-identifying artists to take up space with their work and to move forward boldly and rebelliously so their voices and stories can be heard. Lamenting over the lost history of the Figlie del Coro, Drake imagines how angry they’d be if they knew their history and talents were lost to antiquity and channeled that into the lilting, irreverent vocal with its surrounding, haunting production that composers such as Vivaldi created when referencing them as muses. Drake touches on several other topics through the other tracks in the album, several of which are based on the Figlie del Coro. Covering everything from policing women’s looks, cultural fear of overt sexuality, embracing both the ambitious and joyously restful parts of ourselves, realities and societal pressures of women’s aging, and new beginnings, Drake leaves no stone unturned as she explores the nuances of femininity – both historically and in modern times. Her powerfully earnest singing borrows from gospel and soul traditions with songwriting that is thoughtful, grounded, and moving – nudging us to feel and remember that we are divine.
