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Artist |
Ozma |
| Title |
Rock and Roll Part III |
| Label |
Kung Fu Records |
| Reviewer |
Vinnie Apicella |
| Rating |
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Well I haven't heard the first two yet, but if they've stayed around
long enough to do three of 'em, I'll go with it. In fact the five
members shown on the back of the album credits look like a group of
music school graduates who became fast friends, started a band, having
fun, and create songs not for love of fame, but because they want to
make memories that last a lifetime... or something like that. Yes they're
the newest entry into the Polaroid Rock sweepstakes then! And it's
written somewhere in their bio, their musical background is evident from
the beginning, their youthfulness undeniable Their seasoning however,
is not something to be expected though obvious from such instrumentally
dynamic works as "Domino Effect," at first a tuneful yet quirky
keyboard-led opener, "Shootingstars," keeping in time, with the time,
but soon we realize there's other parts at play here to cause a
question. Then there's "Natalie Portman," a beautifully done piece, warm and
heart-tugging, a ballad based on the enchanting actress from Star Wars
fame.
Ozma's style is very much in the present, barely in their early
twenties, how could it be otherwise, yet their tastes are firmly planted
in the yesteryear technology of early '80s circuitry, obsessively driven
by the wonderful world of Disney, an animated sound for an animated band
built on Super Mario, digitized images and keyboard enhancing Pop
fantasies that come through crystal clear.
An enhanced CD which lures
you in and apparently doesn't let you out till you've made it to the
very end -- all this without dropping a single token, er, quarter, gotta
remember our roots here -- altogether eleven enhanced songs, vibrantly
presented, equal parts early-model Cars, a bit of the ol' second
generation Elvis, tuneful and Pop friendly, catchy and smooth, always
smiling -- "In Search of 1988," suggests they're still looking but upon
further evidence, it's hard not to think they've found it by the time
this one's half over. And in the modern sense, there's a bit of the
Weezer-like flakiness thrown in the mix, soft touch Smashing Pumpkins
and a little Jimmy Eat World. or Boy Meets World or whoever, it's a
pretty spicy version of memorable AOR classics from the post-modern age
for college age listeners and beyond, hip to the groove and plenty o'
room to move.
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© 2001 AMZ/music-reviewer.com Robert R. Lewis
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