I only finished my first listen through on this but the production is incredibly tight, smooth, and not overbearing and he’s exploring a lot of interesting themes lyrically. CO is where he tries to create his own vibe with his production selection, he seems to be more adventurous/outgoing with his lyrical content on a few songs on this album, like his coming-of-age. I think nostalgia was just showcasing his talent and songwriting. What was good on that mixtape was really good but there was no way I could have listened to that mixtape and had enough original material to be able to reach a fair assessment of his potential.
Swim Good and Novacaine are really the only standout songs on there and practically everything else was just him singing over a well known instrumental. I’ve often found myself confused as to how Nostalgia, Ultra became so highly regarded. Thinking of You, Lost, and Forrest Gump are the only notable tracks in my opinion. 2/3 of the album sounds like an extended interlude. Nostalgia, Ultra was pretty near AOTY for me this is just an unfocused mess. But really, who cares about that? This album is the thing which matters and it hit the internet yesterday night during Jimmy Fallon. The guy has been surrounded with a lot of controversy since his blog post, talking about his sexuality. The debut album from Frank Ocean has leaked as a Mediafire, Rapidgator and Sharebeast download.
