Album review: Anderson .Paak, Oxnard

Anderson .Paak is back with Oxnard. Photo / Supplied

Oxnard is not Anderson .Paak's best work, not even close, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good album.

It's just that after Venice and Malibu, we've come to expect a certain magic from .Paak that isn't quite here. On Oxnard, he's moved away from easy-going summer vibes to a more hip-hop-rooted affair.

This is his first album to be released on Dr Dre's Aftermath label, and Dre's influence is obvious; adding sheen to the production, and at times - on Who R U and Mansa Musa - taking over the production entirely, in a way which simply isn't .Paak no matter how much his sugar-sweet vocals will try to convince you otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to hear .Paak trying new things and wading deeper into the hip hop pool because he could easily thrive there, if only he were left to his own devices.

For the most part, Oxnard still works - .Paak has too much talent and sheer charisma for it not to, and his signing to Aftermath has blown his guest feature options wide open.

Snoop Dogg collabs on Anywhere, BJ The Chicago Kid adds a joyous vocal to Sweet Chick, Pusha T lends verses to Brother's Keeper, J. Cole appears on Trippy, and Q-Tip pays tribute to the late Phife Dawg on Cheers.

The obvious highlight is lead single Tints, featuring Kendrick Lamar, on which the pair lament the lack of privacy that comes with fame, on an irresistibly upbeat funk-ride.

Saviers Road and Smile/Petty sound like the .Paak we know and love, Anywhere sees his style blend with Dre's blueprint to create a dreamy track, and Sweet Chick sounds like a good indicator of where this divergence will eventually lead him.

Again, there are great tracks here that are a joy to listen to, but as an album it just doesn't quite reach the incredibly high bar .Paak has set himself.

Anderson .Paak, Oxnard

Artist: Anderson .Paak
Album: Oxnard
Label: Warner Music
Verdict: Some great tracks but missing that Malibu magic