Summer Walker is ‘Finally Over It.’ But this time, she’s not convincing.
Atlanta R&B star Summer Walker’s searing music could be the perfect soundtrack to a binge-worthy reality show. It’s entertainingly messy and satisfyingly authentic.
Her 2019 debut album “Over It,” with its stellar trap production and melodramatic tales, made her an R&B phenom. Subsequently, “Over It” became the most-streamed album by a female R&B artist, surpassing Beyoncé’s 2016 LP “Lemonade.”
Walker’s 2021 follow-up “Still Over It” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and doubled down on the fire and fury that made her a star (highlighted by “4th Baby Mama,” on which she tells her ex and notable Atlanta producer London on Da Track, “I wanna start with yo’ mama/she should’ve whooped yo a--”).
The Atlanta native’s thesis on modern dating evolved into a lucid reality: The plight of Black women finding permanent romance is often a futile journey, filled with deception and degradation.
Walker attempts to close that chapter with “Finally Over It,” the last installment of her three-part arc. But it doesn’t fully land as a proper goodbye. Instead, the project, released on Friday via Atlanta-based label LVRN, often sounds empty and loaded with stars who rarely advance its sound.
The album’s cover art features Walker in a wedding dress next to an elderly man in a wheelchair, giving a nod to late model Anna Nicole Smith, who at 26 famously married an 89-year-old billionaire. The stirring imagery signals a message that Walker, who recently nabbed two more Grammy nominations, is trading the sour dating games for a calmer lifestyle, where her financial needs are met.
It’s a theme she debuted during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, for which she channeled Pamela Anderson’s look at the same ceremony in 1999. But unlike Anderson, Walker hit the red carpet with an older gentleman as her date.
“Finally Over It” doesn’t continue that narrative. The two-part project (aptly titled “For Better” and “For Worse”) fails at underlining Walker’s current era, drowned out by a star-studded guest list that’s not very impactful.
On “Finally Over It,” 10 out of 18 songs feature other artists. It’s a hefty list for an artist who shines brightest on her own. Chris Brown’s subtle contributions on the Mariah Carey-sampling “Baby” aren’t memorable. Similarly, Anderson .Paak’s giant verse on “1-800 Heartbreak” sounds like a disjointed soliloquy rather than actually fitting Walker’s slow-groove R&B.
“Baller,” featuring Nene Leakes, GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Monaleo, sounds, at best, like a lesser companion to her 2025 single “Spend It” (a better track that’s unfortunately not on the album). But the features are too distracting, often making the track sound like a cliché better fit for an Instagram caption about needing “a baller, shot caller.” Not even Monaleo’s enticing guest verse could save the song.
There are outliers, though. Doja Cat’s appearance on “Go Girl” is witty and sexy, sharpening the song’s sultry self-love lines. Bryson Tiller’s verse on “Give Me a Reason” perfectly matches Walker’s emotional intensity, crafting a quintessential track about a casual situation unexpectedly turning sweeter.
But Walker is most potent by herself. “Don’t Make Me Do It/Tempted,” an album standout, is a worthy return to her roots that salivates in the uncertainty of a rocky relationship (“How come all this pleasure gotta come with pain?” she ponders).
The country-tinged “FMT” (an acronym for “F--- My Type”) is audacious and refreshing, one of few tracks where Walker completely embraces a new era of trading genuine love for a “transactional relationship” — the kind she teased on the album cover. “FMT” also proves that Walker’s subtle vocals seamlessly match a more folksy sound, paving the way for more experimentation.
Similarly, the Teddy Swims-assisted “Allegedly” is another standout for its acoustic soul that underscores the hesitancy of surrendering to love. It’s a blissful duet, wading in reluctance.
The best moments of “Finally Over It” are too few and far between, though. The album is the sonic version of a wedding ceremony filled with unnecessary guests attempting to outshine the bride. Luckily, they don’t. But their mere presence often detracts from Walker’s undeniable talent and songwriting prowess that helped define contemporary R&B.
About the Author
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
