Frank Ocean: Channel Orange (2012): CD". HMV. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012 . Retrieved July 19, 2012. a b Eisinger, Dale; Cheng, Susan (November 8, 2013). "The 50 Best Pop Album Covers of the Past Five Years". Complex. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020 . Retrieved February 4, 2020. New Zealand album certifications – Frank Ocean – Channel Orange". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved May 12, 2023.

Graham, Adam (August 1, 2012). "Frank Ocean concert at Saint Andrew's canceled". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012 . Retrieved August 1, 2012. Dombal, Ryan (January 31, 2014). "What the Hell Is Synesthesia and Why Does Every Musician Seem to Have It?". Pitchfork. Album Top-100 2015" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016 . Retrieved August 18, 2018.

Release

Dowling, Marianne (July 18, 2012). "Zac Brown, Ocean make waves". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013 . Retrieved July 18, 2012.

a b Dietz, Jason (December 21, 2012). "The Best Albums of 2012". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012 . Retrieved December 22, 2012. Ocean titled the album in reference to his experience with grapheme–color synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. [70] He discussed the phenomenon with Pharrell Williams, who had also experienced it and similarly referenced it for the title of his side project N.E.R.D.'s 2008 album Seeing Sounds. [70] The title also alludes to the first time that Ocean fell in love, as it was summer and he perceived everything to be orange. Ocean's mother called it "a perfect summertime album" after attending a listening session. [70]Greenwald, David; Caulfield, Keith (July 9, 2012). "Frank Ocean's 'Channel Orange' Heading for iTunes Early Release". Billboard. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012 . Retrieved July 19, 2012.

Some reviewers were more qualified in their praise. In Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen preferred the album's more structured songs and argued that Ocean sometimes seems to be "less a songwriter than a purveyor of formless grooves". [38] Priya Elan of NME said the "inventive and spirited" album's music occasionally sounds overindulgent. [56] Writing for MSN Music, Robert Christgau believed Ocean's musical compositions are more consistent here than on Nostalgia, Ultra but questioned the singer's topical fascinations with the "haut-monde demimonde", finding the lyrics less relatable and interesting. [42] Accolades [ edit ] Berry, David (July 17, 2012). "Extra credit: Frank Ocean's Channel Orange". National Post. Toronto. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013 . Retrieved July 29, 2012. Sexton, Paul (July 16, 2012). "Florence + the Machine Tops U.K. Chart, Frank Ocean Debuts Big". Billboard. London. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012 . Retrieved July 16, 2012. Less melodic and hook-oriented than Nostalgia, Ultra, [35] Channel Orange features subtle melodies and articulation, [40] spatial arrangements, [41] and mid-tempo drum beats, [27] although the more ruminative songs feature slower tempos. [4] Robert Christgau asserted that, without its predecessor's reliance on samples, "Ocean resists making a show of himself—resists the dope hook, the smart tempo, the transcendent falsetto itself." [42] Ocean, a baritone, [43] sings with casually expressive vocals, [4] free-form flow, [44] conversational crooning, [45] and alternating falsetto and tenor registers. [6]

Townsend (May 11, 2013). "FRANK OCEAN, ANY DAY NOW, KEVIN KELLER AMONG GLAAD MEDIA AWARD RECIPIENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO". GLAAD. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013 . Retrieved May 27, 2013.