Actually it starts to get going: On the intro from Based on a True Story, we listen to a hairdressing salon over Will Smith and his legacy. Was he canceled after his scandal earfe at the Oscar ceremony? Is he still the Freshe Prince? Or rather a removed Hollywood joke figure?
Then Will Smith personally enters into the salon and gives the expectation that is also implied in the album title that we will be presented to the 20 years, which has been drawn into the land since his last album, on the following twelve songs. Experienced what is going on in the head of the four-time Grammy award winner, maybe even a few self-critical moments can attend.
Will Smith gives his music comeback to tell us that he is still the biggest and best
But: Nothing like that happens. Will Smith gives his music comeback to tell us that he is still the biggest and best. Anyone who sees it differently only envies his success and at all there is any criticism of him, after all, he is absolutely “bulletproof”. Smith tries to generate profoundness by accompanied several times as “The Reverend” to pathos-charged, accompanied by gospel sounds, but ultimately deeply silly “Sermons”, which leave you relatively baffled.
After all: As much as Smith fails to take an adult role adequate for his 56 years of life, he at least fails to attempt to connect to contemporary music trends. Instead, he provides a rock-solid, powerful and placed in places to the success formula of the former, casual, playful albums reminiscent of R&B sound, which is enriched with poppy choruses. If the cramp-like and largely freed from self-irony were not left to hold a very tragic impression on one’s own grandiosity, Based on a true story could-if it does not want to offer an intimate psychogram-even a rousing 2000-nostalgic feel-good album. Too bad.
You can find out which albums were published in March 2025 via our monthly publication list.