Cheeky Andy hit us with a sneaky surprise at the end of February when he announced his second album in less than a year. Ventura is another full-length album collaboration with Dr. Dre. However, unlike Oxnard, this album was completely driven by
What I love about Anderson .Paak is that he creates an experience through his music. He puts you into his world for the length of the album, creating new memories as if you were living out the stories he sings about. The way he composes his songs builds up this audio aura that wraps around you while you’re listening.
Stream Anderson . Paak’s
The moment the lyrics kick in it’s like butter melting on my eardrums. Right off the bat, he begins the album with heavy hitting features from Andre 3000 and Smokey motherfuckin’ Robinson. “Make It Better” is an instant classic and should be pressed on vinyl immediately and shipped to my doorstep.
Anderson . Paak
Talk about transition perfection! For an album, the flow between one song to another should be flawless. The tracks shouldn’t blend together. I should be able to tell when the next song starts, but I should be making that realization upon hearing the new instrumental instead of an awkward pause of white noise.
Partnering with Dr. Dre on both Ventura and Oxnard was brilliant
To cap it all off, Cheeky Andy paid tribute to the late Nate Dogg with a feature on “What Can We Do?” Full disclosure, I cried like a baby. I couldn’t think of a better time for this album to come into my life. It reinvigorated my soul and reminded me just how much I love music and life itself.
Slap That Track!
“Winner’s Circle”
“Chosen One” ft. Sonyae Elise
“Jet Black” ft. Brandy
“What Can We Do?” ft Nate Dogg [RIP]
