Dumb Blonde

I’m not sure why so many otherwise reasonable people are praising Frank Ocean’s Blonde.  Aside from three or four decent tracks, it’s a calamitous effort.  As you can see in the column to the right, I loved Ocean’s 2012 album Channel Orange.  Yet I’m disappointed rather than despondent.  With good-to-great new neo-soul/hip-hop albums by BJ the Chicago Kid, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Maxwell, Anderson Paak, Rihanna, Kanye West and Adrian Younge to keep me company, I’m not compelled to pretend that Blonde is good.


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I reviewed a concert by Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon and Tesla.

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I featured Soul Revival’s “If You Ask Me Again (I Do)” on KCUR last week.

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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I take note of Mike Metheny’s new literary endeavor at Plastic Sax.

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Tomorrow's Dixie Chicks concert at the Sprint Center is my big show of the week.

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Juan Gabriel has died.  His concert at the Sprint Center last November was a delight.  I snapped a good photo at the show.

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Rudy Van Gelder has died.

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Gilli Smyth of Gong has died.  (Tip via BGO.)

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Derrick Hodge’s Second is RIYL: Jaco Pastorius, 21st century swing, Robert Glasper.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)