Anderson .Paak Delves into Love, Relationships on New Album Ventura
Photo Courtesy of Anderson .Paak
Anderson .Paak seems to have touched almost every corner in the modern pop stratosphere, from his iconic work with record producer Knxwledge to being featured on tracks from an impressive array of artists like GoldLink, Rapsody, Domo Genesis, Mac Miller, and more. Not to mention he has his own fair share of hits as well.
In December, .Paak released his most rap and hip-hop laden album yet, titled Oxnard, with heavy-hitting featured artists including Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Now just five months later, another new album Ventura is in the world. Released on April 12th, Ventura is the sister album to Oxnard. Always one to create with purpose, .Paak describes the two albums as encompassing the dualities of the two cities he grew up in. He states, “Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over I went further and found my depth. The duality of each place inspired me greatly and from that I made two albums at the exact same time…” .Paak is known for carefully crafting and always changing his music, so it’s no surprise that he had a grand plan for these two stylistically different albums.
.Paak peppers in significant collaborations in Ventura— just like Oxnard— but this time he steps away from the goldmine of rappers toward a soulful bunch. “Make It Better” with Smokey Robinson accurately encompasses the shift for the album. A neo-soul ballad that will reach anyone who’s in or has been in a relationship, the track asks the question that we’ve all weathered in a rocky relationship: do you want to make it better?
“Twilight” has a jumpy, fun beat with a crisp trumpet accompaniment that just barely resembles .Paak’s earlier musical style. Making it a surefire feel-good staple, “Jet Black” is held by a funky bass riff and an electric clap-beat. And similar to any other album from .Paak, the songs in Ventura are thematically tied together perfectly while still maintaining his signature eclectic style that bends defined genres, attracting fans from a multitude of musical tastes.
Anderson .Paak will promote the two new albums with his spring tour, Best Teef in the Game, which includes large-scale venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater and Madison Square Garden. He will be accompanied by Thundercat for the entirety of the tour, with select dates featuring additional supporting acts— Earl Sweatshirt, Noname, Mac DeMarco, and Jessie Reyez.
Ventura is available to purchase and stream on Spotify, Google Play Music, and Deezer. Check out the full list of tour dates below.
Tour Dates
5/17 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater %
5/20 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica %
5/21 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia %
5/23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena %
5/26 - Westbrook, ME (Portland) - Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row %
5/28 - Baltimore, MD - MECU Pavilion %
5/30 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden %
6/1 - Toronto, ON - RBC Echo Beach *
6/2 - Detroit, MI (Rochester Hills) - Meadow Brook Amphitheatre ^
6/4 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island *
6/6 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater *
6/7 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *
6/8 - New Orleans, LA - Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square *
6/11 - Houston, TX - Revention Music Center #
6/12 - Dallas, TX (Irving) - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory #
6/14 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre %
6/16 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort %
6/19 - Vancouver, BC - PNE Forum %
6/20 - Seattle WA - WaMu Theater %
6/22 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre %
6/27 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium %
Earl Sweatshirt = %
Noname = *
Mac DeMarco = #
Jessie Reyez = ^
