Blonde - Frank Ocean - Album Review

After two years Frank Ocean's masterpiece, Blonde, still stands as a high watermark for soul music this decade.

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With channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean gave his audience a throwback to the glitzy sound of the soul era. Critics and fans applauded Channel Orange for its' homage to soul and funk artist's that came before Mr. Ocean. After channel ORANGE, many were left wondering what possible direction could Frank Ocean take next, and it would take four years before anyone would hear any new material. However, when the album dropped, it served as a complete left turn from his previous album.

Blonde completely ditches the sound of past for a more minimal and sparse vibe, there's a lot of space to breathe in. "Nikes" sets the tone of the album, however it falls flat as an opener to a stellar album, but thankfully it's the only weak point in the album. The indie ballad "Ivy" might have the most pop influences going on, as well with "Nights". Frank's word play shines through on "Solo", where he has a double play on a verse "It's hell on Earth and the city's on fire / Inhale, inhale there's heaven / There's a bull and a matador dueling in the skyInhale, in hell there's heaven", and James Blake's organ-playing in the background gives the track a holistic feeling of warmth and nostalgia (personally it's my favorite on the entire album).

Instead of more synthesizers, Frank switches them for reverb-y guitars. "Skyline To" has beautiful jazz chords through the first half of the track, and the later half has Frank channeling his voice to staggering new heights. The mellow-y jangling guitars of "Pink + White" find Frank at his best where he also receives additional vocals from Beyonce. Many songs have a two-part structure into where the first part usually has an easy opener, then immediately followed by an experimental ending, tracks include "Nights", "White Ferrari", and "Pink + White".

The album finds strength within its' simplicity and restrictions towards sound. Some listeners might not like the approach, however it gives more focus to the lyrics and themes of the project. Love, recreational drug use, and family matter reside in many tracks, and it gives a glimpse into the enigmatic mind of Frank Ocean. The best moments derive from Frank's life stories, such as the youthful love run on "White Ferrari", the analogies of loneliness on "Solo", and the longing for a meaningful relationship on "Good Guy".

Blonde resonates with this generations identity, it's an album that almost any individual can relate to on a particular level. It's an album that tugs at your heart strings and makes you look back on your past love life and youth. Blonde is an intimate album that cultivates its' own identity within its' raw emotion, lyrics, and sparse production. Blonde will no doubt be one of the greatest albums of this decade.

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9.5/10

Released: 2016

Label: Boys Don't Cry

Best Tracks: Ivy, Pink + White, Solo, Good Guy, Skyline To, Self Control, Nights, Solo (Reprise), White Ferrari, Seigfried, Godspeed

Worst Track: Nikes