Image Courtesy: Boys Don't Cry
The R&B singer strips down the walls created by his breakout album and paints a simpler picture on his new album
By: Gio Mio
Frank Ocean isn't a fan of the limelight to say the least. Even after his breakout 2012 album Channel Orange, the New Orleans-born singer only expressed his feelings through his Tumblr account. Minus appearing on the now-defunct Odd Future show "Loiter Squad" and writing behind the scenes for other artists, Ocean stayed as quiet as quiet could be.
Then after years of fans begging for a follow-up to Channel Orange, Ocean posted a picture on his Tumblr page in 2015 that made it sound like he had an album on the way. Stating he "had two versions" of something and hash tagged Boys Don't Cry along with July 2015 after it. Everyone jumped to the conclusion that he would release an album sometime in July of 2015.
What we got was what epitomizes Ocean's history in the spotlight; Hidden with no explanation. For the following 13 months, fans made memes and jokes insinuating that this album would never see the light of day. At one point, I even said to my friends that he would become the male version of Lauryn Hill, releasing one album and capitalizing off that album's success for their respected careers.
Fast forward to August 2016, and Ocean posts a live stream to his website. For nearly a week, fans tuned in, as it appeared Ocean was building something with music in the background. Turns out the music was new material he created, and it became known as the visual album Endless. Not even 24 hours later, Ocean releases another album called Blonde.
You can tell it's vintage Frank Ocean on the opening track, "Nikes." With a highly pitched voice, Ocean seems to tell the story of two different sides to people, one side appealing to the things portrayed as needs on television and the other neglecting it. As Blonde progresses, the album sounds more like a drug trip in Ocean's mind with the dreamy-esque instrumentals.
Going back to the instrumentals, most of them are stripped down to its very vulnerable core. My personal favorite so far, "Self Control," is mainly an electric guitar layered under his passionate vocals. "Skyline To," once again, hits that point home. Even the features on the album are very minimalistic to a sense. Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce are reduced to backup vocals on "Skyline To" and "Pink + White."
The stripped down production shows the cracks in Ocean's personality more, making this album a must-listen after multiple plays. His message is more mature and seems to be Ocean coming to his own as a songwriter. Just like his best friend Tyler The Creator, Ocean experimented with developing characters in his older music (take "Pyramids" for example). Just like Tyler, Ocean has matured to kill off those characters and make himself the lead role in his songs.
You can also tell Ocean is more comfortable in his skin and his mind compared to Channel Orange. Ocean came out as bisexual after the release of Channel Orange, where music before then was focused on "Songs For Women" (a great Frank Ocean song, by the way). Even his interludes on Blonde show a new confidence in the singer. From a voicemail from his mother, to an Andre 3,000 verse apparently throwing some shade at Drake, the album twists and turns enough to not get bored at any point.
For an album that refuses to end each song where it begins, Blonde is an album that acts specific in the open. A lot of people assumed Ocean would create another Channel Orange, but got a complete 180. But we should never assume with Frank Ocean. We're just at best to wait until he decides to come out of the dark.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Notable Songs
"Self Control"
"Nikes"
"Seigfried"
Frank Ocean isn't a fan of the limelight to say the least. Even after his breakout 2012 album Channel Orange, the New Orleans-born singer only expressed his feelings through his Tumblr account. Minus appearing on the now-defunct Odd Future show "Loiter Squad" and writing behind the scenes for other artists, Ocean stayed as quiet as quiet could be.
Then after years of fans begging for a follow-up to Channel Orange, Ocean posted a picture on his Tumblr page in 2015 that made it sound like he had an album on the way. Stating he "had two versions" of something and hash tagged Boys Don't Cry along with July 2015 after it. Everyone jumped to the conclusion that he would release an album sometime in July of 2015.
What we got was what epitomizes Ocean's history in the spotlight; Hidden with no explanation. For the following 13 months, fans made memes and jokes insinuating that this album would never see the light of day. At one point, I even said to my friends that he would become the male version of Lauryn Hill, releasing one album and capitalizing off that album's success for their respected careers.
Fast forward to August 2016, and Ocean posts a live stream to his website. For nearly a week, fans tuned in, as it appeared Ocean was building something with music in the background. Turns out the music was new material he created, and it became known as the visual album Endless. Not even 24 hours later, Ocean releases another album called Blonde.
You can tell it's vintage Frank Ocean on the opening track, "Nikes." With a highly pitched voice, Ocean seems to tell the story of two different sides to people, one side appealing to the things portrayed as needs on television and the other neglecting it. As Blonde progresses, the album sounds more like a drug trip in Ocean's mind with the dreamy-esque instrumentals.
Going back to the instrumentals, most of them are stripped down to its very vulnerable core. My personal favorite so far, "Self Control," is mainly an electric guitar layered under his passionate vocals. "Skyline To," once again, hits that point home. Even the features on the album are very minimalistic to a sense. Kendrick Lamar and Beyonce are reduced to backup vocals on "Skyline To" and "Pink + White."
The stripped down production shows the cracks in Ocean's personality more, making this album a must-listen after multiple plays. His message is more mature and seems to be Ocean coming to his own as a songwriter. Just like his best friend Tyler The Creator, Ocean experimented with developing characters in his older music (take "Pyramids" for example). Just like Tyler, Ocean has matured to kill off those characters and make himself the lead role in his songs.
You can also tell Ocean is more comfortable in his skin and his mind compared to Channel Orange. Ocean came out as bisexual after the release of Channel Orange, where music before then was focused on "Songs For Women" (a great Frank Ocean song, by the way). Even his interludes on Blonde show a new confidence in the singer. From a voicemail from his mother, to an Andre 3,000 verse apparently throwing some shade at Drake, the album twists and turns enough to not get bored at any point.
For an album that refuses to end each song where it begins, Blonde is an album that acts specific in the open. A lot of people assumed Ocean would create another Channel Orange, but got a complete 180. But we should never assume with Frank Ocean. We're just at best to wait until he decides to come out of the dark.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Notable Songs
"Self Control"
"Nikes"
"Seigfried"