User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 232 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 7 out of 232

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. May 10, 2011
    10
    amazing job for a newcomer! the new voice of R&B...! He did great covers like Strawberry Swing and Electric Feel in this album! There Will Be Tears and Songs for Women are incredible songs! one of the finest R&B albums of the year!
  2. Jul 25, 2011
    8
    You realise this is a great album on its first listen, not many albums provoke such a reaction. Novacane & Love Crimes are highlights. One trade off is that I now have a Coldplay track on my iPod even if Frank manages to make it sound good.
  3. Aug 30, 2011
    9
    I was looking forward to hearing Nostalgia, Ultra when I heard his first song 'Novacane' which was Ocean's first commercial song. When I then heard Nostalgia, Ultra, I was ecstatic at how good the Mixtape was. Songs including American Wedding, Nature Feels and, of course, Novacane were my favourites off the album, but the rest of the album was also great to listen to. It's an extremelyI was looking forward to hearing Nostalgia, Ultra when I heard his first song 'Novacane' which was Ocean's first commercial song. When I then heard Nostalgia, Ultra, I was ecstatic at how good the Mixtape was. Songs including American Wedding, Nature Feels and, of course, Novacane were my favourites off the album, but the rest of the album was also great to listen to. It's an extremely unique album with a natural flow to it, lots of intuition and a great structure to it, and definitely deserves a listen. Expand
  4. Sep 4, 2011
    9
    When you think of Odd Future, you might picture harsh rhymes, raw beats and Steve Harvey hatred. It's surprising to think that a smooth R&B singer like Frank Ocean mixes with these bitter guys. Ocean's singing is wonderful, the beats are mellow, and MGMT fans will recognise the backing music to the final track. I'm not generally an R&B fan, but I've found a soft spot for Frank Ocean.
  5. Sep 28, 2011
    10
    This young and talented new R&B voice of the future has extraodinary power in his words and actually has a meaning to his music and people can relate to what he talks about or just vibe off this good music that's being provided. If this were a real album instead of an EP this would win album of the year at the Grammys in my opinion.
  6. Dec 14, 2011
    8
    This delicious mixtape by Frank Ocean of the alternative hip-hop collective called Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (or simply OFWGKTA) should show all those idiots what R&B is capable of. nostalgia, ULTRA. is powerful and clever in an unprecedented way but bear in mind that Tyler, The Creator is one of Oceanâ
  7. Feb 8, 2012
    8
    This is the next generation of R&B!!! And I love it! He simply talks about things differently than most other artists in the genre. Out of everyone in Odd Future, Frank Ocean shines the brightest.
  8. Jul 19, 2012
    10
    Frank ocean took the R&B world by storm & this project proves it. His voice & words are just soothing & if you understand the lyrics then you know what he is talking about. Pick up Channel orange if you like this project
  9. Mar 23, 2012
    10
    Possibly one of the greatest R&B mixtapes ever released. Every song is great, and something you will be listening to over the course of months if not years.
  10. Jul 10, 2012
    10
    There is on of a mix-tape(because it is a mix-tape) you can't forget over two decades (starting in 2020 to 2040). Smooth and hard; speed and slow, every details matter, even the sound of the tape the listener is suppose to reverse although the album. Magic, deep and amazing.
  11. Jul 12, 2012
    10
    Such an amazing album. The covers of "Electric Feel", "Strawberry Swing",and "Hotel California" are awesome. Frank Ocean's voice is beautiful and capable of so much emotion. Exploring ideas of love, wealth, and heartbreak, Ocean provides an album that can be listened to over and over again, and only gets better with time.
  12. Jul 13, 2012
    9
    Frank obviously goes into the studio hoping not to only make a good song, but to make something that defines the word music itself. Something with meaning that delightfully caters to Frank's point of view, so that you might become biast to his outlook on personal things.
  13. Jul 18, 2012
    10
    The feeling once you listen to this mixtape, you know it's nothing like you have ever listened to before. This will be my first review, mainly in due fact because of this piece of work itself. The name of this work, is simply what you feel when you transition from one song to the next. The nostalgic feeling, just close your eyes and listen to the picture he's trying to portray. FromThe feeling once you listen to this mixtape, you know it's nothing like you have ever listened to before. This will be my first review, mainly in due fact because of this piece of work itself. The name of this work, is simply what you feel when you transition from one song to the next. The nostalgic feeling, just close your eyes and listen to the picture he's trying to portray. From Strawberry Swing that can bring you back into your adolescence. To Novacane that reminds you of a former love you may have been to a significant other or substance. But the picture is never painted as good as Swim Good paints, with the broken hearts in his town car and driving off a cliff. This, to this day, is still something I have yet to hear anything close to. Wonderful, replay value is so high. Terrific. It is out of it's element. Expand
  14. Jul 21, 2012
    8
    Incredible mixtape with good original songs such as novacane, we all try, and dust; along with great covers over strawberry swing and american wedding making each song unique and his own.
  15. Sep 5, 2012
    8
    "nostalgia, ULTRA" is Odd Future Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean's solo Digital debut, self-releasing the mixtape via Tumblr in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics were deep and enlightening, the sound was sweet and nostalgic, and the concepts were original and powerful in message. Even though it doesn't come together as a single LP (as he would do later in channel ORANGE), this was a great"nostalgia, ULTRA" is Odd Future Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean's solo Digital debut, self-releasing the mixtape via Tumblr in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics were deep and enlightening, the sound was sweet and nostalgic, and the concepts were original and powerful in message. Even though it doesn't come together as a single LP (as he would do later in channel ORANGE), this was a great collection of ear-pleasing, indulging songs, especially for free. Even though Def Jam/Island's attempt to physically release it collapsed, it did allow the Universally aclaimmed song "Swim Good" to hit mainstream airwaves, thus its nomination for 3 Video Music Awards over the summer. Ocean's other single off this work, "Novacane", has been titled as "The Song of the Year" worldwide for 2011. Ocean also gets personal in the strong tracks "Songs for Women", "We All Try", and "Nature Feels". The production is vast yet well done. The Free mixtape even manages to cause controversy over the track "American Wedding," which uses the instrumental to the Eagles' "Hotel California" with Ocean singing original wordplay over it, which caused the band to threaten a lawsuit if he was to ever perform it live. Even though the Theme of "Nostalgia, ULTRA" is hard to grasp or immediately detect, Ocean still seems to get a message stuck in your brain.
    Personal Favorites: "We All Try", "Songs for Women", "Dust", "Bitches Talkin' (Metal Gear Solid)"
    Recommend: "Strawberry Swing", "Swim Good", "American Wedding"
    Collapse
  16. Aug 20, 2013
    9
    Lyrics are somewhat weaker than expected from Ocean, but succeeds non the less for providing beautiful melodies and interesting narratives. Accessibility for this album is inconvenient, so an iTunes release would be appreciated.
  17. Jul 28, 2019
    7
    A beautiful voice, a great sound... I don't think it's quite as polished and layered as his following projects are, as he is just seems to be experimenting with just how much he can do as an artist. The covers are awesome, a great spin on some classic songs. This project is the introduction of a musical genius.
  18. Jun 8, 2020
    9
    This album is such an "in your face" to Def Jam for not prioritizing Frank's album. This will probably never be on streaming services due to the extreme amounts of unclearable samples on it, however this album is still amazing and deserves to be listened to. This is probably one of the best mixtapes I've heard. I'm glad Def Jam prioritized him after this
  19. Oct 8, 2018
    9
    Esta mixtape é sofisticada, palpitante e reflexiva, além de demonstrar a sensibilidade e a musicalidade intuitiva de Frank Ocean com o seu R&B alternativo. Um trabalho fantástico! Destaques para "Swim Good", "Songs for Women" e "Nature Feels".
  20. Nov 26, 2021
    9
    Perfect album i wish it was on apple music so much talent very good to listen to
  21. Jun 3, 2022
    8
    The fact that this is by far the weakest Frank project and I still rate it an 8 really shows something about Frank's unique and sophisticated artistry. Every track is compelling - samples, vocals, production, instrumentation - everything is on point with this mixtape. Its a project by an artist still finding his feet but it's amazing nonetheless.
  22. Jan 19, 2023
    9
    This is the best mixtape I've ever heard right up there with House of Balloons. There is so many great songs on here and the production is amazing. Novacane, swim good, we all try, the cover of strawberry swing, songs for women, and American wedding i would consider the high points. While this album isn't perfect the street fighter intro is a good opening. The **** talking isn't a songThis is the best mixtape I've ever heard right up there with House of Balloons. There is so many great songs on here and the production is amazing. Novacane, swim good, we all try, the cover of strawberry swing, songs for women, and American wedding i would consider the high points. While this album isn't perfect the street fighter intro is a good opening. The **** talking isn't a song and is only 22 seconds. Lovecrimes is really good also. There will be tears and dust are also very good and interesting, Nature feels is a great closing to the album and soul calibur is very short for 18 seconds so 4 songs of the album are referencing videogames and all together take up about 1 minute of the album. If you liked Channel orange or blonde then you will like this too different from either two though Expand
  23. Jul 20, 2023
    8
    Great listen i loved the covers he did such a good job some of my favorite tracks offf of the album were Novacane and Love Crimes
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Jan 24, 2012
    80
    Compared to most releases of its kind, Nostalgia, Ultra is plotted with care, not slapped together with haste.
  2. 100
    His romantic laments are models of texture, respect, and profound loss, their beats subtle, seductive, weird, and seized like time.
  3. Jan 24, 2012
    80
    He's an intuitive r&b stylist, with a firm sense of song structure (he's written for Justin Bieber and Beyoncé) and a conversational talk-singing voice that is as indebted to Justin Timberlake and Pharrell as it is to R. Kelly.