For some reason, I’ve been listening to a lot of mellow French coffee shop music recently, and I’ve been living my life to match — languid, unhurried, eating too many croissants. So hitting shuffle on Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard was like opening a door that led straight to a sweaty dance floor — and that’s exactly what my kitchen turned into when I hit play. (Which my neighbours probably found entertaining; my large kitchen windows look out onto the street below.) “Who R U?,” “Mansa Musa,” and “Headlow” especially will get ya groovin’.
And although the songs are bumpin’, the lyrics aren’t anything special. Anderson talks about fame, money, lying, and love — nothing groundbreaking. But if you aren’t looking for anything fresh, it doesn’t matter, because the groove factor makes up for it.
In “Light Weight” (not on Oxnard) he says “You know I really can’t fuss about it / you know I really can’t funk without it” and I agree. Damn, Anderson, I’ll never funk the same again.
