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Review: Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Released: July 10, 2012
Label: Def Jam
Purchase: iTunes | Insound | Amazon

Frank Ocean‘s Channel Orange is a nightmare of an album to review, not because it’s a bad piece of work or even because of the circumstances that surrounded its release (read: Frank Ocean broke the ice about his still unclear sexuality just days before the album’s release with a painful recounting of his failed relationship with a man — a huge no-no in the heteronormative R&B world). Instead, the difficulty of reviewing Channel Orange lies in the fact that its such an intimate experience that it probably shouldn’t be dissected out of respect for Ocean. That emotional purity and the special way that Ocean seems to deliver it make Channel Orange an engaging and heartwarming listen from start to finish. He may be bisexual, but his pains and murmurs of unrequited love ring true to a much wider audience (it’s no wonder that he found success early on in his career writing songs for Beyoncé).

Interestingly enough, what makes Frank Ocean so particularly endearing may or may not even be the music he manages to make; his wit, charisma, and uncharacteristic nonchalance for someone with so much pain inside him carry him more than far enough. Perhaps even more interesting though, is that this doesn’t even matter in the grander scheme that is Channel Orange. From the bittersweet reminiscing of “Thinkin Bout You” to the outpour of regret and contemplation on “Bad Religion” to the ten-minute magnum opus that is “Pyramids”, Ocean spins a tale of desperation and heartbreak so real and so personal that we can discover exactly who Frank Ocean is, regardless of what we may or may not have heard about him. “This unrequited love, to me it’s nothing but a one-man cult and cyanide in my styrofoam cup. I could never make him love me,” he explains to a non-suspecting taxi-driver on “Bad Religion” — and suddenly, we know he has some secrets about his sexuality. On “Pink Matter”, he questions, “What do you think my brain is made for? Is it just a container for the mind?” — and we feel both his mind and brain at work. When Ocean’s flawless falsetto accentuates the hook on “Thinkin Bout You” and he croons, “Or do you not think so far ahead? Cause I’ve been thinking ’bout forever,”  we feel Ocean’s nostalgia for the past he loved and the future that never was, all in the present tense. Over the course of the album’s intentionally sparse 17 songs, we discover much about Ocean while at the same time, he encourages us to discover more about ourselves as he carefully pieces each vignette together and invites us to reflect alongside him.

Ocean is far from what you would normally expect from an R&B star, but he does represent everything that you’d hope to find in one. That, perhaps, is much more important.

9.5

Standout Tracks: “Bad Religion”, “Pyramids”, “Pink Matter (feat. André 3000)”, “Super Rich Kids (feat. Earl Sweatshirt)”

Frank Ocean Releases Channel Ocean Cover and Tracklisting

Frank Ocean of Odd Future has released the final details of his forthcoming new album Channel Orange, his Def Jam and official studio debut. Out on July 17th, Ocean’s new album features a verse from Outkast‘s André 3000 and additional collaborations with John Mayer and fellow Odd Future cohort Earl Sweatshirt. He also posted the album’s cover (seen above) and its full tracklisting on his Tumblr account.

Channel Orange Tracklisting:
01 Start
02 Thinkin Bout You
03 Fertilizer
04 Sierra Leone
05 Sweet Life
06 Not Just Money
07 Super Rich Kids [ft. Earl Sweatshirt]
08 Pilot Jones
09 Crack Rock
10 Pyramids
11 Lost
12 White [ft. John Mayer]
13 Monks
14 Bad Religion
15 Pink Matter [ft. André 3000]
16 Forrest Gump
17 End

Tracklist to Drake’s ‘Take Care’ Revealed


Drake‘s highly-anticipated sophomore effort, Take Care, now has a confirmed tracklisting courtesy of the Microsoft Zune market. The album will be out on November 15th via Young Money, following a delay caused by sample-clearing issues.

“Headlines”, “Marvin’s Room”, the Nicki Minaj featuring “Make Me Proud”, and the final version of “The Real Her” with an additional verse from Andre 3000 will all be included on the album, while “Dreams Money Can Buy” is not included. Additional guest spots include OVOXO’s The WeekndRihanna, and Rick Ross.

Take Care Tracklisting:
01 Over My Dead Body
02 Shot for Me
03 Headlines
04 Crew Love (feat. The Weeknd)
05 Take Care (feat. Rihanna)
06 Marvin’s Room
07 Under Ground Kings
08 We’ll Be Fine
09 Make Me Proud (feat. Nicki Minaj)
10 Lord Knows (feat. Rick Ross)
11 Cameras
12 Doing It Wrong
13 The Real Her (feat. Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne)
14 Look What You’ve Done
15 HYFR (feat. Lil Wayne)
16 Practice
17 The Ride
18 Hate Sleeping Alone [Bonus]
19 Untitled (feat. Lil Wayne) [Bonus]