Osmo - Heaven & Hell Is Just A State Of Mind (Album Review)
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Written by James Ball
When your first ever UK date isn’t in some seedy pub somewhere in Camden, or in your best friends back garden, or at a birthday party, but in the official London residence of the Finnish Ambassador, you know you’ve got one hell of a career in front of you. This album, Osmo's second, but first released in this country, is described as a “cool slice of soulful pop”, which I have to disagree with to an extent. That description gives you the impression that the album’s going to sound like twelve different versions of Adele's ‘Rolling in the Deep’ (which, I must add, is an utterly ace song) but that isn’t quite the case. I would describe the general taste as a cross between swing, jazz, funk with a hint of a Latin influence all mixed together with a radio-friendly pop icing on top. This is inoffensive jolly nonchalance that gets parts of it right, and parts of it way off the mark.
I can imagine most music journos hating absolutely everything about this. The songs, without exception, follow a very basic, and occasionally cheesy (especially during ‘You Just Wanna Talk’ where the music stops so a female vocalist can answer with a random one-liner out of nowhere) curve, none of which will really push any boundaries. In fact, if I ever have to hear another elevator-music-influenced electro-organ solo ever again, I think it’ll be too soon. Osmo's voice, while pitch perfect, has an air of arrogance about it, with it occasionally drowning out the backing melodies, especially during the first few tracks. He punches above all which is probably not great considering the intricate melodies on occasion can be the best parts of each track on offer here.
Put simply, this album, while certainly not bad as a whole package, has come straight out of a cabaret club. It has a host of highlights including the slick production values (except the over-importance of the lead vocals), the music has been crafted very well, and occasionally the faster tracks can get the old foot stomping along. Not only that but this album is designed for a summer release as a lot of songs, should Osmo become very successful, are ideal for that mid-afternoon sing-along spot at the summer festivals.
Also, mid-album slow-burner ditty ‘Don’t Let it Show’, while not one to blow the mind, is actually a pretty little ballad where Osmo sounds genuinely vulnerable. His previously strong, imposing voice quietens down and even quivers a little. That song is by far the best on the album, even if some of the lyrics are dodgier than a weekly markets CD stand. Step forward this classic from ‘Better than Reality’: “I never met you but I can’t wait to see you in my dreams again”. Urgh. Thankfully Rebecca Black and her educational lyrics describing the days of the week came first to save this one from a terrible fate.
I really don’t want to dislike it. I can see real musical prowess, and the whole thing flows smoothly, but it’s just too cheesy. It’s straight out of a manual of how to make songs that could appear in the Euro pop charts. There’s nothing outright wrong with that, but the whole thing just doesn’t quite feel like a serious pop album, and that is a problem.
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Put simply, this album, while certainly not bad as a whole package, has come straight out of a cabaret club. It has a host of highlights including the slick production values (except the over-importance of the lead vocals), the music has been crafted very well, and occasionally the faster tracks can get the old foot stomping along. Not only that but this album is designed for a summer release as a lot of songs, should Osmo become very successful, are ideal for that mid-afternoon sing-along spot at the summer festivals.
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