In the sea of pop artifice that is the Video Music Awards, Frank Ocean's soulful, emotional performance of "Thinkin Bout You" was a breath of fresh air. On the one hand. On the other, it was a performance pitched for a small, intimate venue rather than an arena, and on the VMA stage the whole thing felt a little too subdued for its own good. His voice was certainly in fine form - few male artists currently in the game can hit those high notes better than he - but it would've been nice to see him commanding the stage just a little bit more. That said, this was the rising R&B star's first time out at the VMAs, so we'll give him a pass this time around.

- Chris Eggertsen