Customer Reviews

Opaline

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dear God this album is overwhelming! This is perhaps the only band I listen to that is not unleashing a double-bass onslaught with soaring vocal lines and riffs. Why you ask? Their is a tranquil and profound aspect to Dishwalla that I sense every time I hear this album. I fell hard for this particular work, after hearing their latest self-titled release. That is a masterpiece and my favorite work of theirs by the way, but Opaline is a ridiculously close second. I have nothing bad to say about this album, I love it. Like other reviewers, it is hard to fathom how they have remained in the shadows even until now. I honestly like it that way, I feel most people do not deserve to hear such splendor. No offense, but these are probably the same people who feel that "Counting Blue Cars" is the bands only legacy. Their entire musical career diminshed into a one-hit-wonder. I do not think so... Everything they have released after that has been better and better. I do not care if they ever go main-stream. I will continue to buy everything they release, and refer them to everyone I meet. The song "Home" is perhaps my favorite track of all. But the funny thing is that every track is excellent, and I can play this CD from start to finish any day of the week. Filler tracks are for talentless bands, which Dishwalla will never be.

Dishwalla has long been well-known as one of a few pop bands that have mastered the art of songwriting: in each album, the instruments are distinctly layered, the choruses catchy, and the transitions between verses, chorsuses, and bridges impeccably smooth. I own and love all three of their albums "Pet Your Friends", "And You Think You Know What Life's About" and their latest effort, "Opaline", as they capture a range of emotions that most people have felt at least once in their lives :o)

What sets "Opaline" apart, however, is that it reflects immense growth -- musically, lyrically, and emotionally. This is the first album in which all the instruments and, most definitely, JR Richards' voice flows freely all throughout the entire album. From the opening beats and soft guitar strumming of "Opaline" to the Richard's poignant vocals and lyrics in the last song, "Drawn Out", the members of Dishwalla masterfully weaves each of their distinct musical interpretations of each song into solid, powerful, unified entities. It's storytelling at its best, similar to watching a movie in which the score manifests and punctuates the storyline and emotions perfectly.

The question "And you think you know what life's about" that Dishwalla posed in their second album is answered in "Opaline." JR Richards' vocals and lyrics take the listener on a journey of Life's Lessons. They emote a feeling of learning difficult, sometimes painful, lessons about life and love -- and then coming out on top once one realizes that love and life are essentially up to yourself. In the the tenth song, "Nashville Skyline", Richards' discovers and shares with the listener that "Underneath it all, you yourself are free/forevermore is the love that you need to believe/and you yourself are there/floating high above/the Nashville Skyline"

This, if anything, is the heart of "Opaline" -- amidst the diversity of life's experiences, Dishwalla has found a way to be free and freely love. Musically and lyrically, "Opaline" embodies this feeling, this lesson so well that you cannot help but learn. And even if you go in feeling that you think you know what life's about, after just one listen, you will feel as if you're "floating high above", no matter where you happen to be...

I must admit to not knowing that much about Dishwalla but when I heard "Somewhere in the Middle", I knew I had to have the cd. One of my best purchases to date! Every single song on the cd is fabulous! The lyrics and music are addictive and I found myself singing along soon enough. This is not one of those cds that you buy and play only one or two songs.

So many of the tracks are soulful and heartfelt, not contrived at all! Some of my current favs are the title song "Opaline" and "Every Little Thing". If I had known this band had this much talent, I would have been a fan earlier.

can i borrow 95 stars from the other albums and place it here?!
this album deserves a hundred stars.. i mean it.

dishwalla, please do us a favor and dont EVER stop making music!

I am a manager of a cd store and its rare that I see an album that really surpises me. This album did. I caught the last half of the "Somewhere in the Middle" video on Much Music one day and went into work and ordered the CD in quantity because I figured it would sell very well. That was that last time I ever seen the video anywhere and the album didnt sell very well at all. It surprises me that a band of this level of talent doesnt do as well as it should. Rich vocal talent and songs with melody and meaning is a rare thing today. I was puzzled and wondered why it didnt do very well. In my humble opinion I think that the only thing that is preventing Dishwalla from being super stars is the fact that the record label isnt putting money into promoting them. I think it is becuse people are not exposed to them that they are not buying the cd. I took it upon myself to try to correct that injustice at my store. I played it (and still play it all the time) and I am never surpised (but always excited) when people come up to me and ask "hey whats that playing?". That is usally followed by them purchasing the cd. Oplaine is by far the best cd that came out of 2002, and I am being honest when I say that I have listened to the cd countless times mostly every day since I purchased it and it is always never too far away from my cd player. It has been this way since the summer of 2002 and its now the winter of 2004. They have rapidly become one of my favotie bands. Buy this CD and see what I mean. My perosnal favorite track is "Home", but all of them are incredible. Also check out the live CD they now have (only available on import in Canada) called "Live from the Flow State." You will see that the talent in this band is not all studio and JR Richards voice is just as good live as recorded in studio. I only wish that people could hear this album and let the music sell itself. Thanks for lending me you ears.

Getting a bad rap as their only claim to fame being Counting Blue Cars and even called 'washed up' in ignorant circles Opaline is a truimphunt follow up of the also excellent though lesser known "And You Think You Know What Life's About" CD. I didn't know who these guys were until I joined a band and we had to cover Blue Cars. It was on a whim I typed dishwalla.com into my browser and found a very extant band with a new disc - Opaline. When I first heard the music I found it very different from the 1st (Pet Your Friends) and also the 2nd in that it seemed more mellow yet now I've come to love this CD best of their 4 offerings (most recent album is a live disc). Honestly there's not a bad track and most of them are postitively addictive. I've found the songs convert well to strumming on my acoustic by the fire as well as playing the disc loud in my car, lighting up my night. Listen, discover this band - they'll change your life as they did mine. Also stay tuned for the new album to be released 03-15-05.

As I get older, I discover that I am so much more picky on what constitutes great music. Every now and then you will discover a "diamond in the rough". Opaline was that CD.

While I had heard some of the previous popular songs by Dishwalla, Opaline showed the maturity of a band, that I haven't seen in quite some time. Listening to this CD, just blew me away.

While I feel every song on the CD is fantastic, standout tracks are 'Opaline', 'Every Little Thing', 'Nashville Skyline', and the 'Candleburn' (gorgeous piano). The release of an album like Opaline is such an enigma is today's music scene, it feels like a cardinal sin that the band doesn't receive more recognition. The absolute love & craft that Dishwalla put into this effort, literally bursts out of the speakers.

Simply put, buy this CD. It's worth every penny.

no sarcasm here... i have been listening to opaline for two years, and eversince it was and still is my fave cd. after i heard the cd, i started to get addicted to music and even went serious with my band. they may have mellowed and narrowed down here but i think that's the way they sound best. every song is just simply beautiful. i have exposed a number of my friends to opaline and most of them would admit to have a favorite dishwalla song.

my fave track in this album must be "angels or devils" (it's very hard to choose a fave track here). my other fave is "candleburn".

no other album i've heard has sounded this clean, emotional, and soulful. richards has one of the most beautiful voices.

although opaline didn't sell as much as it deserved (due to poor promotion), i must say i am so happy to be one of the few who experienced the music and i can't imagine my life without knowing this cd. i pity those who haven't heard it yet, they just don't know what they're missing.

after two years of listening to opaline, i guess it'll be my fave album for the rest of my life (unless dishwalla would come up with something better than this... and i know for sure they would!).

Dishwalla is by far one of the most amazing bands of all time. I saw them perform live, and they sounded even better than on their CD! I heard the song "Somewhere in the Middle" about six months ago, fell in Love with it, and decided to buy their CD on an impulse when it was released. It was probably the single best music purchase I have ever made. This cd has so many layers to it, and part of the fun is inerpreting the lyrics, and applying them to your own life. The album has a certain smoothness to it, yet it also displays a rock edge in certain songs. It has a raw emotional effect on people that I cannot explain. Lyrically, Dishwalla is GENIUS. The songs that I have found myself listening to over and over again are:

-"When Morning Comes" ( a lyrical song with a driving beat behind it)

-"Candleburn" (an amazing lyrical masterpiece with beautiful piano and smooth lyrics)

-"Nashville Skyline" (an incredible song that empowers you with hope, as cheesy as that may sound)
and of course,

-"Somewhere in the Middle" ( a song that everyone can associate with, talking about love and how you're just somewhere in between it all).

However, I can listen to the ENTIRE CD over and over again. This is not a cd that you have to hit your track button every five minutes to skip songs. The entire CD is good, and you will NOT be disappointed if you purchse it! Dishwalla is an entirely different experience altogether, and you need to share them with your friends and family, seriously!

This album is like a best kept secret, but shouldn't be. People need to know about it , listen to it, buy it! I wasn't familiar with Dishwalla until earlier this summer. The local radio station put on a concert in the park and that is when I first heard them. I was absolutely drawn to their music and wondered why I hadn't heard them before! The next day I ordered their CD and it is now on my list of favorites which include the likes of Matchbox Twenty--Mad Season and Train--Drops of Jupiter. If you like that style of music, you should love this one! The intro to the title track lures you in with a mystical beat and you know you are in for a musical journey. My favorite tracks include: Candleburn and Every Little Thing, however I feel they are all good and I never tire of them. I've read that some feel it's too mellow compared to previous albums, but I'm a sucker for ballads, and I feel they best accentuate the vocals of JR Richards. The lyrics alone won me over on this CD, and the fact that JR has the ability to mesmerize me with that soul soothing, sexy, make my loins ache type of voice....well it's just an added bonus! I have recommended this CD to 4 of my friends thus far. Of the four, none had ever heard of Dishwalla, and with just one listen, all four loved it! So there you have it, they ARE expanding their listening audience...I'm making sure of it!
Enjoy!