Music review: Frank Ocean’s ‘Blond’ worth the wait

After a four-year hiatus, Frank Ocean has returned with an ambitious album that challenges his listeners.

'Blond” is a more abstract and diverse record than 'Channel Orange,” drawing influences ranging from James Blake to The Beach Boys.

The first track, 'Nikes,” is one of the more experimental cuts on the project. Ocean's vocals are pitched up and even sound out-of-tune at times. However, the instrumental produced by Om'Mas Keith complements the chorus perfectly and helps save the track.

'Ivy” is what really pulled me into the album. On 'Ivy”, Ocean reminisces about his youth and past relationship over a gorgeous, stripped back instrumental featuring a detuned guitar (similar to that of a Mac DeMarco track). 'Pink + White” has the most potential to become a big radio record. It's an easy listen with smooth, catchy production from Pharrell and uncredited background vocals from Beyonce.

'Solo” definitely is a standout on the album. Ocean sings about how he is at a low state, emotionally, and reflects on his loneliness. The instrumental, produced by Malay, features endearing organs and unique whistle samples that make the track all the more interesting. 'Self Control” has Ocean searching for someone who's not there. Although it sounds corny, Ocean's excellent songwriting carries the track over a beautiful classical guitar instrumental.

'White Ferrari” has some of the most varied sonics on the album. On this song, Ocean speaks about the permanence of his relationships on top of synth-heavy production from/featuring James Blake. 'Seigfried” features some exceptional ambient production, littered with intermittent guitar riffs and bass lines. Ocean's vocals make reference to Norse mythology as he reflects on a past relationship. The penultimate track - 'Godspeed” - is just incredible. Though it's instrumentally simple, Ocean's beautiful vocals describe what he has claimed to be a re-imagining of his boyhood/

'Futura Free” was a little disappointing to me. On this song, Ocean delivers heavily autotuned verses of conscious rap as he reflects on his accomplishments. As a closer, I found it to be slightly underwhelming and bland.

Overall, 'Blond” is the rare album that's truly worth the wait. It's an eclectic mix of pop, experimental and acoustic sounds that blend perfectly with Ocean's vocals and songwriting.