Frank Ocean shows vision, mastery on long-awaited "blond"

In the weeks preceding the release of his now iconic debut album “channel ORANGE” (2012), R&B singer Frank Ocean published a letterin the middle of the night on his Tumblr page detailing a previous love affair with a man. While the letter refrains from ever explicitly announcing Ocean’s sexuality, the letter and subsequent album represented a watershed moment in pop culture, as the then 24-year-old addressed many of the stereotypes placed upon black and queer artists. At the end of the letter, Ocean boldly writes, “I feel like a free man.”

The surprise release of Ocean’s highly anticipated sophomore album “blond” on Aug. 20 coincided with another Tumblr confession. The letter seemingly finds Ocean in a more introspective, contemplative place than three years ago, possibly capturing his feelings about living in a world facing the injustices of Orlando and Ferguson. However, Ocean offers hope at the end of his letter as he writes, “it’s still all good.”

After fulfilling his contractual obligations with Def Jam Recordings by releasing his less-than-stellar visual album “Endless”  the night prior to the release of “blond,” Ocean was able to release his sophomore record on his own independent label Boys Don’t Cry. Appropriately, “blond” marks a clean break with the pop music machine, and even society itself, as the album’s title is deliberately spelled both with and without an “e,” perhaps symbolizing androgyny or an enigma. Whatever the reason, these factors contribute to the feeling that Ocean’s follow-up plays like a hazy, dreamy end to a summer of both great emotional and physical turmoil.

Yet for all its misgivings about the current musical landscape, Ocean’s “blond” fits into the larger narrative by engaging with some of music’s most impressive names, including Beyoncé, David Bowie, James Blake, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar and Andre 3000, who nearly steals the show with perhaps the most energized verse of the year on “Solo (Reprise).”

Lead single “Nikes” opens the album and is indicative of Ocean’s current state, as the downtempo track jumbles together his romantic falsetto with digitally distorted vocals, a far cry from the days of the lush “Thinkin’ Bout You” (2011). The track’s moodiness feels heavier than elsewhere on the album, evident in the emotional and political implications of Ocean robotically singing, “RIP Trayvon, that n**** look just like me.” The song’s gorgeous video serves to reinforce the intense themes explored as the visual depiction of queerness and black bodies breathes life into what Ocean is grappling with.

After the heaviness of “Nikes,” Ocean spends the majority of “blond” dissecting love in its numerous forms, continuing to push the limits of what can be considered true R&B. On “Ivy,” Ocean juxtaposes fairly venomous lyrics with guitars that sound practically sun-kissed, creating an almost apathetic tone when he sings, “I broke your heart last week / You'll probably feel better by the weekend.” “Solo” sees Ocean navigating the perils of self-love and substance abuse with a clever chorus, with the song’s title doubling as both “solo” and “so low”. Other album highlights include the genderless "Self Control," which sees Ocean layering his own voice to create a breathtaking harmony, and the purposefully scattered “Nights," which combines multiple genres to tell a doomed love story following the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his hometown of New Orleans in 2005.

The emotional heart of “blond” can arguably be found in the devastating combo of “Seigfried” and “Godspeed.” The former sees Ocean struggling with whether or not he wants to settle down with “two kids and a swimming pool” and him yelping, “I’m not brave (brave).”  The song’s apex comes, coincidentally, as its ethereal synths begin to wind down, and the listener is left to contemplate the echoes of “(in the dark, in the dark) / I'd do anything for you.” If “Seigfried” is Ocean’s struggle to see a path forward, then the gospel-tinged “Godspeed” is his determination to make peace with the past, as he sings, “I will always love you how I do / Let go of a prayer for ya.”

While “blond” is sometimes too introspective for its own good and never explicitly steps outside the subdued space it seeks to inhabit, Ocean is clearly content to be creating his art as he sees fit. After all, it took over four years and numerous delays for “blond” to come to fruition. In the end, closing track “Futura Free” best sums up Ocean's "when it's done" approach, as he succinctly reminds the listener, “I ain't on your schedule / I ain't on no schedule / I ain't had me a job since 2009.”