This album starts off on a slow, smooth note with “By Ourselves”. Dev treats us to some super classy pianos and some incredibly smooth vocals. There are a few elements here that seem a bit cliche, especially when dealing with “retro” sounding music. But for the most part it ushers in the rest of the album solidly. The production is still hazy and dreamy, but over the last year or so Dev has really stepped his game up as far as production goes. Overall it’s a solid intro, and it leads into the next track, “Augustine” wonderfully. This was the first track I actually heard off of “Freetown Sound”, and I was hooked immediately. It’s much more upbeat when compared to the album’s intro, with some funky bass and synths. This is ALMOST obvious Michael Jackson worship, but to be honest Dev absolutely nails it. The synthesizers here are triumphant, literally taking every element from his last album “Cupid Deluxe” and streamlining it. All of the little details on “Augustine” really make it special, from the lone piano notes that add so much emotion, to that so simple yet absolutely haunting and catchy chorus. Dev doesn’t give too much away on the verses here, little to nothing at all, but they’re still mesmerizing, and build up wonderfully to the chorus. The vocal harmonies that occasionally pop in and out are charming, and to be perfectly honest, this is the exact single I wanted to hear Dev make, one of my favorites of the year so far. Up next is “Chance”, which contains plenty of powerful samples, it’s clear that Dev was very meticulous when it came to the material put on this album. This track has almost a minimalistic atmosphere, something I wasn’t expecting but I’m totally fine with. The chorus on “Chance” is super breezy, with the chilling keyboards adding this great sense of mystery here. It’s tracks like this that really just drive home the fact of how much Dev has grown over the years. He literally took every element that was good about “Cupid Deluxe” and made it all sound so much more streamlined and mature. The harmonies are exquisite here, and the soulful saxophones that pop in are just so impressive. Not to mention, those back and forth vocals towards the end are a bit cliche usually, but here they work wonderfully. One of my favorite tracks here is up next, “Best To You”. This track doesn’t waste a single second of our time. Now, ironically what turned me off the most about “Cupid Deluxe”, were the guest vocalists. None of them were “bad”, but they just to me seemed unorganized and not as well thought out. Almost every vocal guest on “Freetown Sound” goes above and beyond expectations, which especially goes for Empress Of on “Best To You”. Her vocals here compliment the feel of the track so wonderfully. The hook here isn’t only the catches we’ve heard so far, it might be the catchiest hook on the album. The contrast between the vocals here up against the pounding beat is absolutely mesmerizing. Before we get to the next part of the album, we’re treated to a short interlude, “With Him”. Nothing too much to report here, but the dreamy saxophones up against the hazy production is wonderful. Now, Blood Orange’s music isn’t for everyone. A lot of people are going to say Dev may be stuck in the past as far as production goes, but I think he’s absolutely nailing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXtzcViZPGA
Up next, we have “E.V.P.”, which easily has the heaviest groove we’ve heard yet. This track is straight up funky, and very heavy on the synth. Hell, I would even go as far as to say Dev sounds straight up sleazy here, and it really comes off great, hell maybe even dangerous sounding. The funky guitar licks are fantastic, as well as those prominent bass slaps. The chorus here, while it’s catchy and insanely memorable, is also haunting and wonderfully dreamy. “E.V.P.” has a completely different feel than the earlier tracks here, but that funk is undeniable. Then we have “Love Ya”, and let me tell you, just hearing that siren start this one off had me on the edge of my seat with excitement. This is a duet here with Zuri Marley, and honestly it comes off absolutely wonderful. Every single vocal guest here is hand picked and far from just some random person brought on just to sing and leave. No, every duet, every vocal feature is absolutely flawless, and compliment Dev perfectly. This is one of the sexiest tracks we’ve had so far, with super smooth saxophones that are too cool for their own good. “Love You” isn’t the most memorable track here. But, it sticks with the atmosphere wonderfully. “But You” is up next, and is more of a slow burner of a track. Lyric-wise this album as a whole is just such a gigantic statement, and that alone is going to be one of the biggest draws of this album. “But You” honestly is probably the cheesiest track here, it’s not absolutely terrible, but it’s definitely on the corny side of the spectrum. Instrumentally, there’s nothing too crazy going on here either, but as a statement it works just fantastically up against the rest of the album. Not to mention it contains one of Dev’s most heartfelt and sincere performances yet. A few tracks in a row have been on the slower side, and I need a bit of a wake up, and I absolutely get it in the form of “Desiree”. This track is upbeat, funky, but still remains on the more dreamy side. Honestly, while I haven’t loved every track, it’s still holding my attention, which is what I’ve had a problem with in the past with Dev’s material. “Desiree” is a brilliant track, with the production on this track being the real star. On that note, I know that Dev did all the production on his own here, good job dude! I would even go as far as to say I wish “Desiree” was a bit longer. I digress though, this track rules. Then, we have “Hands Up”. This track isn’t terrible, but I do feel like it’s a bit underwhelming. Dev’s vocals, which so far I’ve been fine with, don’t do nearly as much for me here. On other tracks he really comes into his own, but here he just sounds kind’ve bland. The backing vocals do in fact help quite a bit, but even instrumentally this track just feels a little too safe for my liking, plus I know Dev can do better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDIAVlcRgLY
Up next we have a long string of really fantastic tracks, which is much more than I can say for Dev’s older albums. Sure, they had there share of great moments, but this is so much more consistent. “Hadron Collider” grabs me right from the first moment, with a fantastic atmosphere and some great guest vocals by Nelly Furtado of all people. Half of the vocals here are so distant and hazy sounding, making for one of the dreamiest tracks here we’ve heard so far. While the vocals are all hazy, that doesn’t take a single thing away from the harmonies, they’re literally just as solid as earlier on the album. The only complaint I have about “Hadron Collider” is that honestly it could use a gigantic chorus. However, there’s enough here to make up for that, with an absolutely stunning piano break and some of the more gorgeous moments you’re going to hear on the entire album. “Squash Squash” is up next, and you can hear that funk brewing from a mile away. Or at least it feels that way, with Dev hinting at another funky track here, but it instantly changes moods. However, Dev sounds downright angelic here, so I have zero complaints. The funk aspect does eventually show up, it’s heavy too. But what’s most interesting about “Squash Squash” is the sense of mystery. Even while it’s at its grooviest, it never gives away too much, honestly it doesn’t fit the mood of the album at all. That being said though, I absolutely love it. It’s a complete shot out of left field, it’s soulful, it’s glitzy, it’s funky as hell, while at the same time mysterious and absolutely gorgeous. Than we have another fantastic track “Juicy 1-4”, which starts off with chilling bongos as well as some distant, yet highly prominent synths. Going into this project I was worried that a lot of these later tracks would blend together, but Dev here sounds completely rejuvenated and full of life. The atmosphere here is a little cold, and sort of on the minimalistic side, but honestly it works. The chorus here is absolutely stunning, and more than anything I’m just shocked at how little complaints I have about this album. Yes, it occasionally get’s a little cheesy. Yes, the production isn’t going to please everyone. Yes, it’s filled with Michael Jackson and Prince worship all over. But Dev rolls with it very well honestly. “Better Than Me” is up next, and it’s one of the most upbeat tracks on the entire album. It all starts with these playful keyboards, and quickly becomes a duet between Dev and Ms. Carly Rae Jepsen. Dev’s vocals here are alright, but I could have used a little more enthusiasm. The contrast in the vocals though works quite nicely. The chorus here is what makes “Better Than Me”, as it’s easily the sweetest thing we’ve heard in a while as well as one of the catchier moments of the entire album. The second verse absolutely picks up quite a bit and absolutely beats out the first verse, regaining my interest entirely. While Carly Rae fits wonderfully here, I expected a little more from Dev, but it’s still solid. There are a few let down’s throughout though, such as “Thank You”. While I really enjoy the jazzy saxophones at the start, everything else I’m really not that into at all. All the other elements here just seem to be dragging along, even though Dev sounds fine and the atmosphere is spot on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6AbIEa431I
Time to wrap this bad boy up. Dev really sticks with the consistency of this album, and honestly it's impressive. On "I Know", Dev instantly grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Not only does he sound fantastic, he sound completely engulfed in the atmosphere. The hazy production and dreamlike energy continues on, making "I Know" more of a spectacle than anything. When it picks up, it almost sounds like an old Neon Indian track in the best way possible. For a very late album track, "I Know" is honestly one of the most experimental moments here. Honestly though, Dev pulls is off wonderfully. Everything from Dev's vocals to the mysterious heavy keyboards is absolutely stunning. Then, we have the album's finale, "Better Numb". As far as sound goes, it's not exactly what I expected, it's a very stripped down sound. However, it stops you in your tracks completely. It all sounds so incomplete, with Dev not giving away too much vocally. Strangely it works though, as its mystery and beauty are stunning, and it shows that Dev has plenty more planned for the future.
Rating: 8.6/10
Give A Listen To: "Augustine", "Best To You", "E.V.P.", "Desiree"
Overall Thoughts: When it's come to Dev's work in the past, I've always wanted to love it, but just had too many small problems. There would be fantastic tracks, but also plenty that I just couldn't get into no matter how hard I tried. And don't get me wrong there's some filler here as well. However, Dev has improved immensely in the past few years. His production has become stellar and he's become such a fantastic writer. Also, while the vocal guests on his last album "Cupid Deluxe", every vocal guest here is hand picked to perfection, and complement Dev unbelievably. Not to mention, the personality and the statements Dev gives us here are worth a listen on their own. Now, if you weren't a fan of Dev's hazy, dreamy synth funk to begin with, there's a possibility it's still gonna be just as boring to you. But Dev's grown so much since a few years ago, so you may still want to give this a try. If you're looking for a funky, personal R&B album with great retro flair with tons of levels, look no further.
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