Artist: Frank Ocean

Album: Blond

Release Date: August 20th, 2016

17 Tracks, 1 Hour

Album Cover: The cover for BLOND perfectly encapsulates the idea of the album: raw, emotional, loud, but still clean and simple (9/10).

Tracklist Rating

Nikes: The opening to the album is poetic, with the reverbing drum with a high pitched Frank singing. The beat dies down after 3 minutes, with Frank adding in his raw vocalism, almost just by itself (9/10).

Ivy: The song is beautiful. The guitar instrumentals and Frank singing mesh so well together. The only downfall of this song is that the chorus is a bit boring. Fantastic song other than that (9/10).

Pink + White: This might be the best song on the album. Frank’s lyricism shines again (10/10).

Be Yourself: Good message. It’s just an interlude though.

Solo: You really don’t get to hear an organ in songs a lot these days. It’s a pretty song, and it’s a nice laid back jam (9/10).

Skyline To: With a light guitar and Frank’s straight vocals, and a hypnotic synth once you are farther into the song, it really grabs your attention (9/10).

Self Control: This really doesn’t need much of an explanation. Once you get into the final minute of the song, the chorus really shows you Frank’s vocal ability. It’s beautiful (10/10).

Good Guy: Interlude.

Nights: What is the acoustic playing in the background? Who cares, it’s awesome. Frank goes a little more into his rap or RnB side of his music, but does it in a melodic way that really fits into the album (10/10).

Solo (Reprise): Is this an interlude? I feel like it would fit to have Andre 3k on the album, but I don’t really think that this is the best way to implement him. Good song/interlude though (8.5).

Pretty Sweet: I think this is my least favorite song on the album. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the album and it’s noisy. It feels like a Yeezus outcut (8/10).

Facebook Story: Interlude.

Close to You: WHY DO ARTISTS MAKE SUCH GREAT SONGS SO SHORT? It’s a lovely beat too. Shame it’s only a minute-twenty (8.5).

White Ferrari: I’m going to let this song speak for itself. Go listen to it (10/10).

Siegfried: I really like the tracks where Frank is allowed tons of vocal freedom, and the instrumentals are minimal but contribute so much to the album. This song is amazing and beautiful (10/10).

Godspeed: The organ pops up again. It’s also another song that Frank gets to release his vocal creativity. The choir singer at the end is a nice touch (9/10).

Futura Free: Another song that is still great, but probably one of my least favorites on this album. Of course it’s hard to pick a “worst” on this album, but this or Pretty Sweet would go there. Just a little too messy for my liking (8/10).

Final Thoughts: There isn’t a lot to take away from this album. It’s such a beautiful album. It’s not exactly innovative but the beats and vocals are so great. It’s easy to see why plenty of people think that this album is a classic. It’s so well put together and Frank’s songwriting skills are in a league of their own. 

Final Score: 85 (Top Tier Album)