Ava Cadenhead |
Four years after the release of his debut album entitled channel ORANGE, the R&B mastermind Frank Ocean has finally re-appeared on the music scene with his long awaited sophomore masterpiece, Blonde.
Even before Frank Ocean disappeared from the music industry for the better part of four years, leaving an ever-growing fanbase to wonder when – if – he’d ever compose a follow-up to his stunning 2012 debut, channel ORANGE, the New Orleans-born musical genius was one of music’s most puzzling figures. He made his name, after all, by dodging tidy categorisation, confounding expectation and disobeying prevailing rules of genre and sexuality.
The R&B genius finally broke his four-year musical silence by dropping a 45-minute visual album entitled Endless, then further surprised his fans when, less than 48 hours later, he released his long-awaited second LP – the incredible Blonde. The record has left listeners speechless, baffled and totally wonderstruck, making us unable to fit it into a neat, tidy category. With collaborations with major artists such as Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Jamie XX and André 3000, Ocean has, in his usual complicated ways, managed to produce yet another mind-blowing and intriguing piece of art. Blonde, with its catchy pop hooks and instant thrills combined with deeper issues to create this moody, chaotic masterpiece was undoubtedly worth years of anticipation – a definite 5 star album.
