Music tends to follow a cyclical path: Trends that are popularized underground make it to the mainstream and then are worn out by radios, record companies and, of course, MTV. As much as Drake spits that he is "real," even in the open-information age, record companies still have ultimate creative control when it comes to popular music. In an opposite vein, hip-hop as a genre was born out of a need for positivity and truth and as a vehicle to move things toward a brighter future. It is hard to say whether Take Care will age to be one of this decade's greatest albums, but Drake definitely is not moving the cycle backward with this fantastic record.

Let's get some things straight: Drake is not a gifted singer. He is decent with his words, but his lyricism pales in comparison to legends like Jay-Z and Nas. His voice sounds dry and laughable, but it is also strangely enjoyable. Drake owes much of his success to his charming persona, incredible production team and lots of love from his hometown, Toronto.

Noah "40" Shebib, one of Drake's longtime collaborators, handles most of the production on Take Care and soaks Drake's rather bland voice and dry hooks with rapid 808 drum beats, wafting synthesizers and reverberated pianos. The guest artists on Take Care were also chosen carefully and successfully: The album features a hook from Rihanna, a verse from Nicki Minaj, contributions from Lil Wayne, a stunning verse by Andre 3000, two songs featuring Toronto's upcoming R&B artist The Weeknd and a surprising harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. This multitude of voices adds a flavor to the album and keeps the story going.

The best songs off the album are the title track, "Take Care," "Look What You've Done" and closer "The Ride." "Take Care" mixes a Gil Scott-Heron song with Rihanna's hook and has Jamie Smith of The xx handling the production. Drake and Rihanna presumably sing about their affair, but who really knows? The song is a hit regardless.

"Look What You've Done" is one of the most heartfelt tracks I've heard in a while. I think I may have even teared up once while listening. Drake reminisces about his mother and uncle, and he even features his grandmother speaking to him on the phone in the track. The album's last song, "The Ride," features The Weeknd singing a 4 a.m. after-party-bedroom hook and Drake spitting some real bars as he deconstructs himself and steps back from his lavish lifestyle in the same way Kanye West does in "My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy." The best lines from the song come in the first verse: "Deal with the questions about all your excessive needs/and you do dinners at French Laundry and Napa Valley/Scallops and glasses of Dolce, that s— right up your alley/… They put the cloth across your lap soon as you sat down/It's feeling like you own every place you choosing to be at now/walking through airport security with your hat down/'stead of gettin' a pat down, they just keep on saying that they feel ya."

Drake, in an interview with music video website VEVO, stated that he wanted the album to be a slow-motion movie that captured his feelings as he climbed from obscurity (as the wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks of Degrassi) to a rap star. This is where Drake succeeds the most. The lyrics are honest, introspective and sometimes even clever. In "Doing It Wrong," Drake states that "we live in a generation of not being in love and not being together." In the social media age of tweets and Facebook statuses, Drake captures our generation's plea for truth and substance. He also has the right persona for this. He's not a gangster, but he's got swag. He's a half-Jewish, half-black nice-mean guy from Toronto. He can relate and appeal to practically everyone with those credentials, and that is what ultimately makes Take Care great and what makes Drake a star.