★★★★★
Anderson .Paak is a very experienced artist, just not an experienced name. He has recorded with the likes of Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and many other big name artists. On the other hand, he has recorded with some great underground West Coast Rappers like San Francisco legend, George Watsky. I don’t want to miss lead you he’s not only a rapper; he’s actually mostly a singer. Even when .Paak raps he does so with melody. I would describe him as having the same musicality, approach and style as Kendrick Lamar but with a melodic twist. Although he has many great slow jam like songs, he doesn’t take him self TOO seriously, which I always love in an artist. Like Watsky, he enjoys being clever with his words and throwing a couple punch lines here and there. For example, in his fourteenth track on his album “Malibu,” titled “Silicone Valley,” he takes a comical approach to talking about a women’s heart, specifically mentioning what is in front of their heart (anatomically). His first track on the album is definitely one of my favorites. The track, “The Bird,” rhythmic consistency and smoothness that just touches the soul, mixed with the bold but soft-spoken trumpet that comes in a little later to give it a jazz flare. One of the songs on the album that is really picking up heat is titled “Room In Here” featuring The Game and Sonyae Elise. This song has a beautiful piano accompaniment as they slow jam about having a beautiful night with a beautiful women. Another song that is really picking up heat is “Am I Wrong” featuring Schoolboy Q. This track is faster passed and is a track that makes me believe that .Paak really did have influence from Kendrick when creating this album. The instrumentals sound like pop jazz while his voice is very sharp and sporadic but powerful. I think this is an extensive improvement from his first solo album titled “Venice.” His first album was good but it was a little gimmicky at times by placing wave sounds at the beginning of the majority of his sounds. It was before he got the opportunity to work with Kendrick, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and many others, thanks to Dr. Dre asking him to be on SIX tracks on his album “Compton,” last year. You can hear the influences he has had from these artists, including Watsky, and how he has made this album into a masterpiece. His musical rendition of a popular city in California is spot on, if I say so myself.