Four years, two months, That’s how long dedicated fans had to wait for the elusive Frank Ocean to release a new album. But, Oce
an not only released one, but two, last month (Endless and blond). Endless, a visual album, dropped on September 9, and “blond” the day after. Before “blond” many listened to his highly acclaimed 2012 album, “Channel Orange.”
It was a remarkable piece with tracks that could make someone change emotions in a second. For Ocean, he had a lot of pressure when releasing an album so the highly anticipated “blond “included 17 tracks. While most of the songs are lengthy, the album doesn’t grow to be tedious.
As the first track plays, Ocean sounds very relaxed and mellow; a trademark Frank Ocean vibe.
Ocean talks about, love, heartbreak, himself, and many other things open to interpretation. Not everyone will think this is his best work because it’s uncomparable to the sounds and lyrics of “Channel Orange,” though it does have similar features. But it’s ok because this album is for people who appreciate, relate, and enjoy the album for what it is.
The first song on the album “Nikes,” is mellow, relaxed and features vocals from a Japanese rapper named, “KOHH.” From listening to the album, three tracks stood out the most.
One track that is amazing is a song called “Solo.” It captures listeners’ attention by his vocals throughout the song. By the time the chorus plays, Ocean is showing his vocal range to listeners with the lyrics having a gospel vibe to it. He talks about how there’s hell on earth and in hell there’s heaven. Other than that he talks about being alone and slowing down with a partner.
Another song that is outstanding is “Pink+White”, a song produced by Ocean and Pharrell Williams, and features vocals from Beyonce. The song is very abstract as he talks about not being in control of the world, and the things around him. He also talks about how his lover showed him love and how to embrace the things around him.
The last track that stood out, is a track called “Self Control.” He talks about loving someone, getting rejected, and ultimately losing his self control. His voice throughout the song features him almost breaking down, a very emotional tone that feels like he still has those feelings even today. The song also features Swedish rapper, Yung Lean and Austin Feinstein, a lead singer for a band called Slow Hollows
Even though this album has amazing tracks, Channel Orange remains one of the all time greats
