Glyn Bailey is an optimist, with a sharp to find beauty in a world that is quite dark right now. His new album Oran's World is filled to the rafters with carefully orchestrated, baroque pop. He plays with light and shade, with the latter coming out on top, even when melancholy comes up with a half-hearted attempt to gain dominance.
If anything, this collection of songs is a plea for being gentle by way of luscious musical arrangements that were all the rage in the late 60s. Jazz and big band licks were part of the mainstream back then, and Bailey puts this old school to good use in tracks like Birdsong and Honeypot.
The album's stand-out track is Dinner with Bowie, a heartfelt ballad for his musical hero - he lifted a few notes from Warszawa - picturing people engaging in a slow dance, leading up to short crescendo before the keyboards take over for the coda with a seamless segue into The Presence of Love. Dave Archer of Last Riff Studio in Cincinnati did a wonderful job tweaking the tracks to bring each note to its designated spot in the listening experience. Oran's World is a treat for the ears as well a reminder that people can be kind against all odds.
Glyn Bailey: lead vocals
Philip Maxwell Senior: guitar, bass, backing vocals
John Edward Keys: piano, organ, keyboards (1,3,4,5)
James Coupe: piano (9,10)
Elizabeth Archer: backing vocals
Tony Hession: saxophone
Nick Burrows: trumpet (9)
Oran's World is a self-released album. Buy it from his website (limited vinyl - 40 copies, digital).
Tracks:- Oran's World
- Birdsong
- The Guru
- Autograph
- Honeypot
- This Man
- The Last Laugh
- Songs of the Sea
- Dinner with Bowie
- The Presence of Love
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