4. Channel Orange / Frank Ocean

Channel Orange is the finest R&B album The D Man has heard in a long, long time.  Frank Ocean totally outclasses any of his peers.  His smooth vocals and lyrical smarts are substantial; some in the game may be calling for wealth redistribution.  It seems unfair that someone with such a silky voice should also be writing incisive, in-the-zeitgeist character sketches that luxuriate in richly textured soul music.  This record could easily hold down the top spot on this list, were it not for The D Man indulging himself this year with three sentimental favorites.  (Editor's note: The explicit version is not very explicit, but you can swing the clean disc and not lose any of your streed cred).

"The best song wasn't the single, but you weren't either," Ocean sings on "Sweet Life."  Hiding away in "the black Beverly Hills," his muse cannot escape "domesticated paradise, palm trees and pools." Though he may feel resentment, he also understands the pull of "whatever makes you feel good, whatever takes you mountain high."  But there is some sly criticism in his final assessment: "Don't know why see the world, when you got the beach."

The record is finely attuned to insightful details in the life of its characters, but grand enough to conceive of something startingly epic like "Pyramids."  Ocean sings about Cleopatra, "the crown of our pharoah," and then traces the degradation of the black woman, "the jewel of Africa," at the hands of unworthy men.  She goes from Queen/Godess to working the late-night shift at the gentleman's club, aptly-titled Pyramids.  The song is masterful in its scope, precise in its personal touches, stretching from the glories of ancient kingdoms to the misery of a modern, urban apartment.  It is difficult to think of another R&B song to rival its sweeping, groove-laden message.  Ocean has arguably set the standard for a new class of R&B prose.

An almost sampleless album, the music is vibrant and crisp, yet lived in just enough to pull you closer listen after listen.  It works as an in-the-background aphrodisiac, as well as a wide-screen experience.  In an era of overkill, Ocean unspools his vibe with sophistication.  One critic noted that he brings substance with style, rather than style demanding to be considered substance.

Ultimately, Channel Orange demands listeners to up their game.  Ocean refuses to pander to the lowest common denominator like so many of the genre's studio and radio lackeys.  But it would be unfair to limit this record to a specific label or class of listeners.  Destined to become a classic, Channel Orange is as alternative and indie as any record released in 2012.