Channel Orange by Frank Ocean review

andy
January 24, 2013
This article was published more than 2 years ago.
Est. Reading Time: 2 minutes

At times I’ve fantasized about the day when I could lie down, put a new vinyl record on that I’ve never heard before and listen to something that I knew would be mind-blowing. I’ve entertained the idea quite frequently with upcoming albums by Arcade Fire and Kanye West. I wish I could’ve done it with Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. I never expected it would meet the standard. But it surpassed it.

Channel Orange will undoubtedly be not only one of the seminal albums of a generation but will also be considered one of music’s most remarkable achievements. It pleasantly evokes the likes of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, yet Ocean’s unique talent for effortlessly shifting between his nasal and falsetto delivery immediately distinguishes him from all his predecessors. Ocean carves himself a place in music history with a knife made out of his provocative subtlety.

Singing of a Cleopatra turned prostitute and a Forrest Gump turned football player, this album presents so much lyrical variety partnered with musical innovation that it’s impossible not to be intrigued. The horns on “Sweet Life,” the catchy synth on “Lost,” the club dance vibe from Pyramids - all of these variations constantly draw us in, providing the opportunity to delve deeper into an album that continues to surprise.

My personal favorites are “Bad Religion” and “Pyramids”. On “Bad Religion,” Ocean sings more passionately than I’ve heard from an R&B artist for a long time, with an unconventional opening melody that is fascinating and mournful. “Pyramids,” the album’s magnum opus, begins with an upbeat and synth-heavy account of Cleopatra’s abduction and ends with a resonating solo by John Mayer. The track is a nine-minute work of art that moves from a song into a story that Ocean tells with the passion it deserves.

In the music industry and critical community, it is an unfortunate reality that the status of great albums and artists is slowly forgotten. It happened with the Velvet Underground and to Led Zeppelin. Channel Orange has received the attention it deserves, but I urge for it to not dissipate just yet. The pessimists who lament that music’s heyday was 50 years ago should hear to this album because it disproves everything they believe. Have a listen.

 

By: Spencer Semianiw

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