Don't change the channel

Frank Ocean has lived a lot of life for a 24-year-old.

His debut LP “Channel Orange” reveals an artist of even more dimensions than we knew and some flooring music that outshines the buzz preceding it.
 
There’s “Pyramids,” the 10-minute electro-pop/trip-hop shape-shifter that addresses the lady he allowed to make him feel special even when she’d leave at nights to work as a stripper.

There’s “Bad Religion,” the album’s official conversation draw, on which he relives rejection from the young man who became his first love, backed by a solitary organ and an orchestra.

There’s “Super Rich Kids,” on which he remembers both the magnetic indulgences and unsettling superficiality of nights with his most privileged peers.

And there’s a pair of stellar guest verses courtesy André 3000 and Earl Sweatshirt, both expertly subdued.

This is a game-changer not because of the circumstances of its release. “Channel Orange” is inseparable from its maker’s story and succeeds for its honesty.

One can imagine Ocean sitting before a television in the dark, high and brooding, channel surfing through glimpses of his recent past — throughout the course of which he traveled one of the more fascinating roads to icon status in years.

We might not see another record generate as much anticipation as his debut LP “Channel Orange” for a long time, but at least it’s provided plenty to talk about until then.

By Steven Arroyo