“ Why see the world / When you’ve got the beach?” Ocean asks as he fleshes out the question of privilege, setting the stage for “Super Rich Kids,” a standout track featuring Earl Sweatshirt of Odd Future, the hip-hop collective of which Ocean is also a member. Complete with The Neptunes-style instrumentation, “Sweet Life” is smart and crisp. It’s bold, both musically and thematically, and the enthusiasm with which Ocean throws himself into each of his songs–sometimes in vain–is a pointed reminder that this long-awaited album is a debut, albeit an excellent one.Īfter the opening track, “Start,” which contains a smattering of the household and electronic noises that Ocean is already known for, “channel” presents a revamped “Thinkin Bout You.” Whereas Ocean’s stripped-down, Tumblr-released demo echoed the conversational sprezzatura of the lyrics, the album version, complete with multi-tracked vocals and an echoed drumbeat, sounds almost over-thought.Īfter the bedroom slow jam “Sierra Leone,” Ocean toys with the idea of disillusionment on “Sweet Life,” a Pharrell Williams co-write that shows just what upscale production can do. The youthful ambition of “ channel ORANGE,” however, gives him away. It’s easy to forget this given that he has written for Beyoncé, sung on “Watch The Throne” and released the most important and critically acclaimed mixtape of 2011.
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