Anderson Paak
Malibu
Release Date: Jan 15, 2016
Genre(s): Rap, R&B
Record label: Steel Wool Entertainment
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Album Review: Malibu by Anderson Paak
Excellent, Based on 15 Critics
Based on rating 9/10
Malibu, California might be defined by shorelines and sunshine, but where's there's light, there's always a shadow. For 29-year-old Oxnard artist Anderson .Paak, his debut album, Malibu, reflects the ups and downs of life in Southern California; it's a multi-layered LP that finds .Paak both accepting conflict as a regular occurrence and celebrating the blessings in disguise that come with hard living.After captivating the music industry in 2014 with the release of his Venice EP, and again on Dr. Dre's Compton LP with his raspy voice and warm melodies, .Paak floats seamlessly between rapper and singer on Malibu, two roles that intersect throughout the 16-song LP.
Based on rating A-
Anderson .Paak needed solutions. The California native saw both of his parents and stepfather sent to prison by the time he was 18, and earlier in his adult life, he, his wife, and his son endured homelessness after he was unexpectedly let go from his job at a Santa Barbara marijuana farm. “When I look at my tree, I see leaves missing, generations of harsh living, and addiction,” he sings in his old-soul rasp on Malibu, his second album as Anderson .Paak.
Based on rating 8.6/10
It doesn’t take long to reach the heart of Anderson .Paak’s new album, Malibu. Just a minute into opening track "The Birds," the West Coast-based rapper and singer/songwriter offers: "My mama caught the gambling bug... My papa was behind them bars/ We never had to want for nuthin’/ Said all we ever need is love." His voice is warm, strained, and conversational, like a Baptist minister or your favorite uncle schooling you, and the wide-open groove has an unhurried feel.
Based on rating 8.5/10
Head here to submit your own review of this album. She was a farmer, born in South Korea and adopted in the '50s before moving to Compton, where she was raised. He was in the Air Force, a young man from Philadelphia, who wound up behind bars and eventually, in an early grave. A cinematic synopsis, yet this isn’t really about He or She.
Based on rating 4/5
When an album as strong as Malibu fails to dominate the end of year polls, you know it’s been a strong year for R&B, funk, soul, pop and pretty much every other genre elegantly incorporated here. Sunny yet substantive, Anderson . Paak’s second studio album shows he is as at home settling into a breezy club groove over euphoric brass (Am I Wrong, featuring Schoolboy Q) or unleashing James Brown-esque funk yelps as he is waxing autobiographical tales of family hardship, most notably on The Bird (“My mama caught the gambling bug … my papa was behind them bars”) or The Waters (“Word to the liquor that killed my grandpa liver”).
Based on rating 8/10
Brandon Paak Anderson's route from Southern California underground obscurity was not without obstructions, but he efficiently cleared them all. The madcap's rapier sharpened with support from Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra, a stint as touring drummer for Haley Reinhart of American Idol, and an extensive assortment of guest appearances. In 2015, he added dimensions to Dr.
Based on rating 8/10
Anderson .Paak :: MalibuSteel Wool/OBE/Art Club/EMPIRE DistributionAuthor: Zach GaseA star has emerged from each of Dr. Dre's solo albums. Of course you remember Snoop Doggy Dogg's show-stealing performance on "The Chronic," which set up his own successful debut album, "Doggystyle." Eminem wrote on several tracks and appeared on two songs on "Chronic 2001," before becoming the biggest rapper in the world with his sophomore LP, "The Marshall Mathers LP." With 2015's "Compton," it became very clear that Anderson .Paak would be the next rapper to emerge after being the MVP of a Dr.
Based on rating 8/10
Contemporary R&B music can sure get a guy down these days. The spacious beats and angst ridden lyrics that inhabit a lot of projects will probably not put a smile on your face. Over the last year or so there have been a few artists providing something of a tonic to the genre with more of a positive energy and a focus on. Artists like Raury and Chance the Rapper’s Social Experiment Collective stand out amidst a sea of ethereal tones.
Based on rating 4.0/5
Minutes into Anderson .Paak’s delightful Malibu, you get the impression that the young, star-child formerly known as Breezy Lovejoy has finally put at least two fingers on his sound. There’s a mastery present that wasn’t before, as he moves from carefree crooning to low-key bars with ease. Malibu is jazzy, but not in the acid jazz way that was K.
Based on rating 7/10
Time has always been of the essence for Brandon Paak Anderson, now just Anderson .Paak, a singer-rapper from Oxnard, California who learned to make the most of every moment at a young age. His father was arrested when he was seven, his mother some years after that, and it’s safe to say that the idea of losing time has had a profound effect on him. He articulates this explicitly on his ScHoolBoy Q-aided single “Am I Wrong”: “I never wanna waste your time, my life / So precious, is yours, is mine.” He hates making bad first impressions and believes opportunities are seized, not given.
Based on rating 3/5
Like Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment or Raury, Anderson Paak is a dreamer and a romantic who blends hip-hop, R&B, rock and soul into a funky world all his own. The Oxnard, California, musician updates the muted grooves of Soulquarians-era landmarks like D'Angelo's Voodoo with the sweeping, wide-screen ambitions of recent hip-hop concept albums like Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly or Dr. Dre's Compton (which features Paak on six tracks).
Opinion: Absolutly essential
Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals Malibu (Steel Wool/OBE) Milo So the Flies Don't Come (Ruby Yacht/The Order Label) At first glance, Anderson .Paak, a burgeoning star, and Milo, an obscure rhymesayer, have nothing in common. Hellfyre Club, an eclectic collective from Los Angeles, proves otherwise as the pair's unlikely intersection. After a star turn on Dr.
Opinion: Fantastic
IN LATE SEPTEMBER 2014, L.A.-based producer TOKiMONSTA dropped Desiderium, a mostly forgettable (sort of) full-length that probably should have been awesome. Korean-born Jennifer Lee is known primarily for these huge, Madlib-esque explorations in jazz-infused hip-hop, but she took a trap-heavy risk on this third LP. Much of it falls short in a bunch of really weird ways as a result, but the album deserves at least some accolade for one very specific reason: ”Realla”, this beautifully drugged up slow banger featuring vocals by some kid named Anderson .Paak.
Opinion: Excellent
Anderson .Paak Anderson .Paak Anderson .Paak, "Malibu" (Empire / OBE / Steel Wool / Art Club). The new album by Oxnard singer-rapper-lyricist-producer .Paak (who adds a dot to the beginning of his surname) shows a rising artist stepping up to buzz-heavy scrutiny. Best known for his production work on Dr. Dre's 2015 album, "Compton," .Paak on his second studio album is a study in versatility.
Opinion: Excellent
Often, when musicians revisit their cities’ pasts, they remain faithful to — hamstrung by? — one particular idea, characteristic or approach. But a thousand styles are flourishing in and around Los Angeles now, ones that are clearly indebted to the city’s past, from slung-low funk to ambitious jazz to tense hip-hop to perceptive soul. Anderson .Paak, a singer-rapper from Oxnard, Calif., is an amalgamation of what he hears around him, which, in turn, is an amalgamation of the last three decades of black music in Southern California.
'Malibu'
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