Blonde
IN A NUTSHELL:
Recommended for:
Fans of R&B
AVERAGE RATING: 8.4/10
Pros:
Powerful vocal performances
Interesting production
Collectiveness
Cons:
A few weird effects
Odd Future member and R&B singer/songwriter Frank Ocean has released his very, very, very, very, very, very anticipated sophomore album Blonde four years after Channel Orange. Channel Orange was widely acclaimed by critics and fans, making the top of many “Album of the Year” lists for 2012. The great success of Channel Orange combined with the endless amounts of teases leading up to the follow-up album made Blonde one of the most anticipated albums of the year. So, was it worth the wait?
Photo by: Aktiv I Oslo.no
Jake Ocean:
By Jove, it is here. It is finally here! Four years after the stellar album Channel Orange and releasing the visual album Endless, Frank Ocean has finally presented the proper follow-up album Blonde. If you have been living under a rock for the past week and have not listened to the album yet, then be aware; this album is not what you think it is.
While there are some characteristics somewhat similar to Channel Orange, Blonde is much more somber, emotional, and experimental. More times than not, Ocean is accompanied with no drums. The songs have dissonant chords, the pitch of Ocean’s vocals is shifted, and there are interesting interludes throughout. All of these things initially caught me off guard. However, upon later listens, I fully embraced everything about this album.
The atmosphere of this album is absolutely beautiful. It’s airy, spacious, and reflective. Ocean’s vocals are drenched in a church-like reverb and are accompanied with very simple instrumentation. Occasionally there aren’t even drums. This makes songs like “Solo” and “Godspeed” take you straight to church with a front row ticket to hear Ocean’s emotions all pour out – and it is breathtaking. There are also times it gets a little weird and experimental. Take “Pretty Sweet” for example. “Pretty Sweet” begins with a massive, uncomforting barrage of sound and noise, and then leads to guitars playing dissonant chords and Ocean’s vocals bouncing off of each end of the speakers. These moments force Blonde to stay interesting throughout and throw you completely off guard, and I love it.
Frank Ocean’s vocal performances on here are fantastic as well. Ocean’s voice is still one of the most pleasant things a person can listen to. On top of that, Ocean extends his range flourishingly and provides much more emotional and dynamic performances compared to Orange. Frank hits notes higher than he’s ever hit in “Ivy” and “Seigfried.”
So the major question is was this album worth the wait? For me, yes. While this album may not be a satisfying listen the first time around, it grows on you infectiously. I urge anyone who listens to this album to listen to it a few times before they make a judgement. Blonde is one of those rare albums that demands to be listened to again. Frank Ocean released an album we didn’t expect to get, which is something we should all expect Frank Ocean to do at this point.
Favorite Songs: “Ivy,” “Solo,” “Seigfried,” “Godspeed”
8.7/10
P.S. Andre 3000 on “Solo (Reprise),” absolute fire.
Magic ~ Fingers Don’t Cry:
This is an album that needs to be listened to a few times before you really get a feel for it. At first, listen you may find yourself unsure of how you feel about it. You may not be sure if it lived up to your expectations, which were huge for a lot of people. But having big expectations for releases like this is never a good way to go into these things.
But after you listen to the album again, and again… and then a few more times, you start to notice all the little things. You notice subtle and well-crafted production that makes Frank Ocean stand out from other artists. You begin to be wowed by all the individual components that make up the music. Frank’s melodies tear through your heartstrings as they always do, and his lyrics are personal and emotional. The musicianship is impressive and the mix of organic and electronic instrumentation blend together wondrously.
Ocean is truly an artist, and that means much of his album shows signs of experimentation and desire to create original and unique sounds, song structures and album layout. Acknowledging my appreciation for this, I will also say it was a bit hit-or-miss at points. I wasn’t impressed by every track, and Frank seemed to overreach on many parts of this album. There was a sweet spot in this album for me starting with track 9, “Nights”, and ending on track 14, “White Ferrari” where I was jamming out and it was everything I could’ve hoped for. And while there were a few other small highlights on the other tracks besides these, most weren't too exciting to listen to.
Overall it’s a solid album, and after multiple listens, it met my personal expectations. Although I do believe the hype surrounding this release was a bit much, but that’s more attributed to the amount of time since Frank’s last album, and the controversy over the release date.
Favorite Song: Nights
7.9/10
Photo by; Shane Hirschman
Mom:
This was certainly the most hyped album of the year. So, did it live up to the excitement? Any legitimate R&B fan would scream "YES” to such a question. However, the run-of-the-mill pop music fan may stretch and yawn at a quick album flip. Let’s break it down.
This is not a Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, or Taylor Swift album- it’s R&B. This album was not created to pump out radio hits. It is an album. These songs are meant to be listened to together. There are not hits embedded within sloppy tracks. Google “Frank Ocean." The first autocomplete option is “Frank Ocean Blonde," not “Frank Ocean Nikes,” or “Frank Ocean Ivy." A modern-day real album?! This, my friends, is something to celebrate. By creating an album intended for a thorough listen, an artist has more space to develop a theme lyrically, to diversify each track’s sound, and to showcase some new production.
First, R&B is a perfect platform for delivering authentic, strongly written lyrics. This album delivers. “Pink + White” is my favorite track off of the album, specifically because of its superior songwriting. It builds a nostalgic, ‘remember when’ lyrical theme, which comes off with a strong sense of sincerity unparalleled by much of today’s music.
For an R&B album, the production is pretty interesting. The vocal layering was very well done. Frank is not afraid to throw a few of his own vocals on top of one another in a song, and he makes it work. I am a bit bummed he used so much of the ‘chipmunk’ vocal effect though. Frank, we love your voice, you don’t need that ridiculous effect! Though I was generally impressed with the lyrics, there was a little too much love. That reads poorly, but you know what I mean. It seems like he is either addressing a lover, or singing about a lost one. R&B, and virtually all pop music, has too much love in it. When Kendrick raps about his struggles growing up, our ears all perk up. Not everything needs to be about love. I’m not saying Ocean needs to incorporate more of his upbringing in his lyrics; I am saying love songs run dry after a while.
All in all, this is an impressive, well-put-together album. Pop music has something to learn from Blonde. The album is not dead! Blonde is a part of pop culture now, as well. You owe it to yourself to spin this one~
Favorite Song: “Pink + White”
8.6/10
If you are like us and don't have Apple Music, you can either wait for this album to drop on Spotify or GO OUT AND PURCHASE IT, it's worth it. Or you can do what a lot of us have done and take advantage of the free 3 month trial Apple Music offers without having to fully commit.
We reviewed "Blond" which is one of two versions of the release, the other is "Boys Don't Cry".
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NEXT MUSICAL ADVENTURE: "MOON SALOON"
BY: ARC IRIS
Our team is comprised of some semi-normal, occasionally funny people who love to listen to and talk about music. And like many of you, we constantly find ourselves hungry to discover new music.