Channel Orange review

I went to Parklife 2017, so I will review some of the acts I saw there. Please note I will let some of the acts, like Stormzy and Mura Masa build up their discography more before starting to go through their work. Frank Ocean, after A Tribe Called Quest pulled out, was basically the headlining act, which is a pretty big deal since he rarely performs live and has a habit of cancelling concerts. In fact, he showed up 40 minutes late. So, was he good? Well, having been to several festivals (Day ones as well), several small-scale gigs, several DJ gigs and open-mic nights, I can safely say that, considering all of those categories, Frank Ocean was the worst live performance I've ever seen. So, will he be better in his album or will it just be more mumbling?

Tracks:

1. Start: 7/10 an interesting beginning to the album which sets up a cool concept.

2. Thinkin' Bout You: 8/10 Frank Ocean's biggest hit is a good song actually. It's a bit too minimalist, but it's got a nice chill vibe and a sense of soulfulness. Unfortunately, my friends and I ditched the gig before he got round to performing this one (The crowd had shrunk by half by the end).

3. Fertilizer: 6/10 it has an interesting sound but the meaning isn't clear enough.

4. Sierra Leone: 7/10 a nice song with some good lyrics that sadly ends right as you're getting into it.

5. Sweet Life: 8/10 the best one yet, which explores the 'sweet life' in a moving way from a refreshingly neutral standpoint.

6. Not Just Money: 5/10 this moves the album forward and enhances its themes without really doing anything for the listener. Also, it's hard to hear the dialogue.

7. Super Rich Kids: 7/10 an interesting albeit dull exploration of fame.

8. Pilot Jones: 5/10 tedious, but this is a certain style you have to go with. It's decent enough in some ways.

9. Crack Rock: 6/10 a fairly tedious but again undeniably powerful drugs song which will work for some people more than it does for me most likely.

10. Pyramids: 8/10 the lyrics are confusing, yet what you can get from them is still powerful and the different interpretations are interesting. In the end, this epic track pays off and works as both a powerful piece of narrative and a soul-stirring, thoroughly enjoyable journey through many well-executed musical styles.

11. Lost: 6/10 the song-writing is confused and muted, but a quiet power is evident throughout.

12. White: 5/10 A superfluous instrumental.

13. Monks: 6/10 the instrumental is pretty good but the lyrics are too confusing.

14. Bad Religion: 8/10 now we're talking. This might not be the best track on the album, but it's very powerful and has possibly the album's best instrumental.

15. Pink Matter: 6/10 not very interesting, but an atmospheric instrumental and Andre 3000's guest performance elevate it.

16. Forrest Gump: 7/10 an interesting love song, especially due to its movie references and possible links to Ocean's famous Tumblr post.

17. End: 4/10 a badly confused ending to the album.

Best song: Pyramids
Worst song: End

Summary: An interesting work on the whole. In all honesty, I find it somewhat tedious and portentous, and there's a frequent lack of enjoyment throughout the album, but maybe that's just me. This isn't exactly my sort of thing. There are undeniably some very good songs here, Frank Ocean's vocals are good and overall his lyrics are pretty solid. The mix of different musical styles is interesting on this album as well. It's no masterpiece, but as modern music goes it's thought-provoking, emotional and artistic.



Final rating: 7/10