Copy-Edited by Samia Orva
Overall Rating: 9/10
Frank Ocean, known for his unique blending of R&B, soul, and alternative music, is best described as a majestic hallucination. His last album, Blonde, was released in 2016 and continues to be regarded as a landmark work in contemporary R&B showcasing Frank Ocean’s artistic versatility. The hour-long album touches on themes of self-discovery, love, and nostalgia. The reliability of Blonde is what allowed Ocean to develop a cult-like fan base, specifically with young adults. Additionally, Ocean deliberately names the album Blonde but uses “Blond” on the album cover; the use of both masculine and feminine forms of the word hints at a deeper struggle with identity and gender norms.
The album opens with “Nikes,” a song that utilizes a high-pitched autotune to create a dream-like aesthetic. In my honest opinion, it took one or two times listening to the song before I genuinely started to appreciate Frank’s lyricism. “Nikes” touches on consumerism in today’s society. As Frank states, “These b****** want Nikes / They looking for a check / Tell ’em it ain’t likely,” criticizing America’s consumerist culture in desire for a “check” of validation by society.
One of Blonde’s most notable songs, “Ivy,” showcases Frank’s minimalistic choice in music. With just his electric guitar and raw vocals, he captures the soulful essence of the album delving deep into the heartbreak of a relationship doomed from the start.
“Pink + White,” co-written by Beyonce utilizes the melodic tunes of the piano and a beautiful mixture of Frank and Beyonce’s angelic vocals. Moreover, the song details the impermanence of our youth and the process of learning to appreciate our lives. One of my favorite lines in particular is “Kiss the Earth that birthed you / Gave you tools just to stay alive / And make it out when the sun is ruined” which truly portrays the beauty of this song.
The next song, “Solo,” delves into the feeling of loneliness which connects to the album’s recurring theme of identity. The story begins with Ocean confessing his love to his lover in a public setting. Eventually, they begin a relationship where they are “solo” without each other and don’t have to be “so low” about their relationship. However, Ocean’s drug use causes him to cheat on them, leading to the line “Think we were better off solo,” capturing how personal choices affect relationships. While listening, I truly was in awe of his lyricism and appreciated the time it took to create this play on words.
“Self Control” stands out as a centerpiece in the emotional journey of Blonde. One of the most notable lines was “Wish I was there, wish we grew up on the same advice / And our time was right” describing his relationship with this person as needing agreeability and timing.
The melancholic “White Ferrari” is my favorite song from Blonde. Here we see Frank’s ability to be so damn relatable. He tells the story of lovers slowly drifting apart to eventually becoming complete strangers to each other.. The song mostly consists of Frank’s vocals along with minimal background music, allowing the listener to hear the raw emotion and pain in Frank’s voice.
As Blonde unfolds, it becomes clear that Frank Ocean crafted an album that depicts the complexities of life through the pain of his voice and guitar. Blonde captures the emotions that come with young love and new experiences as you get older, something many of his listeners relate to. My only criticism is the end of “Futura Free,” the last song on the track. It honestly gets so annoying hearing the conversation and I always skip it. But honestly, I think most Frank Ocean fans agree that we all want more music after his hiatus in 2019. Ultimately, Ocean’s genius lyricism, vocals, storytelling, and minimalistic style of producing music leave me to give the album a 9/10.
