You have to admire someone who refuses
to do what's expected of him and instead follows his own
path through life. It would have been very easy for Ola to
follow the career path of his family of lawyers or indeed
to become a singer of pop/soul sensibilities. Instead, he
did neither. Supported by his loyal wife, Ola sent off on
his own path and after a long and hard struggle it seems
that at last he might just be beginning to see some
benefits.
On top of new gigs in the US and
Europe he has just released his 6th album which is a rare
gem; full of intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics, strong
melodies and a voice of such depth and range that it all
leaves an imprint on one's soul. As with most of Ola's
albums there is nothing that is easily accessible on first
hearing. However, like a good wine that gets better with
every taste, the same could be said of Ola's music. Savour
the intelligence of the title track with it's lyrics
regarding the corruption of power or the solo build of 'True
Friends' towards a powerful climax. The astuteness of 'Who
are You' is a result of Ola's brush with UK customs and 'Miracle
Obstacle' a result of every man's frustration-just ask the
late Poet Laureate,Sir John Betjamin!. All mature and
complex songs sung by a man who has something to say and
believes that he should. This is a contender for one of
the albums of the year. It's that strong!
Likened by a number of people to Donny
Hathaway is indeed some compliment, but Ola is very much
his own man- devoured, or not!!.
