Reviews (page 8 of 13)
I liked it.
Alternative R&B, progressive soul, neo soul.
not my usual, but a good late afternoon jam
Inbetween skits are kinda weird yo
3.5 - Enjoyed it way more than I expected to.
Much better than I thought it would be!
Channel Orange is thoughtful, textured, and carefully constructed. Frank Ocean builds a world of atmosphere and subtle emotional detail, blending R&B, soul, and art-pop into something introspective and modern. The production is nuanced and spacious, and the songwriting is often clever and observant. But for all its craft and reputation, the album doesn’t always land with emotional force. It feels measured, sometimes intentionally restrained. There are moments of beauty and sharp insight, yet the record can feel distant rather than immersive. You keep waiting for it to hit harder—to crest into something overwhelming—and it mostly stays in a controlled, mid-tempo emotional register. It’s clearly well-made and culturally significant. The restraint is part of its design. Still, if it doesn’t fully grab you, that’s not a failure of listening. It just means it resonates more intellectually than viscerally. Good. Thoughtful. Not transcendent.
Interesting. My kid loves Frank Ocean so really was interested to give it a good listen. It’s very smooth and listenable. Lyrically strong too. But I don’t love it. Good. Not great. Open minded about more Frank Ocean though. There’s plenty here to like.
Cumple
A very long album, with a few nice little touches. Worth listening to again, I guess. 6/10
Bastante bueno, el primer disco de esta rotación que me imagino escuchando de nuevo intencionalmente, donde escuché melodías y cosas que me coparon, etc. El tipo canta bien, va perfecto con el estilo, etc. Como suelo escuchar más pop oriented music y lately estoy en el mood de algo más dancy, como que me terminó no copando tanto pero definitivamente es un artista para revisitar cuando lo sienta en el kokoro (?)
I was excited to have an album from this century.... until I listened to it. I can appreciate Frank has some pipes - but this style of RnB is just not for me. Modern Rnb has always felt to me like overproduced slop, with ironically - zero soul. Channel Orange was ok as background music, but I didn't get anything from it personally, and I think sadly skits don't make as much sense in a post album, current streaming world (bring back full album listening and skits though I say!)
listened to this shit maybe a billion times in high school and maybe one time since, not sure how i'll feel about it now It’s pretty hit or miss, peaks are super rich kids, pyramids and lost. I used to like pink matter but was so fucking bored listening to it today. Torn between 3-4 but I dont think this album is really ground breaking so gonna round down
I usually have a deep-rooted aversion to R&B - the soppy lyrics, the cranked up sweetness and the overuse of drum machines annoy me, and the high-pitched voices grate on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. That being said, even if Channel Orange didn't exactly change my opinion of the genre, I have to acknowkedge that it's an extremely well-produced album, with a very peculiar soundscape and a talented and creative singer. The tone and lyrics are much darker than in most R&B albums, and I really enjoyed some of the songs, like Super Rich Kids and Pyramids. I really can't get past the falsetto, but that's just me. If I did listen to R&B, it would probably be something like this. So yeah - it was a bit hard to get through the whole album, but I don't have anything bad to say about the artist, my rating only reflects my own personal lack of interest for the genre. Frank Ocean managed to make me give more than 1 star to a R&B album, and that's already a feat in itself. 5/10
Rien d’exceptionnel ni rien de mémorable mais rien de bien mauvais non plus
I suffer through R&B more than I enjoy it, the syrupy feel, endless sex-and-romance themes, and constant vocal vibrato lose me fast. Still, I won’t knock this one: it’s pretty strong. The jazz-leaning cuts like Sweet Life, the low/high vocal shifts, and the slightly off-kilter rhythms make it feel like more than a standard R&B record. Lyrics also seems different, Crack rocks among others is quite depressive and I kind of enjoy some of the moods displayed. But the constant mid-tempo and lack of real lift flatten the whole thing, leaving an impression that fades quickly. Since I could listen to that again, I am going to be nice with this one.
My introduction is Frank Ocean is very similar to most men’s, I was told about him from a female coworker. Which, no offense to her, wasn’t really a great endorsement. The same person was a huge Chris brown fan/apologist, so you could see why I would take her recommendation with a grain of salt. That being said, this dude is so much more than a pretty face and falsetto vocals. This dude can make some insanely impressive music. Like his production style and his beats are just amazing. Pyramids is a total work of art! One in a million song. The entirety of the album wasn’t this wild religious experience for me like it is for young women, but I really enjoyed the instrumentation in the whole album even if a song didn’t really click with me lyrically or in tone. That’s the real special aspect of Frank Ocean, his music is great. My only real fault is half of the album is too slow and emotional for me. A solid album, just not my cup of tea personally.
kinda disappointing
Frank Ocean has been somewhat of an enigma to me for quite some time. I knew he was an accomplished artist, yet I never heard much about him and thus also didn't know much about him or his music. So picture me, curiously putting this album on, ready to finally (better late than never) experience what Frank Ocean is about. And the first lyrics I hear absolutely whip me back to my 15-year-old-self watching Vine compilations. All this time, Frank Ocean was the mind behind A Potato Flew Around My Room Before You Came???? I spent some minutes reflecting on this discovery and where I should place this information in my brain. So all I can say for the rest of the album, is that Pyramids and Lost are bangers.
I am a bit conflicted with rating this album. Pros: I like his voice, I sometimes like the instrumental and it is simply nice to listen to. Cons? It feels... empty? As if nothing is really being accomplished in some of the songs. Some mumbling, some random lyrics, some 'deep' lyrics which all don't do enough for me to make it a song I'd listen to.
Not my cup of tea but better than expected.
Album was fine for what it is, I knew a couple songs already. Mainly the hits, I enjoyed it enough.
Yes
I don't think the overall sound is for me but I already had some songs saved like Pink Matter, End, Pyramids. I haven't sat to listen to this full album in so long, this was good to do
Definitely artistic, hard to pin down a genre. Can tell there is a lot of thought but not sure how groove of melodic bass it is, which takes it down a notch for me. Some good moment but not sure I would listen again.
I’m certainly not as high on this album as the press was when it landed. Over the years it has grown on me a bit more. It’s a good album and the storytelling is great, the beats are spacey and the mood is impossible to escape.
Not usually my kind of thing, but there were some good tracks on here and I liked Frank's vocals enough
This album is really good and I think it deserves multiple listens to really absorb all of the textures and storytelling. Beautiful vocals, unique arrangements, interesting musical compositions, and poetic lyrics.
My first time listening to this album. It wasn’t hard but had a chilll weeknd vibr
3,5
Misschien was ik te overprikkeld maar niet helemaal overtuigd
The first half of this album was weird, and I was not digging it, but the second half, starting with Pyramids, was better. Overall ok, but not something I’d go out of my way to listen to again.
Like a hip hop Nick Drake, this softly spoken slow paced sad boy stuff for a mellow introspective mood - but the pastoral nylon string guitars are replaced with loungey synths and drum machines. The music is lush and swirly, slightly out of focus, hazy neo-soul slow jams with gospel singers and funky noodling bass. His singing alternates between a nasal croon, a falsetto, and an almost mumbling rap flow - none of it is really very good, but works for the overall feel of the album.
好听，轻飘飘的
What I liked best about this record were the weird little 1-minute tracks in between the actual songs. I think I would enjoy a short collection of those; that would be fun. The rest of it? I didn't like it at the beginning, but it started growing on me with "Pyramids" and the rest of the second half. The imagery in the lyrics started to catch my attention and it all seemed to get a little more complex. I doubt I'll revisit this album anytime soon, but I'm glad I heard it. 3 stars
I don't know who this Frank Ocean guy is, but I've heard his name plenty. Is he a fisherman? Does he live in a lighthouse? Does he spend his days rending apart slices of seaweed and picking pieces from his teeth. Presumably, the answer to all these questions is yes. Turns out he's rap dude, which makes it all the more perplexing that his name isn't L'il Seagull or MC Kraken, or Phrank O'Shawn. On first listen this feels very much like those shitty 90s RnB groups who had a one but wonder about sex, but song in silky vocals to make it tolerable for uptight white ladies. You know, like Boyz To Men, but crap. On closer inspection you hear the off pitch vocals and understand why this saltwater dweller never had a hit. Filled with redundant non-skits and Temu beats, there is an impressive willingness to experiment which unfortunately overrides the good sense to make music which contains notes. As a result, this comes across as a rambling, incoherent, well-made mess. That said, there is a second half run of good songs which, had there been more of these and less nonsense, would have solidified this as a near 4 star album. Truly mystifying that, with more than half of the songs being nonsense, that this is getting so many 4 and 5 star reviews.
musique chill sympa mais pas mon style
fav song: Monks
So many good tracks that I loved.
Never heard anything like this before, alternative R&B apparently. Some of it was great, especially the drums etc but some of it was truly awful!
i found its kinda boring, def not my type of music but some songs r cool ngl
A couple of standout moments for me, but on the whole it's a 3 for me
3/5
Vette stijl, iets te modern
14/20 L'album a une vibe envoûtante et vraiment extraordinaire. Ainsi, malgré le fait que j'ai énormément de mal avec la voix du chanteur, je me suis laissé porté sans difficulté. La musicalité de l'album est vraiment notable Dommage que la voix le me plaise pas car ça aurait pu devenir une magnifique découverte.
Chill album. I'm not a big fan of r&b but I was vibing nicely to this album and even saved a couple songs.
3/5 Mmmmm yeah. Good R&B, though I wish there was slightly more variety. I love me some Frank Ocean though.
Going into this album, I thought I had never heard any of these songs. But I have. Because they've been trending tiktok audios before. No hate to that as a concept, some amazing music and some terrible music has been trending on tiktok. Here's my thing, this sound in 2012 was revolutionary. Today? This sounds like everything else. I don't particularly like it. I remember liking songs from Blonde, probably because I was listening to them in 2016. This takes the sound of R&B but makes it almost digital. I don't want digital, I want the big band sound of sultry R&B. It's fine, I know he's super popular for a reason but that reason seems to be that it's a diluted R&B for the modern era. I'm not melancholy enough to enjoy this.
5/10
Great voice and production. Mid songs.
It's not my style, but it's really not bad. I dislike most thin, simple pop works. I definitely thought this was one of those. On first listen (and seeing some reviews) I was sure this was a waste of my time. But, I'm in this game, so I give everything two tries. On second listen, I thought it was actually ok. Not for me, but listenable. Most pop is simple keyboard, cicada drums, and someone warbling, rapping, or cooing over it. This has a little more musical depth than that. Still mostly keyboards, but at least there is a lot of variation. (Not a ton of lyrical depth, but not as misogynistic , gun-toting, and bitching as much of his ilk.) His voice is fine and I like that he's not doing any histrionics. Just crooning and vibing. Fine enough voice. I wouldn't mind having this on in the background for most times, but I wouldn't choose it either. I'd turn off "Super Rich Kids" "Crack Rock" and maybe a couple of the fillers near the end. Let's go with a 3 here.
It would need to grow on me
The reputation of this album precedes it, I went in fully expecting to love it. Someone will have to tell me what I'm missing.
Album #47 Frank Ocean: Channel Orange Since I’m Gen Z, I’ve always heard from people around my age that Frank Ocean is the G.O.A.T., and that Blond and Channel Orange are among the greatest albums of all time. Despite this, before listening to this album, I genuinely couldn’t name a single Frank Ocean song; it’s likely that I’ve heard one and might recognize it, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you it was Frank Ocean. I knew that he was popular, but I didn’t expect for him yo have almost 40 million monthly listeners and multiple songs with over a billion streams, after seeing that I thought that I would for sure recognize some songs from this album, but the only thing I ended up recognizing was that the “potato flew around my room” meme was a parody of “Thinkin Bout You”. Going into this knowing all of Ocean’s praise and the mystique around his persona, I did expect something pretty spectacular, especially since I didn’t really have any idea how it would sound. Maybe it was due to my high expectations, but nothing about Channel Orange seemed that special to me. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good album, pretty consistently enjoyable, with no distractingly bad tracks on it; but there wasn’t really anything here that felt groundbreaking and blew me away. I suppose if it were the younger generations' introduction to R&B, it would have felt quite refreshing coming out of the indie-rock-dominated 2000s; however, what R&B that I do listen to is much older, and I definitely prefer the 2000s indie-rock to this. I never have related much to overly sexualised R&B, though I understand that it is the sort of music that is supposed to make you horny, I guess, which isn’t exactly why I listen to music; this is reflected in my pretty harsh score for “The Love Below”. Ocean’s lyrics at times seem a bit hollow to me, but overall they aren’t too bad, just with the way people talk about the guy, I was sort of expecting the next Bob Dylan with Marvin Gaye’s voice. On his voice, it’s obviously very good technically, but there are times when he goes really high, and I’m not sure if it is how it is mixed, or what, but I find it pretty grating. There is that one Carseat Headrest song where they say give me Frank Ocean’s voice, and I’ll be your rock god, but frankly, no vocal performance on this album matches Sober to Death, so I’m not sure why they were asking for a downgrade. This review seems harsh, but I did like most of the songs, Earl Sweatshirt’s verse was good, and though I’m not the biggest Outkast fan, I thought Andre 3000’s verse was solid. Bad Religion is a pretty powerful song, and the closest that Frank Ocean got to matching the praise I hear thrown at him. Definitely a solid album though, and I can see myself potentially enjoying Blond a good bit if it is meant to be much better than this. Best Songs: Bad Religion, Super Rich Kids, Lost Worst Song: Pilot Jones Score out of 10: 6
3.5/5⭐️
Smooth beats and decent lyrics. Tracks to Track: Lost
Smoother, I like this
Not for me, but I can see why people like it. The PlayStation startup sound was a fun Easter egg
Creative and enjoyable.
Growing up this is what we would call "Take Your Panties Off" music. The kind of music you would play to get your lady in the mood. In terms of R&B this is a pretty good album, not the best, but also not the worst. I can see people getting into this.
Mellow, easy-listening for the most part, but unremarkable overall and largely forgettable after it's done.
I was SO excited for this one, I’ve wanted to listen to more of Frank Ocean’s work for ages. I will say some of the songs were too slow for my liking. Fav song is ‘Super Rich Kids’.
Would be closer to 3.5 stars on a more detailed rating and on the right day in the right mood 4. I still remember catching an odd future show at fader fort at sxsw I'm maybe 2011 and being amazed.
I expected this to be just a typical 2010s album that I wasn't going to be a fan of. Now, I didn't end up being a fan at the end of the album, but I didn't hate it. Frank does kinda sound like Stevie Wonder here, but that almost takes away from this album as a whole.
Ok, might need another listen but not sure I will
Could be a 4, but maybe blinded by familiarity. R&B usually falls short for me, but Frank’s more straightforward style of singing communicates emotion a lot more to me than a more impassioned style. Great use of organ on Bad Religion and Forrest Gump
It was cool but not my style
really chill, not my style but coherent and i get why people like it, some songs sounded like h&m music tho lol the interval songs nice i liked them thinking about you - 3 sierra leone - 3 sweet life - 3,5 super rich kids - 3 pilot jones - 3 pyramids - 3,5 (could be 4 but 9 minutes is ragebait) lost - 3 monks - 3 bad religion - 2,5 pink matter - 3 forrest gump - 3 end - 4 37/12=3,08, i guess still 3 but better than radiohead, not my style, would give 3,5 tho if i could cuz intervals good
3,5 ster. Er zitten een paar echt goede nummers op maar ook paar die echt minder zijn. Nummers als Sierra Leone, sweet life, crack rock, monks zijn te smooth r&b voor mijn smaak waardoor ik afhaak. Bad Religion, thinking about you, super rich kids en als favoriet pink matter met andre 3000. Als ik het vergelijk met blonde is daar bijna elk nummer goed en heeft iets interessant wat orange niet heeft. Paar fantastische nummers maar als geheel album niet. Heb soms het gevoel dat door de mystiek rond Frank ocean dat hij op sommige vlakken wat word overgewaardeerd en een mythische status krijgt terwijl het ook redelijk mainstream is. Zeker paar hele goede nummers ontdekt
It was ok, kind of
Impressive
Weird that such a soulful album was so thoroughly worked over in production, polished until some of the personality was scraped off
War ok verstehe aber immer noch nicht wieso Frank ocean so gehypt war in den zehner Jahren
Skjønner at det er noen sin vibe
fun, interesting and a vibe
Some songs I enjoyed on here. I hate talking on tracks.
Um bom álbum, apenas isso. Nada surpreendente.
Not my type of music 5/10
3/5
Enjoyable background music.
Mange af sangene lyder ens på en eller anden måde. Så selvom de måske indivudielle er gode sange, så mangler der noget der skiller dem fra hinanden når man hører albummet.
some good stuff need to listen more
Estoy consciente de que es un muy buen álbum, simplemente no es de mi gusto
better than i thought, didnt give a chance before cause i dont like r&b but it had a few songs that i enjoyed
New to me. Very positive experience, good vibes. Must relisten someday.
with Ella - some of it I love, some I don't get
It sounds like a time capsule. I like a lot of the songs, but it didn’t rock my world like it did all my friends when it came out
Not my style usually, but enjoyed this listen enough not to turn it off. Interesting vocals and song subject matter.
Once again I need to reiterate that earlier 3s were not true 3s and should not have been given 3s. This is a 3.5. I cannot give it a four because Blond is the four album. This is a good album but it is no Blond. Couple of things I really like - (1) layered music (like you can hear him saying multiple lines at once sometimes or he responds to himself in a different tone, you know the thing) (2) the addition of non-main songs on the album. This is really a modern thing I don’t know of any old albums that do it. Which makes sense because in the vinyl era it would be a pain in the ass to have to sit through these 40 second blips. But I LOVE albums that have random little things thrown in like instrumentals or in Frank Ocean’s case spoken dialogue. It makes the album feel less like a thing to sell and more like an artistic collection. Coldplay does a really good job at this in Viva La Vida but that isn’t the album I’m reviewing right now. Favorite song is Pyramids.
I was surprised to see this album seeing that I’ve already knew about it before. I had previously already listened to a lot of the songs on it, and my opinion is still the same. It’s a nice and calm album, but it’s nothing life-changing. I understand why people are obsessed with it, but I would only really turn this on in the background of me studying, not when I actually want to listen to music. I still really enjoyed the album though.
It's okay. Inoffensive. Clearly influenced by Stevie Wonder without the funkiness. Nothing really sets it apart.
Jag hade med Channel Orange på årsbästalistan för 2012. Det är verkligen ett album snare än några låtar som sticker ut. Det är produktionen och ljudbilden som tilltalar mig. Det låter förvånansvärt modernt, hade likaväl kunnat spelats in igår. Tyvärr levde Frank Ocean aldrig upp till förväntningarna från debuten och uppföljaren blev tämligen blek. Channel Orange är ett album jag kan sjunka in i då och då utan att jag för den skull håller det som något mästerverk.
Best songs: super rich kids, Forrest Gump
Chill
Getting Channel Orange today felt like a legendary pull because Frank Ocean is one of those artists that people my age can’t shut up about and I’ve never actually listened his debut album. My one real experience with Mr. Hotdog Water was checking out Blonde right after it came out, thinking to myself “yeah, that was pretty good” and then never coming back to it again. The tune he did with Calvin Harris was cool too, I guess. This one’s decent – I feel like it gets WAY more hype than it deserves, but it did have its moments (though none of its highlights ever reached “loved” territory for me) and I can respect how he tried to bring everything together in a conceptual way, even if the execution wasn’t fully there for me. Probably not an album I’ll ever listen to from front to back again, but I’m glad I finally got to check it off the list! Highlights: Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pyramids, Lost, Monks, Pink Matter
I have tried so many times to appreciate Frank Ocean but he’s just so boring to me. He sounds nice, but dull.
Already knew this one. It’s very good.
My rating 3.5
Super creative and unusual. I would like to listen to it again
it’s not really my type of album, but I get the hype!
Modern R&B is not my thing but I was surprised by how creative the production and use of samples etc is on this. If anything, the production is a bit busy for my taste, with lots of layers of stuff going on.
Hadn’t ever listened all the way through. Some great songs, but Eve better as a collective album.
Modern R&B that shines at times, and loses me at others.
Pretty good. Kind of standard r&b album
The album is well made. The performances are good. But it didn’t really do anything for me.
Good background music, but background music.
Good but not as special as it’s made out to be.
Middle of the road R&B, hardly any exciting songs
Channel Orange is a great transition album, which I am especially fond of. Each track is like a different television channel, all kind of telling different stories. Frank Ocean’s music isn’t my taste, but I really appreciated how his smooth vocals were complimented by the synth in a few songs. It was an enjoyable experience, but probably not an album that I would listen to in its entirety again. Favorites: Thinkin Bout You, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock
Das hören die Jungen. Erträglich.
Pretty decent, amazing production but immature lyrics.
I remember really enjoying Pyramids, but I think it was a slowed down remix. Nice enough otherwise but not very exciting, a solid 2.5 (rounded up)
Great moments.
Glad I listened to this, I almost tapped out during the first track.
Sure, this was pretty solid. No real standout songs that I'm going to come back to, but pretty likeable.
Most songs were enjoyable, although there were a handful that I found to be not as good or even cringy. Solid 3/5.
Frank Ocean has always been one of those musicians whose name comes up from every single fucking person my age when you ask them who they listen to (alongside Daniel Caesar). I guess I've always avoided him because I'm a prick who doesn't like being mainstream -- but also because every time I've tried, it just feels too...generic, maybe? A touch lazy? Regardless, I'm glad this list made me listen to the full thing here, because it really is an admirable album. I still sort of feel the way I always had, but there are also some great songs here, some decent grooves, and solid lyricism. Fave tracks: - Sweet Life - Super Rich Kids - Crack Rock - Lost - Monks - Bad Religion
Separate Ocean from all the Odd Future hype and you’ve got something genre-bending and quite distinctive. He’d scored a hit in 2011 with Nostalgia, Ultra which was landed out of nowhere. He sounds as if he’s creating spontaneously into the mic at times, which works quite well. He deals will a wide variety of themes musically and the addition of odd sound effects and ambient noise here and there, as in the opening track, whilst far from original, is an interesting counterpoint to the lyrical themes. Nothing on this album is accidental or casual, despite the laid back delivery, it’s all very carefully thought out. The odd thing is the stretch to combine crossover appeal to the mainstream and at the same time be boundary pushing and avant-garde. It mostly works but sometimes the two personalities don’t quite play well together.
Kinda boring
Probably another 3.5. Phenomenal flow and a generational album, just trying to be a bit sensible with my stars. Cleopatra is Namibia in a song.
Had heard of Frank Ocean and this album was an easy enough listen, but not a style I’d typically throw on. Pyramids was probably the standout for me.
Smooth, soft-soul R&B with a bit of hip hop - couldn't get further from my wheelhouse. I quit listening before I fell asleep at the wheel.
Liked this more than I thought I would. 3.3
I know everyone really loves him.... I really didn't like it too much I am just not a low fi fan usually either ._.
listening when: didn’t listen but i’ve heard it thoughts: i get that this is a masterpiece just not my masterpiece rating: 8/10 cuz i’m not dumb
So... I anticipated dreading this album. But I ended up being surprised. Wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to listen to it again, but if a track came up in the future, wouldn't be opposed. Fine for background
shore
Not my kind of music. Although good exemplar, seemingly.
70
Not my style but a lot of good stuff on this one
Apparantly brilliant, but really doesn't do it for me
"Channel Orange" mixes free-form flow with soul-like singing, and the usual background harmonies of modern pop-soul/funk. The production quality is great, with the arrangements generally quite stripped back, as common in the genre, without big shifts in tempo or timbre. The feel of the album is quite ambient, and attempts to be reflective, but is limited by the flow between the songs being a bit lacking or disjointed.
This was actually much better than I was expecting. I was prepared to hit 1 and move on; don't know why that name somehow made me think of a bad rock star early 2000's. Anyway, different artist, different genre.
# Album Name: Channel Orange # Artist: Frank Ocean # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Honestly, for some reason i thought this was frank zappa. By the end i wish it was. Just an OK listen. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? Meh
Some nice songs but not everything grabbed me on first listen. Quite long and a bit hit and miss.
Like slightly-not-as-good Stevie Wonder. Fine, but doesn't excite me.
Opened up with the Ps2 jingle! Sounds amazing. But idk, that sort of pre-mumble rap. Half-sung half-rapped. Not for me I'm sorry
Heard it before. This is a million times better than Blonde, I think people are hallucinating Blonde being good because it's deeply boring. Meanwhile Channel Orange has a nice vibe and variety, including essentially a pop/r&b prog track (Pyramids) 3/5
Finding this difficult to rate. There were songs I enjoyed in here and enjoyed the mix of R&B and soul elements. However there was also some pretentious rubbish in here. Tentative rating at 3.
Meh. 3 stars
It's a pretty good offering for the genre. It's just not a genre I enjoy. I did enjoy the mini interludes scattered throughout. I thought that was a great inclusion to break up what is essentially one long run of the same sound over and over.
Bathroom masturbation music or something.
Ehhh it was pretty decent, I was close to giving it 2 stars but it doesn’t deserve that really. Starting with what makes it good is mostly some of the production and the vocals, I actually think the interludes were the best parts and some of the ambient sounds within. Some of the wet synthy sounds were great as well like on Lost and Pyramids ( a song that felt a lot shorter than it actually was to be fair), the drums on crack rock were great (just because it was a sample of little miss lover) and some of the bass lines were really groovy. What makes it not so good for me is that it’s just not very exciting of an album in terms of musical diversity or sounds, a lot of it is genuinely quite boring to be honest with not much substance. I guess it’s just got that mainstream radio sound to it. That takes me onto my next point about the sound: I did praise some of the production but it’s mostly very lofi and downbeat which isn’t inherently bad but I find that there’s always an element to a song that sounds like it’s coming from underwater if that makes sense. Like the drums on the first song and Sierra Leone for instance or the bass on sweet life or Forrest Gump. Maybe a weird criticism but I genuinely couldn’t stop noticing how some of the mix sounded like it was being played by the fishes or something. Favourites: pyramids, Lost and I guess crack Rock. There were parts of songs that I liked which I mentioned but most of them I didn’t like as a whole. Overall, 5/10.
slick
Some bangers. Don't love the vocal style or often the instrumentation
Cool to hear innovative r&b. Some songs, like Pyramid, are amazing. A lot didn’t grab me on one listen.
It’s a vibe for sure, especially the instrumental one with John Mayer, who’s less cringe when he’s just playing and not singing.
Kinda bored me but cool Mitch Mitchell drum sample from Jimi Hendrix's Little Miss Lover on Crack Rock.
This album is a nice detour from the usual 70s/80s/90s fare in this collection, and a modestly interesting alternative to much of the R&B/soul-esque albums we've had so far. Much like the Wikipedia entry for the album, it's probably too long by half, and it never really struck me as a revelation the way a lot of people apparently felt. The best tracks of the lot for me were, apart from "Sweet life", largely from the second half of the album, especially "Pyramids" and "Lost" and "Bad religion", but I also appreciated the low-key vibe throughout. As his mother apparently noted, it's a great summer album if you're in the mood to chill.
Very mixed about this: like the concept and lots of this sort of works, but he doesn't sound comfortable with his voice and everything sounded like a little off.
I know Frank Ocean more for his persona and his interests rather than his music. (I know the dude has really good taste in movies, for example.) In 2012, his song "Crack Rock" got it's hooks in my friend group and I heard it a bunch. I liked it, to be sure; it's a soulful song with very pretty textures while discussing a depressing topic. Overall, this is a nice album, from it's PS1 intro theme to it's neo R&B grooves to it's electropop tunes. It doesn't *all* work for me. "Pilot Jones" is a clunker. I fucking hate John Mayer, the most overrated guitarist in my lifetime and a genuine asshole, so "White" is a waste of a good groove. (Ocean rightly seems to have lifted the only 60 seconds of Mayer's noodling that are worth listening to.) But the highs are high. "Super Rich Kids" with Earl Sweatshirt is great. The aforementioned "Crack Rock" really fits my sensibilities. "Lost" is so catchy and smooth. Rating this is hard because: 1) it's very good, 2) I'm not the biggest contemporary R&B fan, but I'm not a hater, 3) there's plenty I enjoy but there's plenty I could skip on a relisten. It's times like these I wish this site offered half stars. So this is a 3.5 or a 3.75 for me, but I feel reluctant to give it a full 4 stars.
I have a weird relationship with RnB. Sometimes it’s incredible and other times it’s awful. While no songs here were awful, some definitely did not click with me while others did. I like Frank Ocean still, just not an entire album of this vibe
Interesting but very of it's time
Solid R&B album, just not quite my taste. The album is very focused on his vocals and he's a capable singer but not my favorite. Clever songwriting, generally good production. (I hate to say it in 2025 now that we know the full extent of Kanye's problems but there are a couple moments/production elements that feel like there were lifted from 808s or MBDTF) If I found this on a different day I might have liked it better. Lost is the standout track for me.
Extremt stark trea, men kan absolut se det här växa på mig
Helt okej härligt sound, men inte superintressant. Dock inte tråkigt!
I remember this album being massive when I was in high school, but I don't think I ever explored it much myself. I don't have the "nostalgia" that some others might have as a result. It's a fine album musically; R&B with some non-traditional aspects thrown in. Themes of love, drugs, the upper social class (can't relate!), with the aforementioned R&B and electro-funk make this sound and feel like a summer album (which is funny considering that November just started at the time of me listening to this). I found the start of the album compelling, sort of culminating with the ten minute epic "Pyramids". The pace kind of tapers off from there, however. There are some interesting features, with Earl Sweatshirt and Andre 3000 making notable appearances among others, and the production is unique/creative, but Channel Orange seemingly strives to do too much with uneven results outside of the singles.
I saw Frank Ocean live few years back and really enjoyed it. This album doesn't quite reach the same heights, but it has it's moments.
Pleasantly soulful album. How it can be also labelled on the hip-hop genre I have no idea..possibly because it has some waste-of -time 'skits' in it and he uses the N word, I dunno? But I'm not going to downgrade it because of that.
A decent RnB album weighed down by a lot of bloat and unengaging tracks. Would have been a much better EP/shorter album that highlighted the bright spots better. Overall a few excellent tracks, but a lot that is skippable. Top tracks: Pyramids, Lost, Bad Religion
6/10 Not my usual cup of tea but I did enjoy the songs Sierra Leone, Pyramids, Lost, White, Monks, Bad Religion, and Pink Matter
Unusual. Not sure how I feel about this one
I like some songs like “rich kids” but overall not my vibe.
It was okay. I don’t really understand the hype.
Not sure if I understand the hype behind Frank Ocean. This album is very artistic and creative. He's clearly very talented. This just feels a little scatterbrained and all over the place. Offbeat in certain songs. I can't put my finger on it, but it just wasn't for me. I'm glad I finally got around to giving it an honest try.
- Happy to have been introduced to the album, as I definitely wouldn’t have found it on my own. - I don’t love the first handful of songs, and there’s generally too much filler (e.g., Start, End, Fertilizer, White, Not just money...), but it picks up at Super Rich Kids (minus Crack Rock and Monks). - The endings of a lot of the songs were really abrupt. - Wish his voice was richer and more complex - most people seem to like it, but it doesn’t do it for me.
I really appreciate Frank Ocean for pushing some of the boundaries of pop music, there is obviously some very strong creativity and musical talent that shines through on this album. The songs that worked for me had clear and subtle lyrics. Towards the end there were a few more dance inspired tracks that really didn't do anything for me and I feel like took away a bit from the album overall. I do think this deserves a spot on the list and overall is an impressive piece of work.
I love all the video game sound FX.
boyz2men meets animal crossing.
Didn’t care for
Enjoyed more than I expected. Some of it lost on me but the production was strong throughout and great voice.
Highlight Song/s: Crack Rock, Pyramids, Bad Religion and Forrest Gump My experience with Frank Ocean consists of like one song, I can't recall which one, but it has a chipmunk voice doing backing vocals, I think. Anyway, so this listen is coming from very fresh ears. The likes: -The production is amazing. -I'm a big fan of the interlude tracks, just nice and relaxing. -I like the laid-back style Frank's singing voice is quite difficult for me to get into. I think this album is superb, in like every way. I feel like in another life this would be in my top 10 albums, It just sounds like that; gives off that feeling. Re-visiting MIGHT help.
instant coolness
Alright but not really my jam
I had never listened to Frank Ocean before. There's a broader genre bucket this falls under that is not really the kind of music I like or listen to and I just put it off for a long time. But the way this is produced and all of the choices made were actually really fun and interesting for me. Things like the kind of hypnagogic/nostalgic lofi recording of the playstation turning on or the almost Swans like sample loop in Pink Matter. Frank Ocean didn't make the whole thing strange and gimmicky which probably made this all the more successful but those are the parts I liked the most and I respect that they are there. Also I liked Earl Sweatshirts lines in Super Rich Kids I wish there had been more like that.
A very chill album which I enjoyed
I’d never listened to Frank Ocean before and had no idea whether I’d like it or not. Suffice to say, I’m not sure I’d actively seek him out, but I’d not turn him off the radio.
His falsetto is lovely. Otherwise I have very little to say. It was fine. Would have been a 2.5, but I'm rounding up 3/5
Enjoyed it
3.5. Solid album but not as fresh as it used to be.
Pyramids is my fav
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I listened to it and laughed once because I thought Thinkin Bout You was going to be the 1990 song by Londonbeat for some reason. I probably won't think about any of this music again after today.
7/10
prior to listening: i am intrigued by this as i did not like another one of his albums (blonde). the sounds were not for me. the first songs sounded similar to blonde in a way. 'super rich kids' got my attention though and made my head bop involuntarily to the rhythm. i also liked 'pyramids' a lot a lot. a lot of the songs still sound a bit of the same and are slow with weird sounds and a bit boring.
Smooth R&B. The dude's got talent.
Ya know, Odd Future probably needs to be studied. This one group of edgy teenagers somehow produced two wildly influential international stars (Tyler and Frank) and one king of the underground (Earl). Blonde would later cement Frank's status and influence, but Channel Orange is a vital stepping stone that often lives in its shadow. The two albums are honestly different beasts, and (I think) had influence on different worlds in music. Channel Orange very much feels like an R&B/Neo-Soul album, at times even like a psych album, and made it's impact on the development of that world. Conversely, Blonde almost feels more like an indie album, and I think it became sort of an archetype for a whole nook in that genre moving forward.Channel Orange is a bit more eclectic, almost sprawling at times, while Blonde is *laser* focused on a very particular sound and emotional landscape that comes across a little more abstract than Channel Orange. And while Blonde gains a lot from this, it kind of highlights some of the unique positives of Channel Orange. A sprawling, epic, narrative piece like Pyramids couldn't exist on Blonde, and to a lesser extent, singles like Thinkin Bout You and Super Rich Kids couldn't either. And honestly, the experience of listening to Channel Orange from front to back is really cool in it's own right. Th pacing is good, the interludes work really well as mood pieces, and a lot of songs here are fantastic set-pieces. The aforementioned Pyramids, Thinkin Bout You and Super Rich Kids are great examples. I'm also a big fan of Crack Rock, Monks, and Pink Matter. The latter of which has an exceedingly rare (and very good) Andre 3000 feature. While not as focused as Blonde, Channel Orange still feels deeply personal to Frank, and it is a really awesome debut. Some of the sound across here feels trapped in the 2010's, and these songs don't all resonate with me, but it doesn't exactly ruin the album. I really enjoy Channel Orange. Additionally, as one of his two studio LPs, Channel Orange is nearly as vital a component of Frank Ocean's legacy as Blonde.
unfortunately don't care for this as much as his latter albums but thinkin bout you and white are great
Reviews of this one are super polarized, you either love Frank Ocean or you hate him. Maybe that's a generational thing, where this resonates for Gen Z and some Millennials but completely loses anyone older than that? I don't know. But in this binary that I've invented, my elder millennial ass is fittingly somewhere in the middle. Low effort R&B is fine, and I think I prefer this to the Usher, R Kelly, Casey & JoJo, et al era when R&B was doing too much. I appreciate that there's a 10 year gap between those reference points and this album, but I wasn't plugged into R&B during that time and can't comment on what was happening then. I'm not going to download this, but I'd put it on while I make dinner at home. One of the top hater reviews blames this album for the rise of internet slut culture, mumble rap, and low effort internet musicians. I think that's kinda silly, but if you want to believe that's true then it kinda proves the influence, doesn't it? Hard to complain that this is on the list and, in the next breathe, prove exactly why it's here.
It was fine. Not really my thing, but I see why people like it. Bad Religion, Pink Matter, and Super Rich Kids were all pretty good, nothing else really jumped out at me. 5/10, going 3 stars instead of 2 just because it wasn't, like, bad, just kinda not for me.
It's alright, though not something I listen to that often.
Prima
Des trucs cool
ok hip hop
2,5
Very meh
Original, something different, quite musical rapmusic with different than usual lyrics. Still, not really my thing.
Was excited to listen to this as I never fully dove into Frankn Ocean other than the singles. I should have stopped there. Outside the singles it's musically boring and hollow. He's got moments of interesting lyrics but mostly sounds like dumb stuff a teenager would write. Giving it a 3 since the singles are absolute bangers.
1. X 2. O 3. ~ 4. ~ 5. O 6. X 7. O 8. X 9. ~ 10. ~ 11. O 12. ~ 13. ~ 14. ~ 15. ~ 16. ~ 17. ~ Few bangers. Too much of the same thing.
I liked this fine, but don't feel like I'd listen to it through again. It feels like a moment in time. the casualness of the album really dates it. But I mostly enjoyed the album.
Some interesting bits but overhyped. Overall enjoyable.
Knew this album was highly praised but has never listened to any of it. Not the style I usually go for but very enjoyable, bad religion is the standout track for me
3/5
not to bad, like a mix between modern and old school soul especially "sweet life".
A couple of ok songs, lyrics and and perspectives on the song subject seemed generic
Enjoyed this album more than I expected to. The genre isn't really for me still, but I respect this album a lot in terms of production and lyrics, and am glad I took the time to give it a listen.
Great production and album flow. Thought it was going to be lower for me but I can't really fault it.
Not totally into this neu-soul or whatever you'd want to call this genre but there were some pretty good songs on here. 2.5 rounding up
Consistently ok but not for me.
Interesting 🤔
Let me start by saying these kinds of reviews are a depressing reminder of how closed-minded people can be. “Oh, good music isn’t being made anymore” — what nonsense. It’s fine to dislike a sound, but calling it “the downfall of music” just because it’s not your taste? That’s ridiculous. Take a look at yourself. That said, this is undeniably an influential album — it just doesn’t fully click for me personally. I enjoy some Frank Ocean tracks like Novacane & Pyramids, but a full album of his style starts to feel a bit monotonous. The lyrics are strong, great singing vocals, the beats and instrumentals are excellent, but his calm, talky rapping style just doesn’t fully work for me. It absolutely deserves its place on the 1001 Albums list, but as a complete listen it’s not my thing. 7.5/10.
Great moments!
For a genre I don’t really take to, this is pretty good. I think I like it more because of the variation in styles throughout.
If 3.5 existed, I'd give it that; I don't see the point of pretty much all of the short tracks, there are some enjoyable Stevie Wonder-ish neo soul and pop pieces Super Rich Kids epitomises this albums best (fusing soul, hip hop, and bedroom pop) and worst moments (pity me I'm a millionaire's son lyricism).
3,5/5 I like the voice, I love the second song, especially the high pitched voice. Nice relax album.
Cool
New to me, sounded cool.
No songs added to repeat playlist, not my vibe tbh
I’ve been doing some music archiving the past week and was struck by how much the 2011-12 set still hit. Hard not to notice the presence of Frank Ocean and the rest of the Odd Future folks back then. I’m in the minority here, but he’s never topped Pyramids or Lost and Thinkin Bout You.
I was excited to draw this album as my forth 'album of the day'. I'd heard that Frank Ocean was something of a legend in the pop/RnB world but had never heard really any of his music. The opening track Thinkin About You is a great track, but a little underwhelming compared to what I've heard / remember of it. That is the only Frank Ocean song I can remember hearing prior to this, too. Sweet Life, Sierra Leone, and Super Rich Kids were also decent songs but probably not a lot of staying power with me. I thought Pyramids was really artful and cool, though not a repeater either. The one I really liked is Crack Rock. Felt like that song delivered a more complex and emotive feeling. Past that point on the album, things sort of started to blend together. I really did not understand Bad Religion, that sounded like audible confusion and filler. In general I felt that a lot of the album was filler, but maybe just isn't my cup of tea overall. I can say for sure that I'm not a huge fan of the RnB style of elongating random words in the 'RnB accent' which is all over this album. And really, Frank's voice on the high end sounds a little rough and put on. Doesn't quite harmonize the way I think a lot of this genre from the 80's and 90's does. 5.5/10 for me.
Talented artist, but not my style of music.
Quite enjoyed this
Used to hate this, has grown on me but some songs could definitely be cut near the end
3.5
I csn see why it's on here but not for me.
This came up, I thought oh wow, this is supposed to be great. I on the other hand think it was ok.
Ocean Stepping Forward As a whole, this album resembles a resume, rather than a meaningfully cohesive work of art; asking (sometimes desperately) for attention, needy as the narrator of Pyramids. Super Rich Kids By the time the listener lands on this, the 7th track, the catchiness of the refrain is like a drop of water in a disjointed, pathless desert. The lyrics, unfortunately, are too simplistic to be taken as real social commentary - except the rapped verse (Earl Sweatshirt) with its poetically dull-drum under-beat and word play. Ocean’s melodic choices and vocal performance are too sugary to lift the song out of a glorification of the “on the roof” adolescent hell-life presented here. Pyramids Impressively musically cohesive for its length, Pyramids opens beautifully and continually surprises, as the listener is led through a variety of settings, like musical chambers in the metaphoric tomb. Unfortunately, the lyrical metaphors, which the listener has high hopes for, disappoint entirely with surface-level symbolism and sad clique. The song concludes as just another lazy depiction of masculine insecurity and its counterparts - the predation upon and objectification of women. Attempting to deal with a serious, though provocative subject, the lyrical feet here are stuck in the mud of eroticism, diminishing any hope of literary irony. If the point is to disgust, the ending certainly does, but not enough to provide the kind of literary uncomfortableness that would keep this off of a frat boy’s Friday night play list. The narrator’s existence is pastorally depicted with hints at the irony of dichotomy. Even so, there is too much glorification here (again) for the song to be taken as serious social commentary. Lost The only song on the album that doesn’t fail from an over-flex. Allows itself to be as simple as it is. The only song that knows itself to be a bop. White Lovely one-minute interlude featuring the easy-on-the-ears guitar work of John Mayer - but what is it doing on this album? The listener might expect it to act as a scene change, but unfortunately, it does not. End By the time we get here, we’ve had to wade through a swamp of second-half lyrics that continue to lack courage, containing just enough creativity to fool the uninitiated into imagining more exists here than a rehashing of tired themes. Hopefully, Ocean’s lyrical work has matured since ORANGE to match his showcased musical cleverness and promising knack for collaboration.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's, you know, fine. It's not quite passive, ambient background music, but it's close. Frank Ocean is an artist I've heard a lot about, but never really sought out. I can see how this is a new direction for R&B, which I appreciate, however it's missing something. Soul? Simmering rage beneath the funk? This album feels very smooth, like there's not much being said. The only time I started to get really into a track - Pyramids - it turns out the thing is 10 damn minutes long and thus loses some steam. That said, I don't hate it. Just didn't register much. Sure do with I could rate half stars, because this is a straight 2.5 - but, it gets the benefit of rounding up.
Kovia nimiä on kyllä lätyllä ollut mutta odotin vähän selkeämpää kokonaisuutta. Albumilla oli hetkensä mutta paikoitellen myös vähän liia än taiteellista kamaa.
Je l'ai écouté lors d'un trajet d'auto Frelighs-Mtl. Il me semble que c'était quand même un peu mieux que les quelques autres fois que j'ai écouté du Frank Ocean. En raison de l'ambiance sonore de l'auto??
Not my jam
Really enjoyed this one.
Me pareció un buen álbum, pero con excepción de algunos tracks, me resultó un tanto genérico. Lleva un estilo relajado lo cual hace que su larga duración no se sienta pesada.
Wasn’t bad
Gotta admit, I have heard of Frank Ocean but had never (knowingly) listened to him- I definitely thought he was a punk guy 😂 I didn’t hate this album and I can respect it for being an interesting mix of genres but I can’t say I understand the revolutionary hype. It’s a good album, don’t get me wrong, but it t wasn’t enough to turn me into a fan. Songs I liked enough to add to Spotify: Lost
Soft rap. Not terrible. Good voice. But not something I would want to listen to again and again.
Creative - what else can I say? 3 stars.
Typical modern R'n'B. It was good
I really like the slightly jarring sound effects in the intro and at the start and end of Fertilizer for framing the lush musicality of the other tracks; wonderful musical palate cleansers. The mother's interlude is certainly more entertaining than on Blonde as well. My favourite track has to be Super Rich Kids. Great work from Earl Sweatshirt. The driving piano is so pretty and works so well as a platform for all the other sounds to sit upon. Pilot Jones and Pyramids don't really do it for me quite as much; or indeed the second half of the album as a whole.
I've always pretended to like this album more than I really do. It's good! But not that remarkable to me
Nice vocals, good production. Perfectly pleasant, just a bit bland.
Ok. Not my thing. The occasional clever turn of phrase made me say "oh, nice one" but in honesty by track 7 or 8 all I could think about was the music I'd rather be listening to.
Pretty good
Mu fácil de escuchar, aunque un poco aburrido. Lo curioso es que el álbum me recuerda al color azul
I get this was incredibly ahead of its time, and you can hear its influence on much of modern pop (The Wknd) but it only coalesces into an actual song from time to time. Is that an issue?
Amazing vibe but the songs didn't stick with me.
Some very smooth neo-soul/alt R&B vibes to make love to.
When this album first came out, I was in middle school. It was like nothing I usually listened to, but everyone was telling me I absolutely must give it a try. At that time it washed over me without leaving an impression. Listening again, I was definitely able to have a greater appreciation than before. Several tracks were real standouts and I especially enjoyed the addition of John Mayer. However, I still don't understand the heaps of praise showered on this album and I don't think Frank said or did anything profound here.
This was so hyped in 2012/2013 that even an exhausted, overwhelmed 30-something father of two toddlers torrented it off Limewire and spent a week trying to see what all the fuss was about. Listening to it again over a decade later, I feel the same way I did then. Frank Ocean is obviously talented. There are moments throughout this self-indulgent way-too-lightly-edited mess that really shine. But why listen to a loose unedited bunch of ideas that could have made a masterpiece of an album if someone had put in the work instead of a finished product? Frank Ocean should have come around in the age when gatekeepers would’ve made him compromise his artistic vision to give the people what they actually want. Berry Gordy or Clive Davis would have turned this from a collection of brilliant ideas to an album full of hits. Still, props to the guy for having it. If you can’t hear that he’s undeniably got the goods, I don’t know what to tell you.
Pretty good.
Liked it less than I thought I would, because it felt really disjointed and didn't really catch me until the last few songs. But, Frank sure can sing.
There's a consistent chill feel to the whole album. Great background music.
I like it. I really do. But he gets way more love than he should. Half of this album is amazing. Half of it is fine. The interludes are not necessary. I still like it a lot, but I just don’t love it. Even if I almost tried to cover “thinkin bout you” once for some dumb reason.
Channel Orange is kind of all over the place — R&B? Rap? Pop? I honestly don’t know what box to put it in, and maybe that’s the point. Genre confusion aside, it’s a solid album with a lot of ambition. Mad respect to Frank Ocean for pulling in big names like Andre 3000 and John Mayer — both features were definite highlights. There are a few standout tracks that really hit, but there are also some that felt a little too laid back or experimental for me to stay fully engaged.
Solid but not my top tier. "Sweet Life" and "Pyramids" are excellent songs, and the rest of the album ranges from decent to good.
Good but felt a bit bland after a while.
I enjoyed most of it, but not really my cup of tea. Seems to be very popular with critics.
I used to lay up at night waiting for them to free earl Fav song: Pyramids
liked songs: Sierra Leone, Sweet Life, Lost, Monks, Bad Religion I wasn't optimistic during Thinking About You, but the next few songs are very harmonically interesting. R&B definitely isn't my favorite genre, but this album held my interest for the most part. 3
I listened to this when it first came out. His lyrics are kind of cringe but it’s mostly decent
I get why people were obsessed with this album, it's pretty solid! I probably won't listen to it again though
I’m not a huge R&B fan, but once I got to the middle of the album I was liking the instrumentation, and it was less about needing to focus on the words in order to enjoy it. I probably need to listen again to give a more informed review.
Decent. Nothing I'd rush to go back to, but nothing dragged too much.
Some decent parts, some weaker parts. Probably need to listen to it more to offer an informed opinion.
This dude is not without talent, but many of the songs just seem to meander off into space with no real direction. The stream of consciousness lyrical style wears thin after awhile too. It's my first time listening to Ocean. It's decent enough I might be willing to check out more from in the future. But this particular album is a one and done for me. 2.5/5 Album 75/1001
Håpte eg skulle lika da bedre egentlig. Pyramids e feit
Ehhhhhhhh Highlights: Pyramids
Enjoyed the vocal layering, and experimental sound. Questionable lyrics a lot of the time- a lot sound like stories eg. Pyramids rather than personal experience or viewpoints but who knows, got a bit bored of all the sexual themes and misogyny. Overall interesting sounds, sometimes found the vocals a bit droning, sometimes loved them, same goes for the whole album. I think I’d prefer a song at a time listen from Frank Ocean rather than a whole album. Favourites: Thinking bout you, Pyramids, lost, Forrest Gump.
Great Album but he has better 3.8/5
This was good. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Interesting. I enjoyed most of it
Some decent songs almost 4
It was okay background music and mostly forgettable.
This rating makes me feel like such a ⬜. The intro pulled me in like we were old friends vibing in the basement. Then we just... never left the basement. His voice is pure sex, but Pyramids was the first time I noticed any changeup. Why see the world when you've got the beach? If I were high or rolling this be an easy 6. But sober? I stand by my rating
In a bit of a perplexed spot for this album. It sounds fairly good but was also just very dull, I found myself let it wander off from what I was focusing on quite a bit. Some of the really outspoken reviews for this would have you think Frank Ocean shot their dog, I can't see myself getting that worked up over this album one way or another. Chalk it up to me being a socially stunted weirdo but the strongest reaction I had to this whole thing was wondering why the fuck someone would play Street Fighter II on the PS1
Music for annoying hyperactive closeted gay guys. Frank Ocean benefits from being the best in class in what is a fundamentally dreadful genre that is contemporary R&B. A genre so far removed and bastardised from its original incarnation that it does an disservice to the original genre to given group them remotely together. Channel Orange is undoubtedly competently made. It creates a mood and atmosphere and a sense of world and narrative that is genuinely impressive. Thinking bout you, pyramids, Forrest Gump and Lost if you're feeling generous are great songs. But there's a lot of bloat. If this is your jam power to you, I'd love to hear why you enjoy contemporary R&B, genuinely. I just can't help but escape the feeling that this is the genre popularised by a society and a culture that would rather read the Wikipedia entry for a book then the book itself. Unironically good album tho, just hate the genre. 7/10
A comprehensive and varied album experience, excellent output from all involved on this collective effort. Very consistent theming and tone, maintains a strong bisexual energy throughout. This does feel like the work of an art collective with the creative lead and vision of Frank Ocean and the producer Malay. Having said all of this, I find myself unable to fully enjoy and interface with this album. The genre here is not quite in my wheelhouse, which usually has not been a problem for me during this project however, due to a number of personal reasons I will not get into in this review I find it very difficult to wholly enjoy this album especially the track Pyramids. Highlights - Thinkin Bout You, Sweet Life, Pink Matter
channel ORANGE had a hill to climb before my ears wrapped themselves around Ocean’s debut album. Truth be told, and whilst I have become more receptive to albums and genres that haven’t been my first choice (see: Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and Nas’s Illmatic receiving five [5] star reviews on my RYM), R&B in its entirety just isn’t my cup of tea. And whilst I had previously acquainted myself with Lost, the rest of the album remained a mystery. Unfortunately, that aforementioned hill was one simply too tall to climb for this to be anything greater than what the rating suggests. Whilst there are some golden moments on this track, like Lost, Thinkin Bout You and Bad Religion, the rest of the album feels like more of a miss, than a hit. Three interlude type beats within the first seven songs? No thank you. Whilst this isn’t the worst album I have ever listened to, far from it, it doesn’t stand out enough for me to come back to this. A good debut album, but that’s about it. Three stars.
I really tried to get into this one. Had a lot of good parts but nothing took hold as a whole. Always thought he was a rapper but this is more r and b. Maybe other records of his are better.
Not something I would normally listen to but it was good and had a lot of fun elements that reminded me of albums from when I was young.
Very good chill listen
More than anything, this reminds me of R. Kelly, where the performer is so taken with their own vocal and observational prowess that they wander freely - happily - through unmoored melodies, slanted rhymes, and narrow narrative details, leaving me - as a first time listener - completely lost. Similar RnB innovators - from Stevie Wonder, through Prince, via Andre 3000 - will orientate the listener with a definite chorus or a concrete musical idea, some handhold to bring you back to the song, no matter where their creativity takes them. Such things may exist in this album, for the tang of intention is everywhere, but only Frank Ocean knows where they are. Maybe its obvious to his fans or genre listeners, but, after a weekend of listening, I was no more grounded than at the beginning. I think this might be rewarding, if you put the time in, but I'm not made of weekends. Agreed - HD TV is too real. I watched A Comedy of Terrors on my step-father's new HD TV and it was obvious that a stunt double was wearing a Peter Lorre mask during the fight sequence with Vincent Price. Completely ruined it for me. 2.5 I confess to being old enough that my main reference for this sort of R‘n‘B (that is smooth, middle of the road vocalising about sex over airless beats and elevator-ready guitar and bass lines) is Craig David (Craig David). I am not aware whether Craig is still known, never mind popular or respected, among a younger generation but I am aware that Frank Ocean is certainly all of those things. Recently Timothy Chalomet, comparing Frank Ocean to Bob Dylan said that Ocean is ‘The Thinker…guiding us culturally…from up here [tapping his head]’. No one, not even an idiot, ever said anything like this about poor Craig. Truthfully, Craig didn’t even say his own name that much during his songs yet that feature is mainly what he will be remembered for. Well not that much during his hits anyway; to be fair I haven’t yet investigated Craig’s albums but presumably ‘Born to Do It’ will generate at some stage in this project. So why doesn’t Frank Ocean say his own name during his songs? Because Bob Dylan didn’t? The worst part of the album might be when Andre 3000 turns up on Pink Matter and does a ‘clever’ play on Frank‘s name. If Frank Ocean had said ‘Frank Ocean’ a couple of times earlier in the song Andre 3000 might have felt his reference was redundant and left it out. Is Frank Ocean too clever to say his own name? Too much the Deconstructionist? Too much of a cultural leader? On the whole, going by this 13 year old album I’ve never heard any of before this weekend I’d say Frank Ocean is essentially a lobotomised Stevie Wonder. A fair chunk of Channel Orange is four-bar loops of keyboard stabs with Wonderish vocal sophistications on either a base melody that is too mundane to be worth the trouble (Sierra Leone, Sweet Life) or on nothing at all (Pilot Jones, Monks). Instrumental hooks to compare with Stevie Wonder? There aren’t hooks to compare with anyone. Of the albums we have done so far it puts me most in mind of Lost in the Dream; plenty of vibing but very little in the way of original musical ideas. That said, The Thinker does manage to think his way out of not being as asinine as The War on Drugs. Thinkin Bout You, Super Rich Kids, the first half of Pyramids, Lost, and Bad Religion are the backbone of this record. They are all conventional songs; even phrasing over four-bar loops, a couple of verses, three choruses and a bridge. And they aren’t bad. The lyrics, as everywhere else on this album, are lacking. Here are rambling thoughts that frequently, to their credit, rise above the album’s core themes of materialist ennui and ‘titties’, however, there isn’t an ounce of poetry on this album. Frank Ocean, presumably knowing he has at least enough Stevie Wonder in him to shoehorn any old pile of disparate rhythms into a smooth vocal line, fires them out seemingly without a second draft: ‘The jewel of Africa, jewel/ What good is a jewel that ain't still precious?/ How could you run off on me? How could you run off on us?/ You feel like God inside that gold/ I found you laying down with Samson and his full head of hair’ (Pyramids) That sounds like shit to me and I am not singling that out because almost any few lines from this album would have done. The songs still work though I think. There is enough drama and enough striking music in those few tracks to carry a listener through this album’s general aimlessness and indulgence. 2.5/5
Long, slow, and pleasant sounding. I don't really like modern r&b but I liked his voice and his beats. This was a good album for a Sunday morning.
Been meaning to listen to this for a long time. Really loved some tracks ("Monks" especially stood out), but others kind of blended together. I'd like to spend more time with it to better absorb the lyrics.
Nah
This album is schizophrenic. So many different genres blending together. It's not necessarily bad, but I didn't really care for it.
A little samey but overall I liked it. Suspect it could be worth more listens.
3,5
It's not a bad album. The sound is good and Ocean is clearly talented. Some of the songs are inventive, the 10 minute plus is guitar driven for example; others stick to what you might expect from a modern RNB record. It's not for me and I am not qualified to comment on how it sits with contemporary soul. It has been held up as a worthy successor to Stevie Wonder and Prince - it's not that. I listened to it some years ago and yet nothing was familiar.
This was fine and pretty chill, but there were so many skits/interludes. Some songs were a bit boring (Pilot Jones, White). I think I prefer Blonde.
Interesting sounds
A smooth and oddly soothing straight up R&B album compared to some of the more contemporary R&B Frank would move to with his later two albums. The album showcases a huge amount of vocal talent and an eye for writing catchy hooks and meaningful but tongue in cheek lyrics. The lyrical content of this album doesn’t really drift too far from most of the similar music coming out at the time and can sometimes sounds a bit cliché but still managed to stay interesting and often moving. Features are rare but very high quality with a solid verse from the usually elusive Andre 3000, a feat Frank would go on to repeat in 2016, and a really solid link up with fellow Odd Future graduate Earl Sweatshirt taking the spotlight in both their respective tracks. That being said the album drags on a bit and some of the tracks could be cut to make the quality of the rest of the songs stand out. Standout tracks are Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone, Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock, Pyramids and Lost. Overall an enjoyable project that hints nicely at the quality of his later music, 3.5/5
I thought this was supposed to be some almighty album wth
I love a lot of Franks stuff and his peak is amazing but this is genuinely one of the most overrated & over praised albums out there.
Frank Ocean's neo-soul is refreshing and features a who's who of producers and special guests including Pharrell Williams, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, the Creator, André 3000, and John Mayer. Ultimately Channel Orange deserves the praise it deserves, but I can't find myself coming back to it often.
Interesting
Im not too familiar with Frank Ocean. Found myself enjoying this album- some of the songs are definite bops. Overall- 3 5/5
Some groovy beats going on here. Not really my type of music and no particular standout track, but I appreciated hearing it and would be happy with more Frank Ocean in the future. I see on Spotify that he's very popular, more than I thought.
It's pretty good. Sometimes his voice is great and sometimes I feel like he's phoning it in, which i guess probably hit hard if you heard this when you were 15. I respect that he went from samples to original beats - the whole thing is tightly focused while exploring a wide variety of sounds in that focus, but this is something I want on in the background - when I listen close I feel like I can either be rewarded or the cracks show up, so a mixed bag.
Not my cup of tea but good, eclectic mix. I liked one or two.
Love his voice, smooth and silky. The album was okay, nothing outstanding.