It took only 15 days for the first great album of 2016 to be released.
While “Malibu” is Anderson .Paak’s second studio album, this album should be considered his breakout performance. Anderson .Paak started turning heads when he was featured six times on Dr. Dre’s Grammy-nominated album, “Compton,” as well as The Game’s “The Documentary 2.5.” “Malibu” is an album that sounds different than anything we’ve been hearing, despite all the new music being put out. Funk music has been making a comeback, and “Malibu” has a ton of funk, soul and blues/jazz influences throughout the entire project. If you trust my taste in music, then you’ll definitely listen to and really enjoy this album, and if you don’t, you’re just playing yourself.
“Malibu” begins with the “The Bird,” which slowly fades in with a guitar intro giving off a John Mayer vibe. Anderson .Paak’s usual raspy voice isn’t to be found on this song; instead, we get a soothing hook and relaxing piano melody with a hint of jazz in the background. “The Bird” sets the bar high for “Malibu,” which only gets better with every song.
“Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” is next, and it starts with a short bridge that blends into a dope beat as Anderson .Paak lays down a mixture of a rap/singing verse. “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” keeps the flow going with a guitar solo before the first skit mixes into “The Waters.”
“The Waters” has a deep bass line throughout the whole song as Anderson .Paak shows off his rapping ability with a couple of verses and some clever wordplay. With the album’s first feature coming from BJ the Chicago Kid on the hook, “The Waters” has a gospel feel that isn’t as prevalent in today’s music.
“The Season / Carry Me” is a two-part song with multiple layers that come together and nearly put you in a trance. The awesome intro — combined with .Paak’s singing mixed with the soulful background vocals and the tempo switch from “The Season” to “Carry Me” — forms one of the more creative songs I’ve heard in recent memory. Anderson .Paak’s music is cool because of his ability to give off a 1960s soul music record with a new-school twist of lyrics and layered vocals like the “Momma can you carry me” line. Something interesting about “Carry Me” is how the song samples the sound Jay Z makes at the end of “F---WithMeYouKnowIGotIt” from his “Magna Carter Holy Grail” album that can be heard frequently in this song.
“Malibu” switches its soulful feel on “Put Me Thru” with an upbeat piano and electric guitar instrumental. “Malibu” has a variety of sounds throughout the entire album, and “Put Me Thru” shows the artistic ability of Anderson .Paak.
“Malibu” transitions to more of a funky-jazz vibe on “Am I Wrong” that also — interestingly enough — features ScHoolBoy Q, who weirdly sounds great on this record. At this point in the album, I have yet to find something to criticize.
Anderson .Paak brings back his bars on the next song “Without You,” which features Rhapsody, who bodies her guest verse. I especially like this song because these are two new artists who both first started gaining attention when they were featured on two huge albums last year (.Paak on Dr. Dre’s “Compton” and Rhapsody on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”) and have now come together to make a dope song. It’s always great to see new artists shining together.
It seems like Anderson .Paak wanted to prove to everyone that he doesn’t have to be confined to a single genre or sound to make great music, and certainly we see that on “Parking Lot.” This song has a psychedelic and indie-rock sound, which I find super dope. “Parking Lot” sounds like a song that could be found on a Tame Impala album, and I really dig it.
The next song is “Lite Weight” which is a super simple, yet beautiful song. “Lite Weight” has an intro, the same three repeated choruses, two bridges and a quick outro, but sometimes simple is better. On “Room in Here,” Anderson .Paak spits a verse over a smooth hip-hop beat that features The Game. Anderson .Paak and The Game worked together a lot on “The Documentary 2.5” and team up again to make a dope record.
After a short interlude, or rather an “Interluuube,” as it’s styled on the track listing, Anderson .Paak picks up where he left off with “Your Prime.” This song feels like it’s missing something. Kendrick Lamar would have been a perfect guest for this song, but we can’t always get what we want, right?
“Come Down” uses a bass guitar as the foundation for the song as .Paak lays down a couple short verses in between the catchy group chorus. While “Come Down” isn’t my favorite song on “Malibu,” it’s still an important piece to the album, because at the end of song a short skit tells us that years ago, the center of the surfing world was Malibu. So, after 13 songs, the album’s central theme comes together: Malibu is paradise, and just like the beautiful city in California, this album should bring you nothing but peace and good vibes.
We enter the home stretch of “Malibu” with my personal favorite song on the album, “Silicon Valley.” The song itself is relatively simple until it builds up to the energetic hook in which Anderson .Paak’s raspy-yet-raw vocals steal the spotlight. I can guarantee you’ll feel the lively hook to your core.
“Celebrate” brings back a bass line used frequently throughout the album with another feel-good song that’ll take you to Anderson .Paak’s home state of California. The piano riff completes the song as the album winds down into the “The Dreamer.”
“The Dreamer” takes nearly 45 seconds to build up with the help of the Timan Family Choir into an enthusiastic chorus that is intended to inspire. The song features rap-great Talib Kweli as well, which was a great move by Anderson .Paak. Paak knows how Talib’s extensive vocabulary, wordplay and delivery can help convey a message. On “The Dreamer,” Anderson .Paak tells us how he is just like us: someone who believed he was meant to be great and made a name for himself against all odds. Anderson .Paak leaves his listeners inspired with a perfect song to end a great album.
