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review by Dene Bebbington On first hearing Opal Fire I was under the impression that Omar had made several new age albums because the music is very accomplished, however, it turns out that this is his debut album. I expect this to be a sure fire (if you'll pardon the pun!) winner with the new age audience. It's a pretty solid release that should also appeal to listeners outside of the new age genre, and though one could easily imagine it sitting in the easy listening section of record shops, it's not bland or too sweet in nature. Comparing it to other Real Music releases I'd say it lies somewhere between Karunesh, and Kevin Kern or Danny Wright. This is a very melodious album with piano, keyboards, and synths used to create the sounds. The style is generally romantic, which shows in the melodies and dramatic flourishes, giving a hint of a modern troubadour. Omar has injected some world music influences, which is presumably a result of his having lived in many different countries. One striking example is "Last Dance" having a melody and rhythm exuding Latin temperament and sounding something like a tango; listening to this track I could imagine Spanish dancers strutting their stuff to the music. The Latin feeling also comes in later on the piece "Gypsy Woman." On some tracks, the pace picks up giving the music a more mainstream feel, such as in "So Far" where in parts electric guitar type effects are heard alongside an up tempo rhythm/percussion complementing nicely the piano melody and synth pads. Though I'm not a big new age fan I can see how Opal Fire will appeal to that audience; there's no doubt that it's a well- crafted and spirited album with pleasing melodies. The only niggle I'd raise is that the dramatic flourishes on some tracks came across to me as being somewhat contrived, and weren't always convincing. Overall, a worthy album. |
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