Olu? Olu? I see you thinking. Yes, that’s the same Olu who released the album Soul Catcher in 1999 on Gee Street Records. The single release Sister Why from that album was quite successful with discering music listeners and included remixes by The Roots.
Six years have passed and Olu’s back with his sophomore set. Whereas Soul Catcher featured co-producers Ed Tuton and Stuart Matthewman and a notable number of guest musicians Beautiful Place is more or less a one man show with Olu having written, produced and recorded everything on his own with Angola Red helping him on four songs. The result is an album that’s not as easily to digest like its predecessor. Beautiful place is an album that demands your time to discover its beauty and thus it’s a real grower something like love at second sight.
At first listening you may be put off a little by the widley used synthesizer on this album. After all Soul Catcher featured real strings, percussion, bass, organ etc. but it had a bigger budget as well.
I’m sure you’ll see Olu’s vision after continuous listening. Here you have Byzantine and elaborated grooves that thanks to Olu’s voice offers enough soul to keep any soulboy and soulgirl satisfied. And what’s more important Olu offers a well-balanced mixture of down- and midtempo tunes to keep the album interesting (something I’ve criticised about Michael Johnson’s The Servant Master album).
One of my favourite songs is Under The Sun, a beautiful ballad with just Olu singing and playing an accoustic guitar. Another hightlight is the album’s title track, Beautiful Place, a great piece of modern underground soul and the perfect soundtrack for this summer. Meant To Be is another downtempo pleaser that oozes soul.
Olu’s music also offers food for thought like the description in Sugar Veins about the hopelessness of drug abuse (Life passin’ him by, while he’s high like a bird in the sky/ He said “You know I can’t get no higher…Feels like my soul’s on fire”/ The twinkle in his eyes, a reflection of the night/ When the freaks come out and get down, it’s a one-way ticket right out of sight/ Sugar veins wanna feel no pain and ride up on an astral plane, it’s all in the game/ And I bet you that tomorrow it’ll be the same“). Angels Call deals with the loss of a beloved person killed by a young fool.
Add to this soulful slowburners like Love = Sunshine or Middle Of The Night and modern R&B songs that still has more of a soul than an urban feeling (Harlem On My Mind, The Prize, Luv The Girl (Mary Jane), or Doin’ The Damn Thing) and you have a very good album. All you need to do is just listen carefully and let it grow on you.

Tracklisting of Beautiful Place: 1. Love = Sunshine/ 2. Harlem On My Mind/ 3. Winna Fa Life/ 4. Movin’ On/ 5. Luv The Girl (Mary Jane)/ 6. Middle Of The Night/ 7. Mornin’ Light/ 8. The Prize/ 9. Sugar Veins/ 10. Angels Call/ 11. Under The Sun/ 12. Beautiful Place/ 13. Meant To Be/ 14. Doin’ The Damn Thing | released 2004 by AXS Multimedia Corp.

For more infos visit olumusic.com or cdbaby.com.

[If you want to discuss Olu’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]