Search - O.A.R. :: All Sides

Truly showcasing "All Sides" and maturity level

Michael Ray | Cleveland, OH USA | 07/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can't honestly sit here and say "Yeah man, 10 years ago I was starting high school, smoking pot, and rocking out to some high school kids from Rockville, Maryland in this band called O.A.R." It took a while before I truly got turned onto O.A.R. When that happened they sort of turned into crack for me. I couldn't get enough. I spanned the entire catalog, all the way back to The Wanderer till Stories of a Stranger. I read that lead singer Marc Roberge went on a cross-country drive with his wife and dogs before this album was completed. The album title, " All Sides," is a fair and pretty accurate description of what to expect on this album. From the beginning till the end of the album I feel that all aspects of O.A.R.'s creativity and brilliance is delivered.

I truly hope people don't expect the O.A.R. from The Wanderer or Risen or any of the great older albums. That was ten years ago and the guys in O.A.R. are pushing close to 30 years old. Yet, what I find when listening to this album is a matured, progressive, and still fun and catchy band playing music they love and writing introspective and meaningful lyrics.

The first radio single off of "All Sides" is "Shattered (Turn the Car Around). It's a piano-laden, truly radio-friendly pop song, but I really find it hard not to sing along. I was slightly concerned with the first three songs being released early because I did not hear any of the traditional saxophone that makes O.A.R. great. Yet, I was not to be let down, as "Whatever Happened" starts in with a conga type intro soon to be followed by the catchy soulful saxophone of Jerry DePizzo.

With this release O.A.R. spans a lot of genres of music. "All Sides" contains bits of radio-friendly pop singles ( and why not, the band deserves some recognition besides the crazy cult following), funky saxophone reggae inspired jams, and slow, melodic, and emotional tunes belted out only as Marc Roberge could. When the man sings, as a listener, you can truly feel the emotion trying to be conveyed.

In short, "All Sides," is a great release for a great band. The boys have grown up to men and they have put out a great all encompassing album that any O.A.R. fan will enjoy, new or old. I truly hope not to hear crys of "sell-out," because it would be an injustice to great songwriters. I'm excited to see the guys this summer on their "All Sides" tour, and I strongly recommend this album to any O.A.R. fan, or music fan in general."

Fun and full of hope

W. Vriens | Holland | 09/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What we have here is the last new from OAR.

Many people consider this a to commerial album with too many radio friendly songs.

There is indeed a little less reggae and jam but through the songs you hear what they made in the past.

They have grown and i realy like this album, i rate it a 8 because of the quality songs and the great production.



MY FAVES



The first song THIS TIME has a really catchy melodie and you will notice that you've been whisteling this tune for days.

SHATTERED is a great lead singel, with again a sticky melodie.

WHAT IS MINE has that groovy reggae feel to it, feels like a hot summer day.

ONE DAY is a really great, great feelings in the voice and lov the chorus of the song.

The rest of the songs are also good, but these were my favorites.





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O.A.R. - All Sides

S. D. Mason | Greenville, NC | 09/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All Sides (2008, Atlantic) O.A.R.'s fifth studio album (eighth overall album). ***1/2



You have to admire O.A.R. Not many jam bands are capable of making quality studio albums, and even fewer have been able to do it once. Like all jam bands, the studio stuff isn't always a great as their live albums, and neither compares to the actual experience (even if you don't like the style) of actually being at a concert. Still, for those who don't have the means to make it to a concert or don't want to listen to the mindless whirlings of live albums, All Sides is a suitable companion.



O.A.R. isn't an original band in any sense of the word. All jam bands have to have the same certain elements, and O.A.R. borrows from Dave Matthews generously, but unlike their contemporaries - or influences, for that matter - they're able to make songs that are begging to be fleshed out into concise four minute bursts. All Sides is overflowing with anthemic rock, from the blast of the opener "This Town," or the stuttering "Living in the End." And, of course, there are the random but expected reggae-inspired bits such as "What is Mine." But there are more heartfelt moments, such as DMB-heavy (and even U2, who would have thought?) "Whatever Happened," and while it serves fantastically as a radio-friendly single, it could easily be torn wide open into a stomping fifteen-minute opus. That's what's great about All Sides, the songs sound fine the way they are, but for fans, when they hit the stage with them, it'll be a grand affair. In the end, All Sides is a tad too much, with several songs blending together in the middle of the album. Certainly all of it is fun, but few cuts are very memorable. The ones that are, though, should be cherished. (Whatever Happened, On My Way)"