Henry Nickerson | Co-Editor-in-Chief
Hip-hop and R&B artist Anderson .Paak is back with soulful, genre-bending bangers on his third studio album, Oxnard.
Releasing an album after signing to a major record label for the first time is often a defining moment for emerging artists. Some acts find the sonic accessibility and pressure to deliver overwhelming, while some take the opportunity to create more focused, refined projects; Anderson .Paak did the latter with this latest record, Oxnard. Taking inspiration from G-funk of the early 90s and classic soul, Anderson .Paak crafts a rambunctiously groovy album. Although Oxnard does not meet its full potential, .Paak’s first project under Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label is a success in many regards and shows potential for great things to come.
Oxnard kicks off with “The Chase”, an atmospheric track that sounds straight out of a 70’s cop show. There is nothing about this opener that is particularly catchy or gripping, which gives an unfortunate impression of an otherwise funky track list. However, .Paak regains his groove on the next track, “Headlow”; the funk-pop instrumental backs Anderson’s cheeky lyrics about a… erh… indiscreet situation. The following track is .Paak’s collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, and the sole single promoting the album, “Tints”. I wrote about how much I enjoyed this track in a prior single review.
Anderson continues to up the ante with “Who R U?” and “6 Summers”, two bangers with face-melting drops that’ll make you “Yes Lawd!” through the rest of their duration. “6 Summers” takes a snapshot of Trump’s hypothetical, wild love child,
“Trump’s got a love child and I hope that b**** is buckwild
I hope she sip Mezcal, I hope she kiss señoritas and black gals”.
The track list slows down a bit after the hat trick of bops. Dr. Dre’s feature and production on “Mansa Musa” do little to further the excitement or flow of the album, with the track’s instrumental sounding like a less focused continuation of “Who R U?”. I continue to not understand the appeal of Pusha T with his feature on “My Brother’s Keeper”, a jambalaya of trap banger and soul instrumental that just doesn’t find chemistry.
Anderson returns hard from the lull with a mean g-funk groove featuring Snoop Dogg and The Last Artful, Dogr, “Anywhere”. “Anywhere” features a fantastic, driving baseline that carries the entire instrumental. Snoop Dogg comes through with a vintage verse, and .Paak’s impressive vocals round out the song. “Trippy” brings the listener to the tail end of the project with a jazz/soul instrumental reminiscent of Chicago jazz-rap. J. Cole’s verse is energized and groovy, saving the song from an otherwise drab beginning. The next tracks, “Cheers” and “Sweet Chick” are both soulful and vibrant. These tracks (with the exception of “Tints”) are the most similar to .Paak’s previous records Venice and Malibu. Respective features from Q-Tip and BJ the Chicago Kid compliment .Paak wonderfully. Q-Tip delivers a verse in which he reflects on the success and come up of both Anderson .Paak and himself on “Cheers”; BJ bangs out a solid verse and chorus for the “Mamba No. 5” -esque ride that is “Sweet Chick”.
Unfortunately, Anderson finishes his project the way he began; with an underwhelming genre splice. .Paak takes on a Jamaican accent (ugh) in the final track “Left to Right”, another energized workout beat with little focus or direction. Although “Left to Right” is by no means a bad song; however, .Paak’s faux Jamaican accent and the one-dimensional beat makes for a fairly forgettable closer.
Although many tracks on Oxnard lacked structure and focus, the project overall is a vast improvement for .Paak. He is really starting to solidify his sound and aesthetic with a more sonically focused project, as opposed to the fickle genre-hopping of Venice and Malibu. Anderson .Paak is certainly a name you will hear a lot more in the years to come. With the backing of Aftermath Records and Dr. Dre’s personal mentorship, .Paak is sure to release more soulful and exciting projects. In fact, a cult following for .Paak is already starting to take shape, and I am very much here for it.
Rating: 4/5
Key Tracks: “Anywhere feat. Snoop Dogg & The Last Artful, Dodgr” “Tints feat Kendrick Lamar” & “6 Summers”
If you liked Oxnard, you might enjoy: Malibu (Anderson .Paak), Lady Lady (Masego), Telefone (Noname), & Coming Home (Leon Bridges)
