Channel Orange by Frank Ocean (Review)
[Originally Published on May 21, 2020]
By the summer of 2016, music fans worldwide anxiously eyed Frank Ocean’s cryptic social media posts for signs that the maestro had returned. Ocean had emerged as a young, fearless leader in the LGBTQ community, and like the Avatar—disappeared when he seemed to be needed most. For four years, the Los Angeles native remained in hiding—further fueling his fan’s obsession over the follow-up to Channel Orange. As his falsetto danced across his rendition of Aaliyah’s “At Your Best” on the surprise Endless visual album, Ocean reminded his fans why his work was worth the wait.
Channel Orange is best listened to after reading Frank’s coming out letter, which was penned on a long flight home. You can feel his hand trembling as his pen plunges downward into his internal struggle to accept himself. And as his burden grows lighter with the truth set free, the album literally lifts off.
As a testament to the quality of work here, the singable anthem “Thinkin Bout You” is far from being a standout track. “Pink Matter” seemingly explores the tension between Ocean’s physical attraction to women and mental attraction to men. The song features a dizzying verse from wordsmith Andre 3000. Pyramids is one of few 10-minute songs that are truly unskippable. Ocean compares his stripper friend to the iconic Egyptian queen, observing that “they’ve taken Cleopatra” or commodified her beauty for their own gain. The beat change is akin to a dimming of the lights—where Frank goes from preaching to sliding back in his leather seat and enjoying the show. Like the two-way addiction that is drug dealing, both strippers and their dollar-tossing guests often look in the wrong place for the same thing: love.
Elsewhere, fellow Odd Future standout Earl Sweatshirt delivers an iconic verse on “Super Rich Kids.” The pronounced piano keys and Earl’s looping rhyme scheme are a perfect match as he delves into the differing levels of privilege that are made evident in lavish Los Angeles. Luxury, greed, and infatuation are themes that appear throughout the distinctly West Coast-sounding project.
Frank Ocean’s vocal appeal is less about how well he sings than about how he sings. Like artists such as SZA, he can twist and bend his voice to mold more pronounced layers into his songs. The crooning “Pilot Jones” soars through Frank’s tendency to enable self-destructive lovers. As “the dealer and the stoner” he acknowledges that he enables drug addicted lovers because he is addicted to romance. Distinguishing romance from healthy relationships, he acknowledges that connections built simply upon infatuation are bound to crash and burn.
Channel Orange distinguished Frank Ocean as one of the most effective writers R&B has ever seen. “Bad Religion” is a fine example. He utilizes juxtaposition “monks in a mosh pit” to highlight the duality of people we look to for guidance. He describes “unrequited love” as a bad religion to describe his closeted male lover’s shame and to critique how religious institutions often exclude and discriminate against non-straight, non-cis folk. “Forrest Gump” and “Lost” recount Ocean’s battle to come to terms with his sexuality, as he initially ran away from it. He attempted to suppress it with addiction to drugs, partying, and falling in love with people he knew would never love him back. Since his dazzling follow-up Blonde, Frank Ocean has faded from public life for another four years. Whether he’s lost again or has found himself again remains to be seen. But if his first two proper albums are any indication, he will have mastered the elements upon his return.
