Anderson .paak - Oxnard

Anderson .paak
Oxnard
2018
Spotify

Los Angeles is at the heart and soul of everything Anderson .paak does. Much like the head of his label and collaborator Dr. Dre, Anderson infuses the things that make up his version of Los Angeles. His three studio albums named after popular Los Angeles area beaches (Venice, Malibu, Oxnard) have found a new fusion between rap and funk that is a direct decsendents of the G-Funk Dr. Dre Pioneered. Anderson goes into the decadence of his new life, the celebratory nature of the music He is making now. "Headlow" the premise of which is a blowjob while He's driving then dives into deeper meanings, more complex ideas of what this very new idea of fame means to him, yet it still ends with a simulated blowjob and eventual car accident. It feels like another extension of classic hip hop but in this more subdued way. Anderson has never been one to watch what He says which can make the smoothness of his music feel somewhat harsh at times. His lyrics slide closer to gangster rap than Bruno Mars most of the time even though the funky music is what propels everything forward. The first big feature is from Pulitzer Prize winning Kendrick Lamar on "Tints" in a song that became a mini viral sensation, but was far more of one in Anderson's own mind. "6 Summers" is the syrupy rap that taps back into .paak's wild experimentation with it's wiggly production and changes that take it from one genre to an entirely new one.

All this is good and well, but you can't shake the feeling that Anderson is playing it pretty safe here. This is music He knew would connect with his fans, because it's really music He has done before. A single that was released this year but is missing from this record "Bubblin" was wild and excited and a cinematic departure for .paak. That truly new sound just isn't here. The collaboration with Dr. Dre "Mansa Musa" is really kind of bad. It feels like a beat produced by two people with way to much time on their hands and too many ideas in their heads. Oxnard has less of a powerful punch than his previous two records, he meanders more and allows the songs to sort of unfurl slowly rather than getting to the damn point. "Brother's Keeper" has a pretty basic flow from Pusha T, and slips into a typical soul music extended outro. The feature list is pretty incredible with folks clamoring to work with Anderson, but He's missing the people like Kaytandada who helped his music sound more avante garde than straight funk. Too much of this record fits into a pocket and never leaves. I keep wanting this record to be better, almost willing it to be, but it just doesn't deliver what We thought it might. "Cheers" gives you some of those old school .paak vibes but it's just too little too late. Oxnard feels like more just for more's sake, and it misses the mark.

6.9 out of 10