With its sparse, delicate instrumentation and barebones vocals, “Bad Religion” feels like a Polaroid photograph in an age of flash and post-processing. The album’s climax is the raw, emotionally charged “Bad Religion”. Even Odd Future leader Tyler, the Creator, known for his use of shock and gruesome imagery, drops by to write a verse on “Golden Girl” that strays dangerously close to tender. Ocean even reigns in his three featured artists’ very distinctive artistic personas to complement his thematic direction: André 3000 lays down an uncharacteristically reserved and somber verse on “Pink Matter”, and Earl Sweatshirt uses his trademark drone to play the role of the dissatisfied youth in “Super Rich Kids”. Over the course of the record, Ocean scatters interludes filled with the sound of rain and analog hiss between the other decidedly hi-fi songs, giving the album a lo-fi charm and intimacy that beautifully complement Ocean’s lyrical honesty. The beauty of “channel ORANGE” goes far beyond individual songwriting, as Ocean crafts a cohesive, meaningful album, with each song building on the sound and themes of the preceding tracks. Most pop music isn’t built to hold the listener’s attention for ten minutes straight, but Ocean’s melodic turns, mood shifts and flurry of synth lines make “Pyramids” an R&B epic. “Pyramids”, the second single, is a tremendous display of songwriting: Ocean takes the listener on a harrowing journey from ancient Egypt to a strip club to his bedroom.

Ocean’s upbeat R&B compositions are the most immediately memorable songs on “Channel ORANGE.” “Lost” and “Sweet Life” will rightly earn Ocean comparisons to greats like Stevie Wonder and Prince due to their otherworldly vocals and dreamy ’80s keyboards. Through beautiful vocals, imaginative songwriting, lush arrangements, and poignant lyrical themes, Ocean’s debut astounds and probes deeply into his troubled identity. However, this recent revelation about Ocean’s sexuality should not eclipse another revelation: Ocean’s debut album “channel ORANGE”. The news about Ocean’s sexuality was endlessly discussed among critics and fans alike.

Recently, singer Frank Ocean published an open letter on his tumblr in which he describes how he fell in love with a man as a teenager.

Channel orange review track by track