"Awaken, My Love" vs. "Blonde" : Which album is our favorite of 2016?

               Jalen's Take (Awaken My Love - Childish Gambino)- Personally, this was my favorite album of the year for a few reasons. One of which was the diversity. The amount of different types of songs, lyrics, themes, and music behind every song was awesome. Between the solid soul/rock feel of "Me and Your Mama" to the George Clinton-influenced pieces such as "Boogieman" and "Have some Love," the musical influences across this tape were something to behold, and among the best for the year. Also, the lyrical diversity was a nice change of pace. From lyrics regarding gun control on the aforementioned "Boogieman," to talking about his child on "Baby Boy," there was a lot covered on this project. Finally, my personal biggest reason as to why this is my favorite album is because of how different this project sounds from anything else out today. When it comes to Blonde, the lyricism is top notch but the beats and continuity leave a bit to be desired. That is why "Awaken, my love" is my personal favorite album of 2016.

                       

Ivan's Take (Blonde - Frank Ocean)- Although I did enjoy a lot of projects this year, I didn't enjoy one more this year than Blonde. It had been 4 years since Frank dropped his debut album Channel Orange then dropped off the face of the Earth. When Kanye West dropped The Life of Pablo (one of my favorite projects of the year) and I heard Frank Ocean's skit "Frank's Track", I was excited because I knew he was back to working on music and he would drop his next album soon enough. Finally, Blonde was released in August and I was surprised as to what I heard. This album is definitely not the pop sensation that Channel Orange, which rubbed some of his listeners the wrong way; not me. Blonde is minimal in its production with pretty instrumentals and unique lyricism. Songs like "Pink+White" and "Ivy" contain beautiful instrumentals over Frank's superb vocals. "Nights" takes us back to Channel Orange's sound with exquisite production and Frank's unique storytelling ability. With all the hype and pressure around him, Blonde is an intimate trip into Frank's mind and heart; a classic people will be talking about for a long time.