CHANNEL ORANGE
FRANK OCEAN
2012
Def Jam Recordings
Prod. by Frank Ocean,
Malay, Om’mas Keith, Pharrell
The sensation that is Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange seems to
have somewhat come and gone. While there was an extreme amount of excitement
for the album at the time of its release, the lasting musical contribution from
July has been PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” a possible “classic” that deserves its own
write-up. It’s refreshing to be able to review the album without evangelists
shouting about how it’s saving the world of pop and R&B music.
It’s also extremely helpful, because I really like it.
Channel Orange is an album that displays some huge
potential, should Frank Ocean succeed at combining his best features regularly
enough to make an entire album as strong as the best songs on Orange. There are
some smart lyrics, some gorgeous melodies, some really high-quality
instrumentations and beats to back them up, and then there’s some absolutely
fantastic singing to soar through it all. And while the stars don’t really
align often enough to combine all of those things, the majority of the work on
Channel Orange is compelling.
Attempting to apply any hard and fast rules beyond the
quality of Ocean’s voice is facile, as every single one of them has an
exception. But, generally speaking, the album does follow a structure. The
first seven or eight songs are more hip-hop styled songs focusing primarily on
young kids who have everything and waste it on apathy, drug use, frivolous sex,
and suicidal thoughts. After that, the album primarily explores the ideas of
unfulfilling relationships through guitar-fusion and Drake-style R&B.
While a reading of the album as an exploration of the last
twenty years or so of hip-hop is entirely possible as well, it probably makes
the most sense to see the album as the personal accounts of Frank Ocean. Ocean wrote
the lyrics while his friend Malay wrote the majority of the music, and both
will hopefully have a storied continuous career together. The beats on the
first half of the album are generally rather fun and upbeat, with “Sweet Life”
being the most fun one can find on the album.
But, in many ways, the album would benefit from having about
5 or 6 less songs than it currently has. For one thing, the first seven songs
pretty much all focus on the same ideas, and the shorter interludes (apart from
the fascinating intro) fail to add much thematic definition. They’re not “bad,”
just distracting, and they artificially add to the ridiculous track count on
the album. The ten-minute “Pyramids” is the bridge between the two halves, and it’s
probably five minutes too long. The latter half of the album is intentionally
slow, and while it contains my absolute vocal highlight (“Bad Religion”,) it
fails to captivate like the first half. One song, “Pink Matter,” has received a
remix since release featuring a verse from Big Boi leading into Andre 3000’s,
and Andre’s delivery makes far more sense when his old OutKast compatriot sets
the tone for delivery. Apparently, Big Boi’s verse was originally recorded for
the album, but Andre requested Ocean remove it from the official release. This
was a mistake.
In terms of establishing itself as an album to be heard, these
issues will vary from mildly frustrating to niggling details. Fans of falsetto
singers, especially in R&B and pop, should absolutely check out Channel
Orange. While my issues keep it from entering my permanent lexicon, it’s an
album I enjoy quite a bit, and will probably never object to listening through with
a partner.
4/5
HIGHLIGHTS: “Sweet
Life,” “Bad Religion”
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES:
“Pyramids,” “Pink Matter”
NEXT STOP: Drake,
“Take Care”
AFTER THAT: R.
Kelly, “Write Me Back”
