Opaline

Dishwalla

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 23, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Immergent
• ASIN: B00006419P
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,407 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
J.R. Richards's tenor voice oscillates between the silky ease of one who knows the girls in the audience will be drying their eyes and the disgruntled ache of a teenager who's just been grounded. He plays both of these aspects well throughout Opaline, lending his voice greater versatility than it may actually possess. Though they often drift pleasantly, Richards's lyrics are never vague--they state with straightforward eloquence that this whole "life" thing is not easy, just worth it. The music complements the vocal work simply and well, creating an overall sound for Dishwalla that seems refreshed and reinvigorated rather than new or different. Do not expect flashy and surprising new musical work, but if you liked Dishwalla before--even if you never admitted it but secretly did--nothing here will disappoint. --Mark Huntsman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A metal head's inner sanctum, January 29, 2006

By	Alucard - See all my reviews

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.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars incredibly beautiful; a MUST have! :o), May 4, 2002

By	Em (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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...

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive!, April 25, 2002

By	Susan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.