The long wait is over. Artist and song-writer Frank Ocean finally released new material. Two new album releases, “Blond(e),” & “Endless,” an exclusive 45 minute visual-album—streaming exclusively on Apple Music. This is the new music that has critics praising and fans ecstatic.
In the four years since the commercial success “Channel Orange,” there were false propositions and rumors regarding an album release date, making this mysterious and unknown. Fans were wondering, when will Mr. Ocean bring in brand-new substance?
Ocean is more contemporary with this album and less R&B instead of using complex instrumentals or explosive choruses. Ocean kept "Blond(e)" simplistic and modest. "Blond(e)" brings similar moods as "Channel Orange." It is more intimate and full of raw emotion. The songs do not parade a level of emotion that places you in a river of sadness. Ocean’s combines story-telling with putting himself as an avatar for modern ordeals.
Ocean is 28 now, and his voice has grown stronger and more dexterous, while some of his tales have become more abstract. “Nights” sounds straightforward in traditional Frank-like ambiance, with a mid-tempo beat, but eventually turns into a nightmarish shredding solo, switching to Drake flowing sound. This single alone shows how creative Ocean can be with these tracks.
“Skyline To” is a tone poem about sex, summer, and California haze. He’s able to grasp the tender effect on “Self Control” and “White Ferrari,” songs that fight off despondency with a sadness that feels three-dimensional. “I'll be the boyfriend in your wet dreams tonight/Noses on a rail, little virgin wears the white/You cut your hair but you used to live a blinded life/Wish I was there, wish we’d grown up on the same advice/And our time was right...” "Self Control" focuses on contracts of maturity levels and disappointment that comes with not being eligible to correspond to similar ideologies; the story reflects on its listener.
“Solo (Reprise)” is the only track that features guest vocals, provided by Andre 3000. His appearance on this song reminisces about the 20 years of hip-hop and how some rappers don’t even write their own rhymes. Andre 3000 was in Ocean’s "Channel Orange" song “Pink Matter.”
"Blond(e)" is on its way to being the number one album in the United States and United Kingdom. Billboard states that this is the third-biggest debut in 2016. Pitchfork gave a 9 out of 10 for “Blond(e),” and “Endless.”
On this record, there is nothing like “Thinkin Bout You,” which was his biggest single. Ocean moves from feeling to feeling, hurt to hurt, not stopping long enough to indulge any one moment.
With four years in the shadows, Mr. Ocean has perfected the navigation of the intersection of corporate and emotional concerns.
