The 17-track album is evidently an immersive experience, overflowing with the most brilliantly poetic metaphors, exceptional cinematic production from start to finish and experimental sounds, which combined with Frank’s signature melodramatic tone, only adds to its aesthetic value. The album opens with Nikes, before taking the listener on a melodious journey through the many technicolour realms of Frank’s world, with unrequited love and nostalgia taking the centre-fold as primary subjects. Practically all I want to do at this present moment is talk about Blonde. Has the internet been talking about anything else since? Everywhere I look I see Blonde, I hear Blonde, I think Blonde, I feel Blonde and I dream, Blonde. If that prelude wasn’t enough of an indication of what was to come, Frank decided to release his sophomore album “Blonde”, two days later on Sunday, and the rest is history, quite literally. A modern-day Picasso, the visual may be black-and-white in its essence, but Frank’s art is anything but that, as I always hear so much colour within his voice.
#FRANK OCEAN BLONDE ALBUM SONGS RATING FULL#
Stripped back, lyrically mellow and embossed in black-and-white, the angelic 46-minute-length visual album has to be explored in full to be appreciated, and I immediately found the inner art enthusiast within me relishing the prospect of discovering what Frank’s muses were for this project. The 28-year-old broke the internet on Friday morning when he released Endless, in its entirety on Apple Music.
Talking about gold stars however, I’d definitely award this album with a five. Anyone else? No? Maybe just me then, but sarcastically over-the-top examples aside, you get the picture. I can only explain this feeling in my heart and soul, as the equivalent of going to the dodgy coffee machine at work and sighing in exasperation as you wait to receive a basic, watered down cup of coffee, only to open your eyes and find a caramel mocha from Starbucks instead, complete with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, multi-coloured glitter and a gold star on top. ( Author rating: 8.In case you’re wondering, the tracklist for Endless is entirely different to Blonde, so does in fact mean we have received not one but two gifts. Judging by the way that Ocean sings without abandon on Blonde, he’s well aware of what his true fans need. If casual fans looking for simpler, catchier grooves to vibe to don’t get it, then so be it. These elements and more prove that Ocean is one of today’s boldest artists, not only in R&B but also in any genre. “Skyline To,” meanwhile, has a subtler, but no less effective Black Lives Matter reference in the opening line, as Ocean sings: “This is joy/this is summer/keep ‘em high/stay alive,” before lamenting about how time flies in his old age -he is an elderly 28 at this point, after all -over warbly synths reminiscent of rippling heat waves in the distance. The cuteness of that delivery is juxtaposed compellingly by Ocean’s lyrical shout out to Trayvon Martin, the black teen famously slain by George Zimmerman in 2012 (“That nigga looked just like me,” Ocean sings). Opening track, “Nikes,” pushes the limits even further, thanks to a vocal effect that renders Ocean’s singing to an Alvin and the Chipmunks high pitch. When he sings about a “bull and a matador duelling in the sky,” it’s pure bliss. But when it hits a gentle climax, Ocean belts out the chorus in remarkably cheery fashion. “Solo,” for instance, might initially bore impatient listeners because it starts with a subtle instrumental and vocal buildup that both border on quiet a cappella, as Ocean sings about tripping on acid. However, much of the rest of Blonde is far less accessible than its predecessor. Indeed, the song’s gentle, soulful, and slightly jazzy instrumentation, along with the 28-year-old R&B star’s breezy crooning, are all what Ocean’s legions of fans have come to expect from him (the song was produced by Ocean himself his Odd Future cohort Tyler, the Creator and star beat maker Pharrell Williams). “Pink + White,” one of the standout tracks from Frank Ocean’s latest album, Blonde, would have fit nicely on his last proper album, 2012’s Channel Orange.