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Overview
Frank Ocean is an R&b artist from Long Beach California who gained notoriety in the wake of Odd Future's ascent to stardom. Although their style as a collective focuses heavily on attention grabbing content, Frank Ocean's Channel Orange is anything but attention seeking. That isn't to say that it's non-eventful. It is merely to say that the tracks on this release are meant to have a Jazz vibe instead of the rebellious heavy energy of some of the Odd Future releases. Channel Orange begins with a sample from a video game console and this sheds light on one of the nicest aspects of this album. It's free from influence. In addition to being self-released prior to record label involvement, Frank Ocean goes out of his way to reference anime, drugs, and several other highly venturous themes. This is by far one of the deepest sung releases to emerge in a long time.
Defining Track
"Thinkin Bout You" is the most noteworthy track and tells a lot of the story behind this album. He talks about his first romantic experience as he's showing off his room. Additionally, there is a nice transition from reminiscing the past to wondering about the future. This only solidifies the point of the song which is, the person he's talking to will hopefully be in his future as well as past. There are a few Prince reflective notes being hit during the chorus, but the majority of the song is done in his typically low octave.
Final Thoughts
It takes a song writer with a collective filled with internet celebrities to pull of releasing an album with this much freedom. Frank Ocean understands that his audience wants something innovative and that his current position allows him to provide it. Hopefully this album will open doors for record labels to be more experimental with their singing artists. Whether or not they do, this is still a phenomenal example of how expressive music should be.

Rap Independent
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
9/10

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