Review: Channel ORANGE
5 stars
Frank Ocean first came to the forefront of the hip-hop scene when he contributed his vocals to Jay-Z and Kanye West’s 2011 album “Watch the Throne,” on which he sang the choruses for “No Church in the Wild” and “Made in America.” In the summer of 2012, Ocean followed his 2011 mixtape “Nostalgia/Ultra” with his debut album, “Channel ORANGE.” The single “Thinkin Bout You” led the album as the first track. The song’s soulful vocals and subtle instrumentation make it the strongest by far. While many albums feature few meaningful songs, Ocean sings every one with conviction. For an album with 17 tracks (including the popular “Bad Religion,” performed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”), making each song good is no easy task. Perhaps the influence of Jay-Z and Kanye West has allowed Ocean to accomplish that with the finesse necessary to place him on the fast track to becoming a hip-hop veteran himself.
