Ventura is narrower in focus than Oxnard, its predecessor released five months prior. The likes of Nate Dogg, Smokey Robinson, and 3-STAX HIMSELF lend a hand and share in the glorious funky goodness. I took the wisdom of our program director and avoided listening to the singles. This helped me to digest the project as a whole, not incrementally. I went in with virgin ears, and my expectations were met and then some. When this project touches on social issues such as climate change and the wall, it does so with an increased sense of urgency. In reality, Anderson .Paak is one of only a handful of people in popular hip-hop that sound genuine when they rap and sing about love. Ventura fits snugly in the wheelhouses of both old and new RnB legends. This album was not serviced to radio, so I bit the bullet and got a Spotify account after eight+ years of avoiding it. I am content paying five bucks a month for the rest of my life as long as that means I get to keep this in my rotation. This is recommended for fans of Leon Bridges, Hiatus Kaiyote, and Sam Cooke.
Comments