Among other publications, Time named it the best album of 2016. It earned first week sales of 275,000 with album-equivalent units in the US, with 232,000 being pure sales, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Supported by its lead single " Nikes", the album debuted at number one in several countries, including the United States. Critics also complimented the album for challenging the conventions of R&B and pop music. The album's themes surrounds Ocean dealing with his masculinity and emotions, inspired by sexual experiences, heartbreak, loss and trauma.īlonde received widespread acclaim, with critics praising Ocean's introspective lyrics and the album's unconventional and progressive sounds. The Beach Boys' de facto leader Brian Wilson is recognized as a strong influence on the album's lush arrangements and layered vocal harmonies, while the guitar and keyboard rhythms on the album are considered as languid and minimal. Ocean also notably makes use of pitch shifted vocals. Its physical release was accompanied by a magazine entitled Boys Don't Cry.īlonde features an abstract and experimental sound in comparison to Ocean's previous releases, encompassing styles such as R&B, pop, soul, indie rock, electronica, psychedelia, and hip hop. Beginning in 2013 and ending in 2016, recording for the album took place at New York's Electric Lady Studios and, after a period of writer's block, in London at Abbey Road Studios and in Los Angeles' Henson Recording Studios. Initially known as Boys Don't Cry and teased for a July 2015 release, the album suffered several delays and was the subject of widespread media anticipation leading up to its release. In 2013, Ocean confirmed that his follow up to Channel Orange would be another concept album. Production was handled by Ocean himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including Malay and Om'Mas Keith, who collaborated with Ocean on Channel Orange, as well as James Blake, Jon Brion, Buddy Ross, Pharrell Williams, and Rostam Batmanglij, among others. The album features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé, and Kim Burrell, among others. It was released on August 20, 2016, as a timed exclusive on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and followed the August 19 release of Ocean's video album Endless.
For now, you can head over to Apple Music to get a full listen of Endless while waiting to see what entertainment’s most evasive young musician has in store next.Blonde (alternatively titled blond) is the second studio album by American singer Frank Ocean. The new album was previously titled Boys Don’t Cry, but Rolling Stone reports that Ocean has apparently decided to scrap that title for a new one that has yet to be revealed. WANT MORE FROM ESSENCE? Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity newsĪlthough Endless is indeed a full project, another formal album is reportedly still on the horizon and set to release on Apple Music this weekend, according to Rolling Stone. Here’s What Frank Ocean’s Producer Had to Say About ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ Album DelayĪn eclectic mix of music that includes a cover of Aaliyah’s “At Your Best” and subtle contributions from a small but diverse group of musicians including powerhouse songstress Jazmine Sullivan, Frank Ocean’s Endless takes listeners on the ride they’ve been waiting to experience once again since the release of his critically acclaimed debut album Channel Orange back in 2012. Taking to his website late Thursday evening, Ocean streamed an entire visual album titled Endless as fans watched him build a staircase while the tracks played loudly in the background.
The mysterious R&B crooner has spent much of the last two years promising music lovers new tunes that instead resulted in botched release dates and cryptic followup statements about why things didn’t go as planned, but it seems those days are now long gone. After what seems like an eternity, Frank Ocean is finally giving fans the new music they’ve been waiting for.