Omar - Sing If You Want It

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    As the saying goes, it's been a long time coming, and in Omar's case it's 5 years since his last set.  He is still though the most consistent soulman that the UK has probably produced and this new set is his most accessible yet. The album is full of guest artistes such as Common, Angie Stone and even Stevie Wonder bringing his vibe to 'Feeling You' -- a track that Omar has been sitting on since 2000!  But its the tracks where Omar is left alone with his band to provide the laid back funk and smooth satin voice that work best. 'Get it together' is typical Omar with its neo-soul qualities and catchy chorus. Whilst tracks like ' It's So' are already crowd pleasers due to its raw funk and heavy brass backing. The album is full of variety though with a tendency for the tracks to all have a somewhat summery feeling to them -- not that that is a bad thing!

     Omar himself admits that he has turned up the 'bass' production wise and won't own up to who made the decision to fade out Stevie's piano solo at the interesting bit! Omar is now looking to get in touch with Bobby Womack and Bill Withers as collaborators on the next  album. Let's hope that we will not have to wait as long this time!

    James "JL" Lewis