On tracks like “Lost” (resurrected years later as a TikTok sensation) and “Thinkin Bout You,” Ocean proves he’s able to deliver a hit - the combination of sway-inducing percussion and relatable lyrics is catchy but avoids feeling formulaic. Though 2016’s Blonde has arguably eclipsed it in terms of influence and prestige, there’s a playfulness to Channel Orange, a breezily joyful experimentation, that draws me back again and again. A hugely ambitious collection, the album deftly amalgamates elements of R&B, rap, electronic, and hip-hop, creating a sound that is uniquely Ocean’s own and would go on to influence countless R&B musicians from SZA to Solange. Earl was notably the only member of the Wolf Gang to appear on Channel Orange, and its sound was even more of a marked departure from the baseline Odd Future template than Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape had been the year before.

Ocean had emerged as a member of Odd Future, a Los Angeles-based artist collective comprising Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and Syd, among others, but Channel Orange marked Ocean’s foray beyond the group into a realm all his own. On J10 years ago this Sunday - a then 24-year-old Ocean released his debut album, Channel Orange, to rave reviews. It was the summer, and everything was orange. The first time Christopher Edwin Breaux - the artist now known as Frank Ocean - fell in love, he was 19 years old.

Frank ocean album channel orange review