Customer Reviews

See

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

 

 

The departure of Steve Lau may have influenced the brass and the ivory usage on the album. However, as David has with the other releases, this album projects new moods and similar sounds. Rob plays an active role in the production which is crisp and etherial. The band suffers from lack of MTV and label support. With recent industry changes, is TOB still together? Ten years, four albums later and a few labels later TOB surprises you with hard and soft edges. "Bitter" and "Whenever you're Around" have some power. New keyboard player, guitarist and backing vocalist Ed Ronnie lends a track of his own & pulls his weight on CD & in concert.

I really enjoyed this recording. It just seemed like a logical progression for the band. From their first album, "Between Something and Nothing", to their subsequent albums, they have grown and matured as musicians and songwriters. It was not what I expected from The Ocean Blue but that is what blows me away with each new recording of theirs. You can hear the old stuff/songs underneath each new song but the new ones definitely strike out on their own and make a name for themselves. I would recommend this to anyone who loves music.

Perceptions of The Ocean Blue were totally smashed with this excellent album. Fans expecting more lush sound were first suprised to hear the playful opening instrumental, then the hard driving melodies which followed. But make no mistake--this isn't the tired crunch rock that bloats so many radio station playlists these days. The superb TOB sound is still there, just different--and invigorated. In this case, change is good. Even fans of the "old" sounds of Cerulean will find something to like in this album because you can't dismiss all the great hooks. This one is a solid gem, don't miss it.

I would actually give this 3 1/2 stars. This was the first TOB CD that I heard, and I still love it. But since I've heard their earlier stuff, I realize that it isn't quite as good.

It has infectious melodies and some good hooks, but doesn't match the dreamy, upbeat sounds of "Cerculean" or "Beneath the Rythym and the Sound."

I've been a fan of the Ocean Blue since I first heard the self-titled album. I was a fan of many different genres when I first heard them so I was very happy when See was released since it shows a different faze of their musical existence.

I think you'd have to see them play this material live to understand that the band was playing something different as their lives evolve. This album reflects some of the ambience the show produced and I'm happy to hear David writing some diverse material.

Don't compare See to earlier or later albums; listen to it as it's own identity and soak in the emotion on such tracks as Bitter, Behind and the soulful SLIDE! This album goes through a roller-coaster of dynamic sounds that should be listened to a few times in the summer. Drive and enjoy.

Some people seem to be pretty excited by this album, but I wasn't, really. A few good songs, but to me the harder-edged sound and more sardonic mood isn't quite becoming to The Ocean Blue. I didn't even bother keeping this one; maybe it had something to do with the fact that I got rejected the same week I bought this, and didn't particularly want a memento!

Certainly this album offers very little to a fan of The Ocean Blue's eariler work. The vocals and guitars sound quite different (gone is that beautiful dreamy sound). And what about those awesome saxaphone and keyboard sounds that made their earlier tracks so fun? Just because Steve Lau is gay is no reason for the band to abandon keyboards altogether. So, anyway, what does this album offer instead? Harder sounding guitar, angrier sounding vocals, and songs that are somewhat intersting, but are lacking in any magic that would make you want to listen to them after you've had the CD for a couple weeks. Exceptions: "Whenever You're Around", and "Slide" are good enough songs to standout inspite of boring production.