Reviewed by:
shabutie86, on january 26, 2008
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Sound: Obadiah Parker is like a little diamond in the rough, ever since the posting of their hit cover of Outkasts hit song "Hey Ya" on Youtube Obadiah Parker has gotten some much needed and deserved attention. Their main sound is something between folk, funk and R&B which is a very nice departure from a lot of todays music. In a industry that is holding on to mediocre bands for dear life there is actually a little spice here that I don't hear in a lot of bands these days. Some songs like "Where the moon shines" starts off a bit slow, but turns into a sort of Latin dance song with that same funk core that radiates outwards from all of Obadiah Parkers tracks. The fact that the album is live, and for some reason it feels like it's all studio work. The audience is very polite and quiet during sets and the immaculate playing and singing are all pulled off without a hitch, broken string or a wrong note. In the song Kimberlina starts off with a nice '70s sounding keybard jam, and it seems every song is accompanied by the singers fantastic strumming. The only reason it didn't make a 10 was because it was a live album and I don't care for them very much, the pausing, the clapping kind of distracts from the mood. Otherwise a solid! // 9
Lyrics and Singing: The first time I had even heared Obadiah Parker was probably the same time you heard Obadiah Parker on their monumentally viewed video of the singer Matt Weddle singing "Hey Ya" solo on a little handy cam. The fact that this guy can sing anything and make it sound fantastically beautiful is so amazing, it's beyond words. Noting that in fact the entire album is live is a testament to Weddle's singing prowess as there is a never a moment of error, nor is there a moment where something doesn't sound perfect. His voice isn't hard to listen to, it's soothing to the mind and to the soul. Nothing more to say but perfect. // 10
Impression: I would have to say without a doubt that this is one of the best Folk albums of 2007 and one of the better albums that has come out in this first decade of the 2000's. Everything from the guitars, to the subtle backup singers to Weddles voice all contribute to a wondrous album and a wondrous band that has so much possibility before them. If I had to choose the most impressive songs on the album for me would be "Hey Ya," "Salvation Jam" and "Kimberlina". Each of those songs are massively different but somehow stay so complete played side by side. // 9
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