Buskers of the Day:Marty O'Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra

Melancholy, derivative of nothing, reminiscent of everything and proudly out of step with current music trends, Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra, give us 12 tracks of inspiring lyrics and delicious melodies of roots/rock that are well worth digging into. From Santa Cruz, California, a high end beach town of liberal values and progressive politics, hails the improbable trio of young musicians who elevate and captivate. Wildly ahead of their time, they take us back to the era of old time Blues and pure, raw musicianship, while remaining cutting edge contemporary, on their latest work, Pray for Rain.

The album itself is an accumulation of pure and sensual singles; any one of the twelve, being ready for radio playlists alongside Mumford & Sons, Carolina Chocolate Drops orOld Crow Medicine Show. O’Reilly himself, giving unique breath to every song, delivering knotty poetry in one of the most vulnerable tenors you are likely to ever hear.

From instruments as diverse as glockenspiel, cello and trumpet to the more traditional bass, banjo and guitar, it’s impossible to put these musicians into a neatly labeled package. They simply defy the box.

The opening track Dempsey is characterized by The Old Soul’s constant rhythmic motion throughout the verses, and it allows O’Reilly’s voice to shine without strain.

Cinnamon Tree is a tune that doubles down on the hallmarks of traditional old time fiddle and melodious arcs, doused in O’Reilly’s quaking vibrato and carrying that Americana earnestness into modern times; an oddly touching and deep story about a ‘three-legged dog’, who passes and is buried under the Cinnamon Tree. It’s sweet and sentimental—then, suddenly becomes more, when Heath DeAngelo breaks in with Louis Armstrong-style horns. The song sparkles like champagne.

Cold Canary Gaslight is an absolute delight from first to final pluck. It’s a tune that will lift you. You may not come down for weeks; maybe part of you never will.

In the classic, Smokestack Lightning by Chester Burnett, The Orchestra has tapped into deeper primal elements of an American art form. The have assimilated the haunting spirit of the music, infused it with their own brand of intensity, and not only re-affirm why that song remains a classic, but validate their own ability to do more than simply add noise, by ‘just covering it’. They celebrate it.

Track 5, Cambium, is a standout of John Lennon balladry couched in crunchy Americana. The instrumentation is haunting, the poetry etched in melodies of lace and incisive emotional insights.

“They shook the fruit from my ghostly limb/I still give you pieces of me/You make paper from my skin/If you write me letters/they still read as if you spoke.”

For those of us who remember an age, before the dreaded digital download or .99 cent iTune, we remember songs that were longer than the ‘radio-friendly’ two minutes; we remember kicking back in our bean bag chair and taking a trip to the Dark Side of the Moon or a visit with Baba O’Riley. The music was complex. Music that you experienced, music that you felt and music that haunted you long after the final note glided into the cosmos. It’s terrifyingly ambitious to attempt this in today’s business; but, O’Reilly and The Old Soul Orchestra do exactly this, an act, which is most likely to kick start, a long musical career.

A prime example is, When the Water Runs Out, which easily receives valedictory honors. Highlights include supporting vocal harmonization, coupled with solid production value throughout, stellar songwriting, excellent pacing and flawless execution of bass, fiddle and guitar; When the Water Runs Out is a superb example of this style of ‘concept’ music which has mostly vanished from today’s listening ears. Clocking in at an astounding 7:35, one only wishes to hit the repeat button upon completion. Find your most comfy chair, grab a beverage and experience it. It’s the only way to actually hear it.

‘I may not know/ a single thing about religion/but I still know/ know a little bit about what faith is all about/You don’t cry/Don’t complain/You got to pray for rain/ Don’t you wait/Don’t you wait/Til the water runs out.’

At the conclusion of Pray for Rain, it doesn’t sound like Marty O’Reilly and The Old Soul Orchestra want to be one of the greats; they just are.

#buskers #Turntable