Album of The Week: Anderson .Paak — Ventura

The so-called ‘best teef in the game’ drops fresh, stellar cuts that entice listeners to explore both the worlds of contemporary fusion and throwback soul.

Even though his sublime third album, Oxnard, was only released in mid-November last year, it seems that Anderson .Paak is on a tenacious streak with his creative output. Although not quite Gizzard in terms of ambitious project drops, the short gap between releases could signal a hasty recording process, but if his heart (and soul) has more to say and he can pull it off, time should be no obstacle.

After all, it isn’t like this musical polymath wouldn’t have be able to live up to the challenge, as he has proven himself to be more than capable of producing high quality tunes in previous projects. Especially in his live performances, .Paak has demonstrated his prowess at all aspects of performing to a summit-level standard: singing, playing, and winning over the crowd with his humorous and easygoing nature (see the NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance for reference). Naming his album Ventura after the Californian “city of good fortune” could symbolise his recent success with Oxnard and as a badge of good luck for this one.

However, only needs .Paak’s natural magic to be a success. Ventura veers between smooth, funky licks and thumpy lounge jazz whilst the lyrics tackle many topics, from the current political climate to relationship dynamics. It sometimes veers on the existential but also speaks from a place of rounded experience like a lot of albums released by artists trying to navigate their mid-30s.

Here are the Top 5 tracks highlights from Anderson .Paak’s new album:

1.Come Home (feat. André 3000).

The first few seconds evokes the bygone era of late 60’s/early 70's soul with the choppy, elongated bass notes supporting the oohs and echoes of an electric organ. That’s just before the snare rolls kick the track into action, is reminiscent of Childish Gambino’s Redbone but slightly more trebled.

The drums remain fairly minimal throughout most of the song, never interfering with .Paak’s musings about a man’s desire about wanting their lover to show more affection towards them. A stereotypical trope in the soul genre perhaps, but nevertheless if it is a .Paak brings a modern twist to the sound.

Then André 3000’s verse in an impressive contribution to the track, turning the desire expressed by .Paak up to definitely more than 3000 with both how staccato and witty the wordplay is, proving that he still maintains the same legendary appeal that helped him to gain acclaim through Outkast.

2. Make It Better (feat. Smokey Robinson).

This track involves a collaboration with another musical legend Smokey Robinson, who worked as a songwriter for the Motown label, and is famous for the song ‘Tears of a Clown’. Another accurate homage from .Paak despite the more suggestive lyrics compared to the original Motown sound. The lyrics also come across as being quite simplistic but then again, if it worked for Smokey at Motown’s peak, the pair have shown that it still works in the present day. The vocal delivery from .Paak on the chorus is a highlight of the track, passionate and soulful as ever.

3. Reachin’ 2 Much (feat. Lalah Hathaway)

Yet another collaboration on this track with an artist who has been making waves in the modern jazz scene. Lahah Hathaway has showed her vocal prowess in other projects, including an impressive session with the fusion group, Snarky Puppy, where she even reached notes in the whistle register!

Reachin’ 2 Much starts off with a funky build up, woven in with whiny synthesizers and smooth trumpets before the beat ups tempo a minute and a half into the song, switching the feel to disco-jazz. This carries on through the rest of the song, with occasional hints of violin and wind chimes, the familiar refrain of “Sit yo’ ass down!” (which you definitely won’t be when this song comes on), and with Hathaway gliding through the backing harmonies before unleashing her familiar scatting in the closing seconds.

4. Yada Yada

The sixth song on the album ‘Yada Yada’ has more of a lo-fi feel compared to the previous tracks. The emphasis is placed on .Paak’s vitriolic lyrics about frustrations with burnout from self-promotion and touring whilst also reflecting on how his luck has changed from where he feels he would have been without music in his life.

The vocal delivery is a stream of consciousness, a choice that feels bold and liberating. The track is a statement which could represent that .Paak is comfortable with admitting that some periods of life will always be less than savoury despite how his luck seems to have changed. However, this contrasts with the mundane, mental exhaustion of being constantly on the grind to maintain both an idealised public image and a healthy honesty with himself.

5. King James

.Paak’s gift for lyricism shines through yet again on ‘King James’, a reference to the basketball player, LeBron James. He is used as an overarching metaphor to critique the worsening political climate in America that has included events such as immigration limitations, funding shortages of community projects and gentrification of minority communities by the increasingly wealthy economic and political elite. Note here that .Paak’s LeBron is representing the determination through adversity, not referencing so much the glory of his basketball career but rather the philanthropy that is often overshadowed by what the media tells him is important — success rather than salvation.

Overall, Ventura is an ideal springboard to explore more of Anderson .Paak’s earlier albums, both as a way to hear how contemporary fusion has been placed in a more modern context but also as a way to access artists with more experience in the overlapping genres that take up that space in music. At present, unlike Oxnard where .Paak took a left turn in terms of style, this album feels like a callback to the music that got him noticed. I feel that he is one of the few fairly mainstream musicians that is doing this, as despite there being a throwback of fashion, there hasn’t been a sense of nostalgia that harks back to a time before the 1980’s. Anderson .Paak doesn’t just have the best set of teeth in the game, he has also established himself as one of the most respectable and accomplished performers and musicians the mainstream has to offer.

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