Frank Ocean’s Blonde is his sophomore album that was released on August 20th, 2016, to share his own personal thoughts, feelings and ideas. It was recorded across several studios in different cities, including Abbey Road Studios in London, EastWest Studios and Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Electric Lady Studios in New York.
Blonde has a duration of 60 minutes and 8 seconds. The album includes 17 songs, and features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé and Kim Burrell, Kendrick Lamar, Yung Lean, Jazmine Sullivan and Amber Coffman. Its genres vary from R&B, indie, hip-hop and even to pop music. Each song has its own unique beat that only Ocean can obtain.
Frank Ocean, AKA Christopher Breaux, is the main vocalist and writer on “Blonde.” He originally got into music by ghostwriting for other artists. His lyricism is one of the greatest aspects of this album. It portrays vulnerable, relatable and captivating lyrics that not only tells a story but keeps you hooked from start to finish. This album is truly one of the most meaningfully written albums of all time. With over 8 billion streams, it remains one of the most iconic records in the 21st century.
The production is an additional factor that makes this album so special. Not only did Breaux collaborate with multiple top notch producers, he also helped produce it himself. Listening to this album is a whole experience. He took a lot of inspiration from the artist Elliott Smith in this album. Smith is known to have double layered his vocals in his music which creates a more emotional, immersive sound. Breaux used this technique multiple times throughout the album and even referenced Smith in his song “Seigfried” which features a direct quote from Smith’s song “A Fond Farewell.” Overall, the production is flawless and gives listeners a clean, immersive experience that really makes you feel the album.
To sum it up, the album “Blonde” deserves a 10/10 for its innovative production, lyricism, as well as Ocean’s exceptional vocals. This album definitely deserves its number 5 spot in Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums of All Time.
