Review Summary: O.A.R. have called this a more "mature" sound. If this is what maturity sounds like, I don't ever want to grow up.
Of A Revolution originated at a high school in Maryland, grew when they went to The Ohio State University, and became popular attempting to perfect a rock sound with a reggae twang, similar to the music made famous by
Dave Matthews Band and
Dispatch.
Everyone loves a good comeback story. Just imagine...
O.A.R., once revered for their high-energy songs, have been stuck in a lull for the past couple years. Many accused them of, dare I say it, "selling out". Granted they had gained some new followers closer to the "pop" end of the spectrum, it was doubtful that they would ever be able to woo back their diehard fans in the college scene. Then, it hit O.A.R., all they had to do was to go back to their roots, what made them great (well, at least tolerable) on albums like their debut The Wanderer. They released their masterpiece, All Sides, a throwback to the old days with their upbeat rock songs and a hint of reggae.
Sorry, but that’s not at all what happened.
All Sides is ordinary, boring radio rock at the point of mediocrity. When I first heard the single “Shattered”, I knew before it hit the chorus, this is going to be bad. But hey, why not give them a chance? They made some good songs in their earlier years. Fortunately it did get a little better. “Shattered”, at track 2, was the low point of
All Sides. Roberge’s shoddy lyrics and mediocre singing aren’t a very good combination with an overused melody. I felt like I had heard that same song a myriad after listening only twice. Another poor moment occurs during “The Fallout”. Usually, I go easy if the lyrics are a bit below my standards, but these are hard to ignore.
Baby
From the fallout
Hear me call out
I got this one beat
From the fallout
Hear me call out
I got this one beat
Throughout the rest of this album, there were a few tracks that managed to get my hopes up. “Whatever Happened” and “What Is Mine” both start out with some decent beats, but the rest of the song blends into obscurity along with the rest of the album. DePizzo and On described the album as a more “mature” sound. I would have to disagree. If this is what maturity sounds like, you can call me Peter Pan. If I had to describe the album in one word, “bland”. Not very much stands out when listening to the album all at once- at least not anything agreeable.
I think there was a definite moment when O.A.R. lost all past credibility. There could not have been a more finalizing way to seal their official “sell-out” than playing the theme song for ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Oh well… maybe they’ll take my advice and the first paragraph will become true… nah, they’re too far gone to come back.
