Frank Ocean’s “Blonde”

Since the release of Christopher Francis “Frank” Ocean’s first major studio album in 2012, fans have been eagerly waiting for the encore. After numerous teases by Ocean, rumored release dates, rumored album names, and countless theories, Frank Ocean finally released his second studio album, Blonde. He released this audio album with a visual companion album, Endless, as well as a magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, which had been rumored to be the album’s name prior to its release.

In his new work, Mr. Ocean continues to pursue a non-conformist genre that is somewhere between R&B, Hip-hop, and Pop. To be clear, Endless is not the focal point here. Endless is a monotonous visual album that features Frank Ocean building a mahogany staircase. There is experimental music in the background, and toward the end of the album, the title comes true as the staircase simply leads to the ceiling.  Ocean’s magazine, however, is a fascinating accompaniment to the main event, Blonde. It features artistic photos of Ocean in different landscapes, but most notable is the allegory of the cars.

In Blonde, this allegory is apparent, making several allusions to cars.  “How much of my life has happened inside of a car?” he asks in an essay he wrote for Boys Don’t Cry.  On Blonde, there is a track called “White Ferrari”.  He makes reference to his progress as a singer and as a celebrity in context of a car, rapping, “Remember when I had that Lexus? No/Our friendship don’t go back that far.”  It’s an interesting way to mark his own progress, and he does so again in the electronic/R&B/rock’n’roll track, “Nights”, saying, “1998 my family had that Acura, oh/The Legend/Kept at least six discs in the changer.”

It’s clear that Ocean worked incredibly hard on this album, essentially being completely alone on tracks except for “Solo (Reprise)”, where Andre 3000 drops a dazzling guest verse.  Although the studio quality of Blonde does not quite match up to Channel Orange, it is still a sequel worthy of its predecessor.  His voice is still as powerful as ever, and is on full display in the album’s second song, and arguably its best track, “Ivy”.  He sings in falsetto, half raps in a lower tone, and enters into a soul vibe to top it off.

Interestingly, there is not a song on Blonde comparable to “Thinkin’ Bout You”, which was a chart topper and the signature track of Ocean’s first studio album.  However, his work is more complete now. He does not worry about whether it is mainstream, he just worries about the quality of the musical integrity of the album. He doesn’t worry if it has any “Instagramable” lyrics like many of Drake and Kanye West’s songs. He just worries about quality.  Ultimately, it may take a few listens to get into Ocean’s very unique vibe, but once you do, you’re dazzled by his expertise as a songwriter, and the unique picture he paints.

8.8/10.