After four years and numerous fake releases, Frank Ocean finally released his new album titled “Blonde” to Apple Music and iTunes on August 20th. I bought the album and was thrilled, as my expectations were extremely high. As a fan of the artist, the anticipation of new music further solidified my hope that this album would be better than his debut album, “Channel Orange.”

However, after about two full listens to the album, I was let down. It’s not bad, yet it left me wanting more, and not in a good way.

The album starts off with the track titled “Nikes” which was originally my favorite song on the album. That’s since changed, but the song is still really good. It’s light, fun, and plays with Frank’s singing voice a little more than his rap voice, yet both make themselves present in this song.

“Ivy”, the second song on the tracklist, is incredible. Frank ditches the rap in this song and strictly sticks to vocals for a refreshing track with a cool backbeat. . It’s a very calming song, and Frank does a great job all around with this particular tune. It’s reminiscent of “Thinkin About You” from “Channel Orange”- very well done and slow, with an emphasis on vocals.

The next track I  really enjoyed is titled “Solo”, as it’s more of a jam than any other song on the album. After talking to a few other people about the album, the general consensus was that there were not a lot of songs you could groove too, which is unlike the vibe of “Channel Orange.” However, “Solo” is fun to listen to from start to finish, and will always be a song I look forward to when I play the album.

Honorary mentions off of the album include:

• Close To You
• Nights
• White Ferrari
• Godspeed

These songs each evoke their own unique emotion and feeling..  This is why Ocean is such a beloved artist— he makes listeners feel something, which is not common in music in this day and age. Music today focuses heavily on things like partying, drinking, and living life as if we were to die tomorrow. Ocean tells the truth, whether listeners like it or not, and forces his audience to listen.

I can easily see and appreciate the hard work Ocean put into this album. He has clearly grown as an artist and a person in the time between his two albums. However, this collection is more for Frank Ocean’s long-time fans as opposed to the general public. I think that’s why some people, including myself, felt a little let down. Nevertheless, Ocean is an incredible artist, and I can’t wait to see what he has to offer in the future. Here’s to hoping we won’t have to wait another four years.

3.5/5 stars for Blond. By Frank Ocean