Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Frank Ocean channels psychedelia in ‘Blonde’
It’s been four years since singer and rapper Frank Ocean put out his first studio album, the seminal “Channel Orange.” Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up. First it was supposed to come out in July of 2015, then it was July of 2016.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readIt’s been four years since singer and rapper Frank Ocean put out his first studio album, the seminal “Channel Orange.” Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up. First it was supposed to come out in July of 2015, then it was July of 2016. There were all kinds of rumors that Ocean would be a one-hit wonder and that the album was never going to be released. But when the dam finally burst, Ocean released two albums. First, “Endless,” his final album under his contract with Universal Music Group, was a “visual album” – essentially a forty minute music video. Then, two days later, Ocean released “Blonde” on his own new label, Boys Don’t Cry. Does “Blonde” live up to the hype?
