Customer Reviews

Brian Olive

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Brian Olive is well known within the Cincinnati indie-music scene from his stint with the Greenhornes in the late 90s and early 2000s, before moving on to join the Soledad Borthers in Detroit (their debut album was produced by none otehr than Jack White, yes, THAT Jack White). Brian eventually relocated to Cincinnati and now is breaking out under his own name.

"Brian Olive" (10 tracks; 33 min.) stars Brian Olive as singer-songwriter-guitaris-pianist-saxophonist-producer (and I'm probably forgetting a few other categories). In other words, where in previous stints with the Greenhornes and the Soledad Brothers Olive had to compromise, this album has his fingerprints all over it, from start to finish. As to the sound itself, much of this is drenched in rhythm & blues, but there are plenty of other influences as well, such as New Orleans jazz on "Stealin'", 1960s psychedelia on "There Is Love", etc. The songs are short, make their musical point and Olive moves on to the next serving. At 33 min. this album clips by in no time and you'll find yourself playing this again and again.

If you wonder where you can hear Brian Olive, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that bring the best indie-rock in the country, bar none. I had the good fortune of catching Brian Olive and his backing band live here in Cincinnati recently, and they ROCKED, playing mostly material from this promising debut album. Check them out live when you get the opportunity.

Brian Olive (as Oliver Henry) explored British Invasion and American garage rock as a member of the Cincinnati-based Greenhornes and Detroit-based Soledad Brothers, playing sax, flute, guitar, piano and organ, as well as singing and writing songs. On his solo debut he expands beyond the gritty hard-rock and reworked blues of Blind Faith and mid-period Stones to include healthy doses of psych, glam, and most surprisingly, soul and exotica. Influences of the New York Dolls, T. Rex and Meddle-era Pink Floyd are easy to spot, but they're mixed with touches of Stax-style punch, South American rhythms, breezy jet-set vocals and jazz saxophones. It's intoxicating to hear droning saxophones transform from big band to glammy psychedelia on "High Low," and the acoustic guitar and drowsy vocals of "Echoing Light" bring to mind the continental air of Pink Floyd's "St. Tropez."

This is a rock album steeped in the heavy sounds of the late `60s and early `70s, mixed with the sort of experimental pairings Bill Graham pioneered on bills at the Fillmore. But rather than segueing the jazz, blues, soul and international influences across an evening, Olive invents ways to weave them together within a song, repurposing non-rock sounds in support of guitar, bass and drums. Olive's voice stretches over his words, ranging from introspective and spent to emotionally propulsive, but the lyrics are difficult to understand, so it's anyone's guess what he's actually singing about. Still, even without a simple storyline or easy sing-a-long, this is musically rich. Perhaps a lyric sheet could accompany the next album? 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractinoal ratings. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Brian Olive steps away from indie band The Greenhornes to deliver what might well turn out to be the best debut record of 2009. This is a fun record to play "spot the influences" with because I heard what sounded to my ears to be nods to British Psych, early 70's Beach Boys, Dr. John during his night tripper period, T. Rex, Glam Rock, Roy Wood's Wizzard, and even a nod to David Essex's "Rock On". Some have mentioned Stax as an influence as well, and I assume they're referring to the horns, but they sound more like Muscle Shoals to me, and Olive uses them the way Traffic did during that period when they were cutting the corners off their albums.

But Brian Olive isn't cutting corners here. Either these references were accidental or he has an amazing record collection. There's nothing contrived in any of it, though. He simply sounds like an artist who's absorbed a lot of great music and has been able to put it all together to serve notice that there's another new talent on the Alive label who demands to be heard.