"Don't Put This Channel On Mute!" -Frank Ocean's Channel Orange Review

With all the controversy surrounding his sexuality Frank Ocean finally revels the thing that's most dear to him...his artwork! He may NEVER gets the public's full acceptance now that he's prematurely outed himself due to a "him" mentioned in a lyric. But he's probably want you to accept his music. Dude is TALENTED! Frank takes Musiq's vocal styling, Prince's detailed story telling, Stevie's vision, but his own makes them all HIS own! He'll never be remembered as the great vocalist of our time, but he's a BEAST with his lyrics! I wished...I'm sorry PRAY that more artist take is lead and create something outside of "stripper slow jams." The album sorta reminds me of when I first heard Andre' 3000's (do does a guest spot on the album) Love Below release, but not as funky. Channel plays out like a sonic journal/diary that you happen to come across and read. OR a laid back part two to his  Nostalgia, Ultra joint.  I.E. it'll be a while maybe on a road trip /airplane cross country listen that you get the canvas Ocean is painting. You may have to stand further back to see the bigger picture. Allow me to breakdown what you're expected to hear. [SPOILER ALERT]

1.START -no lyrically album intro of him starting up a Playstation3 as his iPhone message alert goes off in the background. I can't make out what game he was playing though...SORRY!

2.THINKING OF YOU -Now COME ON! I know you've heard this one before right? Any respectable Frank Ocean fans should have this on there iPod by now! Even Bieber covered this song! You DO know who THAT is right? DOPE song by the way, Youtube heavy!

3.FERTILIZER -10 seconds of channel surfing then a happy go 70's style song kicks in about using the sh** life hands you as well...fertilizer. Hey, it's only 40 sec. long, so bear it.

4.SIERRA LEONE -Young teenage parents dealing with a new born basically. Short as well.

5.SWEET LIFE -Again I know you've heard this one...like LAST week even! Awesome Stevie Wonder vibe on this one with the assistance of Pharrell on production. Not sure if this is a "second single" (Pyramids being the 1st), but I f**ks with it.

6.NOT JUST MONEY -Eavesdropped convo from a "mom" sounding female about finding happiness in things other than money. A perfect set up for...

7.SUPER RICH KIDS -The "white people with money problems" anthem.  I can see the Kardashians bumping this HARD!

8.PILOT JONES -The get high cut of the bunch (get it "pilot" ) more interlude than full song. It ends with a plane landing right into...

9.CRACK ROCK -Yep another druggie song, but a precautionary one! DOPE! No pun intended (well maybe) This is like a modern Sly & the Family Stone joint to me. It's the drum track probably, but I'm not mad at it at all.

10.PYRAMIDS -One of my favs off the album so far! Kinda sounds like a Watch The Throne leftover (which ISN'T a bad thing). It's LONG but great from start to finish. Been singing this one in my head since it came out (...like him LOL!) Part two of the song is dope how the flips how women went from queens living IN pyramids to strippers WORKING in a club called the Pyramid! GENIUS!

11.LOST -Ocean's attention to detail on this would outshine any of your favorite rapper out right now! Not a stand out track to me (maybe on a second or third listen) but again...his lyrics are it!

12.WHITE -Straight instrumental Ocean track, with John Mayer's guitar styling on top of it basically, Nothing to see...here move along. Though I did find it funny that he would put a guy who openly said quote "My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick." unquote, on a song titled "WHITE" LOL. Ironic huh?

13.MONKS -A Frank Ocean version of a Janelle Monae' song I feel coming from this. Again not a banger banger but I'm not hating on it. I'd rather listen to...

14.BAD RELIGION -His "Purple Rain" of the album. Listen for the "I could never make HIM love me" line that started all the gay whispers.  It's really short, but it's there to serve the exact purpose that it did. BTW I wonder if the "If I'm on my knees, it's s bad religion" was a gayer line then the "him" reference. I'm just sayin'

15.PINK MATTER -DOPE quiet track with a DOPE verse from "Mr. 3 Stacks" himself! On here he questions his sexual choices "...pink used to be my favorite color, now its just grey matter" queer but awesome lyrical line.  I even dig the duet crooning that he and Dre' do towards the end...brilliant!

16.FORREST GUMP - the last to his bi-sexual clue dropping comes with his most blunt lyric of them all. "Boy you forever running through my mind" If that isn't an all out declaration then you my friend have a closeted mind. I dig the sound bites of "Run Forrest, run!" thrown in in the background...nice touch!

17.END -Just a car radio version of "VOODOO" (one of) my favorite Frank Ocean tracks. which i wish was longer (hmmmph).  Ending with a hazy conversation and a "it is what it is" break up.

So ummm yeah that's it folks. That pretty much sums things up over here. I think the album is his "emo" release like 'Ye had with 808 Heartbreak and now that "it's" off his chest, it's be back to biz as usual. He's already proven himself twice over with his short body of work that's out there in the world. But like every TRUE artist the music message matters first before the sale that HOPE to get. S**t the controversy may even help him sell MORE!

"Welcome To (My Beautiful Dark Twisted) Fantasy Island!" -Kanye "Beautiful" Review

Yeah even though it was floating around on the internet for some weeks now. I thought I would at least play fair to others by waiting till it was being "officially" released (Tues. Nov. 22nd to be exact). "It" being Kanye's fifth studio album aptly titled "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" Which all of those things at once. Dark, twisted, but all and all beautiful! Why? Well for one lyrically 'YE stepped his rap game up to the tenth "POWER" (yes, pun intended) which finally matches his production quality. Thumbs up & funny face Kanye style. However you'll still hear some of the bitterness towards women left over from the "808 & Heartbreak" album, but at least here he's being a bit more artistic about it. and rapping again, abandoning the short lived auto-tune fad (Thank you Jay-Z). Ok we all know that he DOES have help in the writing dept. (sans Pusha T, Consequence, etc.) yet he rhythms with such conviction that you'll almost believe he pull out and iPad and wrote it all himself. Man whateva! He's fighting for his spot to be placed among the greats and THIS one may just put him right there. I'm feeling this one top to bottom, like how I felt about "Late Registration" release. NO fast forwarding allowed. Let me break down the album track for track on what I feel will be his what...third classic album I think? Ready?

"POWER"-Straight workout! It's the Hip Hop version of the Rocky theme if there ever was on. The choir background, the handclaps, the guitar riffs, and the character self-referencing sample of "21st century schizoid man"...POWER-ful!

"Monster" (Feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, & Nicki Minaj)- Heard this one a while ago, and still feel it when DJs throw it on. Let's be honest, it's REALLY Nicki Minaj's record and Kanye, Ross & Jay are the guest star but this one's a BEAST!

"So Appalled" (Feat. Jay-Z, Swizz Beats, Pusha T, Rza, & Prynce Cy Hi) - Another one I heard way back in it's really raw form and loved it! The Rza part...eh? I could have done without, but one bad apple does not spoil the bunch. And Pusha T's verse was a bit "cut & pasty" with the drug talk but hey, that's YA MAN!

"Devil In A New Dress" (Feat. Rick Ross) -By far one of my favorite track off the album & Kanye records for me personally! The haunting Smokey Robinson sample, the piano break, the edgy guitar over dubs give me an "eargasm" EVERY time I play this one. This track reminds me of vintage 'Ye stuff, when he was re-popularizing old soul samples. I think that's...wait...I KNOW that's why I'm loving this one so much! I'd download...ummm, I meant I'd purchase the whole CD just for this one song. Even if I thought the whole album was wack! The song is GREAT as a stand alone song by itself, even though Ricky's verse is HOT, it still sounds to me like the record was completed already, and that was JUST added on last min to "remix" it for consumers to entice them to still cope the "newer" version.

"All of the Lights" (interlude) & "All Of The Lights" (Feat. Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Fergie, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Elton John, Charlie Wilson, Kid Cudi, Tony Williams, & Elly Jackson)
Yet another fist pumper following "POWER" this too has that same empowering sound to it, I like to call it "stadium music". I first heard this one being featured in the long form video he released for "Runaway" and instantly know this record would be HUGE! Then when I finally gt the chance to really sit down and closely examine the track I was like "Hold up, the lyrics have NOTHING to do with the hook!?!" Peep how he talking about domestic abuse on this and then listen to the chorus. the two don't even coincide with one another. Even the line about MJ has nothing to do with the rest of the SAME verse either! I'm not hating on it I'm just bringing it to your attention, cause I know your a smart consumer like me. That's all.

"Runaway" (Feat. Pusha T) -To be honest, this one I didn't dig at first. I mean it was cool and all but it's sounds like a 808 track he never completed till he revisited the track for this new album. It's not your usual club banger, but TRY NOT singing along when this comes on in the club. You're probaby the one without the drink in your hand to toast too. LOL! BTW, I like the extended version way better!

"Hell Of A Life" -I call this one "Rockstar Rap". Very dark, but upbeat at the same time. On this track he's reflection of love coming via a pornstar and what all that would entail. Ya know the ol' "hoe into a housewife" story. Interesting but DEFINITELY an album cut NEVER a single. Just due to the subject matter. It's room temperature but not that Project apartment HEAT!

"Blame Game" (Feat. John Legend & Chris Rock) -Probably the saddest and in another turn funnest rap record I've ever heard. Strange right? This one is about verbal abuse this time, which is ANOTHER leftover 808 theme. The lyrics hit home for althose that's been in a Rocky (as in the fighter & shaky) relationship, that's the sad half. Then the over heard phone convo featuring Rock is where the humor comes in at. Dope dope dope song! Grammy worthy even.

"Gorgeous" (Feat. Kid Cudi) - the hook goes;

"Ain’t no question if I want it, I need it
I can feel it slowly drifting away from me
I’m on the edge, so why you playing? I’m saying
I will never ever let you live this down, down, down

Not for nothing I’ve foreseen it, I dream it
I can feel it slowly dripping away from me
No more chances if you blow this, you bogus
I will never ever let you live this down, down, down"

Which is like something Kanye would say to himself in the mirror every morning (after "Wake up Mr. West" of course). I think he spits his hottest lyric yet on this on by far to me. I can see this being release as a late single after alll the hype of the stronger tracks have died down.

"Dark Fantasy" (Feat. Nicki Minaj intro) -Now THIS the track Rza did NOT the "So Appalled" track he's featured on, like everyone thought he produced. And you can sorta tell for that Wu-Tang style bounce sound that it has. But truth be told the highlight of the song is the catchy hook (that I can't seem to get outta my head) which asks the eternally burning question "Can we get much higher?" S#*t I hope so! This s*@t here is CRACK!

"Lost In The World /Who Will Suvive In America?" (Feat. Bon Iver & Gil Scott-Heron) GREAT way to finis off the album. It seems like a song that you play when the credits of a movie are rolling. LOVE the intro into the cut. Niice ending to a CLASSIC (Yes I'm claiming it is) album.

Here's all FIVE album covers to collect if you're into that sorta thing.

Here a link to listen to a soon to be released mixtape I added for good measure too. LISTEN