Its taken a couple days for Channel Orange to marinate, at first listen I didn't really get it- i couldn't really get a grip on what was going down, then again I listened to it at midday with plenty of distractions. Not until I listened to its entirety on my own with full attention did it begin to unravel.
Channel Orange is a masterpiece that has so many damn layers its not funny. The concept is really, really cool aswell. Ocean suffers from coloured synesthesia, a neurological condition which in lame terms means two senses, e.g. sight and sound get their wires crossed (i.e. seeing colours in sound). If you could 'paint' what Frank saw and heard when he fell in love for the first time one particular summer, you'd have an orange tinge over everything, he said. Hence, Channel Orange.
Production was handled by himself and Malay, who has previously done work with John Legend. There isn't another artist like Frank Ocean in the RnB game, his imagination and storytelling techniques paint the most vivid pictures, you are taken on a journey from beginning to end throughout the album. Especially in 'Bad Religion'- such a stripped-back, raw number. Ocean has extreme control over his voice, he has these really abstract harmonies that I imagine most cannot replicate. It's hard to believe he is apart of Odd Future...
It will take a few listens, so chuck a copy of Channel Orange in your car and keep it on loop for a couple weeks. I guarantee you'll find yourself baffled at the little things you pick up on a quiet night's drive. 9.5/10
EVERY SONG IS A STANDOUT!! Its hard to pick because the album is very conceptual, like an entire body of work. You miss out on all the intricacies and skits if you dont cop the entire LP!
Super Rich Kids (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)
Bad Religion
Pink Matter (feat. Andre 3000)
Forrest Gump
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