From the start of Anderson .Paak’s latest album, lush piano, ambient harmonies and a casual flute meet the listener to welcome them into the world of “Ventura.” If the start of the album’s whimsical instrumental flair and cotton candy timbre indicate anything, those first seconds signal the beginning of the album’s yellow brick road heading straight back to the singer/drummer/rapper/producer’s musical roots. A notable return to .Paak’s dominantly R&B origin, this latest release exhibits the classic bubbly side of his personality that initially launched him to popularity with his first album “Venice.” Tastefully saturated with his characteristic concoctions of rap, funk and jazz, .Paak delivers a huge success on his fourth solo project.
In continuation with Anderson .Paak’s tradition for naming his albums after southern California destinations, “Ventura” represents both the place he went to high school and a type of musical homecoming. This fourth album follows the November 2018 release of “Oxnard.” Another full-length solo project, “Oxnard” showed .Paak sharply deviating from his typically shiny musical surface. While still releasing the happy hit “Tints” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), .Paak chose to focus more heavily on a more Kendrick-esque rap album.
The release of these two projects together appears intentional, serving as juxtapositions to each other and representing two opposing attitudes of growing up in Oxnard and Ventura. .Paak’s November release sounds like the gritty, cocky rush of youth with the album’s in-your-face, hard beats. .Paak also chooses to rap more instead of using his usual raspy yet silky vocals. Rather than rapping steadily and somewhat angrily over a consistent beat in songs like “Mansa Musa,” Anderson .Paak’s latest project showcases the breezy yet mature vibrancy that he is so successful in achieving. Songs on “Oxnard” are rough and driven by .Paak’s disgust of American politics, as heard in “6 Summers” and “Saviers Road.” Songs on “Ventura,” however, are love-centered and light. Even “King James,” the album’s politically-driven first single, discusses protest and the struggles of the African-American community in America over a Stevie Wonder sounding funk track that makes you want to dance.
The two continue to oppose each other in themes of relationships. While “Oxnard” spins off rhymes of casual, explicit sex (most notably in “Headlow” feat. Norelle), “Ventura” discusses deep, passionate love. This is most evident when he sings “Do you want to make it better/do you want to stay together?” in “Make it Better” feat. motown legend Smokey Robinson over a modern sounding soul beat. This integral theme of “Mrs. Right” appears on countless songs on the album. At the beginning of “Winners Circle,” the song samples a quote from Robert de Niro’s character in the movie A Bronx Tale:
“You’re only allowed three great women in your lifetime. They come along like the great fighters, once every ten years. Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis. Sometimes you get ’em all at once. Me? I had my three when I was 16. That happens. Maybe she’s your first great one.”
This then leads into a bass-driven, rhythmically and harmonically superb track unconcerned with shallow physicality and sex, but more about “…that get to know me/kiss me slowly.”
“Ventura” sonically matches up to the blissful, endless summer one can easily find in southern California. Motown-influenced with typical Anderson .Paak horn lines, the album effortlessly grooves. “Jet Black” (feat. Brandy) and “Reachin’ 2 Much” (feat. Lalah Hathaway) glow with all the smooth background vocals and bass-driven feel of the disco and funk music of the ‘70s. .Paak is often nostalgic like this, but he is so successful as an artist today because of his modern take on these elements. His ability to write poetic lyrics over these happy, lively sounds also propels him to the top.
In this album, .Paak longs for his lover to “Come Home” to him on that first, old-soul track. The song almost travels to a different world when Andre 3000’s of Outkast’s verse falls on a typical .Paak subsection of a song that also speaks on a missed romantic partner. The track perfectly sets up the album’s thoughtful yet fun-to-listen to personality. .Paak shines on this album as a vocalist, rapper and lyricist. Like Robert de Niro said, you’re only allowed a certain number of greats. Thankfully, we’re allowed more than three solid albums of the year, but this truly represents one of the “great ones.”
