Anderson .Paak is known for his soulful R&B sound with a dash of hip hop. Last year, .Paak released Oxnard, a hard left turn into the depths of hip-hop and rap. The album sold well, but received a lot of criticism from his fans who were used to the groovy R&B sound featured on his debut Malibu.
Less than a year after .Paak’s experimental dive in Oxnard, he has released Ventura, an epic return to the soulful sounds that got him discovered in the first place. The album is not only a great return back to his initial sound, but it is also beautifully produced, with gorgeous instrumentation and vocals.
Proceeding Ventura’s April 12 release, .Paak released two singles. “King James” was written as a salute to LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick and all modern leaders that are using their platforms to shed light on social issues that are important or sometimes overlooked. .Paak’s other single, “Make It Better,” is a love song and collaboration with Motown legend Smokey Robinson.
.Paak’s vocals are stylistically diverse and truly unmatched by fellow R&B contemporaries. With a soothing style of rapping and a slight raspy, breathy quality to his tone, .Paak captivates listeners through his voice. What truly sets .Paak’s vocals apart from other artists are the words he’s singing and rapping. Anyone can have a good voice, but having something to say with your talent is a true mark of great artistry, and .Paak’s songs each have a certain lovable complexity.
In addition to .Paak’s own vocals, the vivacious harmonies throughout the album bring a bit of flavor to each song. Another pleasant surprise that doesn’t consume the sounds of the songs is the occasional rapping from featured artists like Outkast’s André 3000 and even .Paak himself.
The intricate instrumentation mixed with the vocals from .Paak and his backup singers truly makes this album great. In addition to the two singles released before Ventura, some of the best songs off the album are “Chosen One (feat. Sonyae Elise),” “Come Home (feat. André 3000)” and “Jet Black (feat. Brandy).”
Sometimes when artists stick to their usual sound, it can come off as playing it safe or a little too boring for audiences. However, .Paak’s glorious return to a more traditional R&B sound proved to work well for him and created an album with a magical quality. The instrumentation, vocals and meaningful songs make Ventura a handmade gift .Paak graced his audiences with.
