Malibu, the 2016 release by Anderson .Paak, was released on January 15th, 2016. Preceded by four singles, this album was amply hyped up for its release. Following his involvement on Dr. Dre’s project, Compton, he had high shoes to fill with this album. Shooting for the stars, Anderson put out Malibu, which features many personal touches he felt necessary to fill this album. Stemming from personal struggles to his beliefs, he packs this 16-track album with meaning. Highly regarded as the start of his commercial success as an artist, it is ultimately decided that this album was a true success. While this seems to be true commercially, does this near hour project truly reflect a success in Anderson .Paak’s career?

That is still up for debate.

Introduction

While this album was a commercial success, it has its flaws. This goes without saying that there were many positives, but this isn’t anywhere near a perfect album. It suffers from severe repetitiveness the further into the project you go. I love this album; however, I feel that I don’t actually love the project. I actually love the style of songs produced. Many of the songs here are the same, and listening to the album on repeat, it is hard to name the songs. This is the biggest flaw here. But the positives are apparent here as well. The production here is outstanding and is certainly my favorite part of the project. It is very unique to this album, which nearly diminishes the repetitiveness. Anderson’s vocals are also a standout, as he sounds fantastic on every track.

Strengths

Production

Right off the bat, the listener is met with some of the most diverse production on a project. Anderson .Paak, with the help of the likes of DJ Khalil, Dem Jointz, and more, wonderfully crafted a vibe that was matched throughout. Many tracks included different instruments, such as brass sections, distinctive guitar riffs, and piano excerpts which brings variety throughout. For example, “The Dreamer” has a piano background supporting the bridge provided by Talib Kweli, which ties the vocals to the instrumentals wonderfully. Other wonderful examples of this include songs, such as “Come Down” and “The Bird”, which utilize piano and guitars respectively. The uniqueness on this project is easily the biggest distinction for this album in comparison with other projects.

Another amazing feature here is the flow between songs. All of these songs mesh with the prior, making for a great listening experience. The songs seamlessly flow and at some points you almost don’t realize you are listening to the next song. While this makes for a great flow, it also demonstrates the similar styles between songs, which ties back to the repetitiveness. A way these songs tie back to each other are through skits and outros. One of the most unique features about the production comes in the form of the skits placed throughout the songs. They all have a retro feel, which stood out to me. It rendered right in with the rest of the project. Put the different instruments and these amazing flows between songs together, and you have a project that was meticulously structured in a way that makes for a very diverse and unique listening experience.

Vocals

Anderson’s vocals are another top standout on this album. He has very soft vocals on almost every track, and need I remind you that this is a hip-hop album. Even when he is rapping in his verses, he provides a soft touch to a situation where it would normally be a harsher delivery. On top of his main lines, Anderson provides some great background vocals on some tracks, like “Without You,” which really brings the best of both worlds: production and vocals. On top of his own vocals, many of the features on the album, which there are plenty, bring some of the best voices on the songs. I would confidently say that no feature here has a vocal performance that drags the song down. Finally, he includes the likes of choirs, which is one of my favorite additions to any project.

Disappointments

Diversity

The biggest drawback of this project is the repetition in songs. I have brought this up a ton so far, and I feel it deserves its own section. There are at least 10 songs out of the 16 that sound nearly the exact same. My biggest aspect I look at in an album is its ability to relisten to it and enjoy it. While I can relisten to some tracks here, I cannot relisten to the album in its entirety. This holds it back severely. Anderson does try to break the similar style up with certain songs, but he falls flat when trying this. I specifically penciled this in on the track “Your Prime,” where it falls flat in every aspect but some styles in the instrumental. Similarly, his vocals are too simple at times, and especially when they are repeated on the same instrumental four songs in a row, they fall short of the expectation.

Lyricism

The final main drawback of the project is the simplistic lyricism. Anderson has many meanings behind these songs, but they are either too seen at face value, or barely seen at all. He can never hit the sweet spot of lyricism, which degrades some songs. I definitely noted that the meanings had value, however, I couldn’t find the same value while listening. He also has many repetitive lines in some of his songs, which can also degrade a song. Not getting too far into the repetition is hard, but it simply is there. All in all, he falls flat in his word choice, which takes away from the meaning of the album.

Conclusion

Malibu was a wonderful addition to Anderson .Paak’s personal discography, and a wonderful collection of songs that were added to my personal playlist. With that being said, the project as a whole suffers throughout as an album. With all this in mind, it lands this project a 7.0/10.

Best Feature: The best feature on this album is a toss up between Talib Kweli and ScHoolboy Q, with the honor going to Talib Kweli. He sounded absolutely fantastic on “The Dreamer” and really brought his all. The bridge he partook on that song is top notch as well.

Weakest Track: The weakest track on the project is a no-brainer, going to “Water Fall (Interluuube).” It doesn’t sound good and doesn’t really fit on the project. It is an unnecessary addition and break to an already too long project.

Strongest Track: The best track here is “Am I Wrong.” Anderson sounds fantastic on this opening, as does ScHoolboy Q. The overall structure is outstanding and gets the meaning across. The instrument is unique in the beginning and hits in all remarks, making for a song that is constantly in my personal rotation.

Song Rankings:

1. “Am I Wrong” (feat. ScHoolboy Q)
2. “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance”
3. “Put Me Thru”
4. “Room in Here” (feat. The Game & Sonyae)
5. “Silicon Valley”
6. “The Dreamer” (feat. Timan Family Choir & Talib Kweli)
7. “Without You” (feat. Rhapsody)
8. “The Season | Carry Me”
9. “Lite Weight” (feat. The Free Nationals United Fellowship Choir)
10. “Come Down”
11. “The Waters” (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid)
12. “Celebrate”
13. “The Bird”
14. “Your Prime”
15. “Parking Lot”
16. “Water Fall (Interluuube)”

Final Notes

Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just my opinion. With that being said, I would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give Malibu a listen for yourself, as I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes more relaxing hip-hop.