Blood Orange has a distinct sound, producing addictive albums that feel like a specific scene or setting. That’s the effect of “Freetown Sound”: It’s vibrant, funky, electronic and crowded like a warm summer night. Blood Orange, also known as Devonté Hynes, named the album after Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Hynes was inspired by his father’s heritage, his mothers Guyanese ancestry and his experience as a Black British immigrant in New York. Throughout the album, Hynes features sounds and voices beyond his own in order to explore these areas of inspiration in his life; the blend of his own airy vocals with a multitude of other female and male voices is what really stands out. This is further supported by the layers of music and samples. The instrumentals consist of saxophones, twinkles, a variety of percussion and synthesizers. The shifts in pace create an interesting appeal, soothing then striking the listener’s ear. This is apparent from the start. The first song on the album, “By Ourselves,” is a monologue by slam poet Ashlee Haze from her piece “For Colored Girls (The Missy Elliot Poem)” backed by jazzy saxophones and faint vocals. This heavy and impactful monologue is then followed by “Augustine,” a groovier yet still personal and serious song. Hynes opens “Augustine” singing, “My father was a young man / My mother off the boat / My eyes were fresh at twenty-one / Bruised but still afloat.” Hynes compliments his exploration of race, gender, sexuality and heavier stories with such enthralling, upbeat, “get up and dance” rhythms. “Freetown Sound” is not only impactful and culturally inspired, but also dripping in coolness, groove and danceability.