Fans have been waiting for Frank Ocean’s second album since 2012. “Blonde” rewards both those fans and new listeners. It proves that there is only one thing Ocean can’t do: disappoint.
There’s something for everybody on “Blonde.” It makes use of a wide variety of genres like soul, rap and gospel. Some songs have a psychedelic feel. There are even short recordings of people telling stories or offering Ocean guidance, such as the voicemail of motherly advice on “Be Yourself.”
The instrumentation of this album is just as varied. Ocean makes equally great use of synthesizers and strings. A single instrument can bring out a song’s beauty. This can be heard most clearly with the guitar part on “Self Control.”
Some tracks, such as “Solo,” show off the range of Ocean’s singing voice. Other tracks display his talent for rapping, like “Nights.” What connects them all is his presence and the singularity of his talent.
One of the most striking things about “Blonde” is how personal it sounds. This album gives you the sensation of listening to Ocean’s thoughts. It makes you feel his joy and his pain. It’s a quality reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly.”
The lyrics on this album are beautiful. They deal with love and relationships in a way that feels both personal and universal. Everyone has felt the longing that Ocean feels on “Self Control” and the mixture of happiness and fear he conveys on “Pink + White.”
But “Blonde” is not simply “The Frank Ocean Show.” He has a lot of great artists on this album. Andre 3000 has an exceptional and lightning-fast rap on “Solo (Reprise).” Beyoncé harmonizes well with him on “Pink + White.” Kendrick Lamar puts in a minor cameo on “Skyline To.”
On several of the songs, Ocean doesn’t specify the gender of who he is singing about. He famously revealed that his first love was a man in a 2012 open letter. His lack of gendered pronouns allows his fans of differing sexualities to project their own experiences and fantasies onto his music. This helps make it universal.
“Blonde” is one of the most memorable albums of 2016. It conveys the stylistic eclecticism and personal lyrics that are Ocean’s trademarks. It is a work of art that will make you smile as you press play for either the first time or the 70th time.
