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Thomas Oliver - Album Review: Live at the Crystal Palace

21 Mar 2018 // A review by Kerry MB

Thomas Oliver has been around for some time, and if you haven’t ever heard of him, where have you been all these years? It’s time you take note and listen.

Thomas is an award-winning singer/songwriter hailing from Wellington with a diverse and solid sound of blues, rock, soul and roots.

Known for his engaging demeanour, a fantastic backing band, mind-blowing vocal range and slide guitar playing skills, he is internationally recognised with legions of views, fans and followers on just about every social media platform. He has toured with some phenomenal local and international artists and bands, and through all his successes, remains a humble guy, living out his dream of playing music.

Thomas Oliver released his debut album way back in 2011, and he has gone from strength to strength in his musical abilities, including 2013’s all instrumental album, Beneath the Weissenborn, which you may have figured out by the title, is just he and his Weissenborn lap slide guitar. A stunning piece of work that is well worth the listen if you are familiar with his style.

Live at the Crystal Palace is his latest release, and a showcase of some of his discography from 2017’s studio album Floating in the Darkness. This is his first debut live album, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Recorded with a full live band over two nights, his stage presence is humbling as he pulls out all the stops with incredible renditions of covers from Bob Marley's Is This Love to Neil Young's Helpless - Thomas even invites his father onstage to play guitar with him during this number. The stunning set list also includes a re-release of Bad Talkin Man from the debut album, Baby, I’ll Play.

Thomas’s soaring vocals are beautifully delicate with so much power it gives you goose bumps. There is no comparison from studio to live with such fantastic musicianship like this. The audience is well and truly enamoured by this live show and you can hear every bit of passion in every nuance sung by Thomas. Engaging, dynamic and breath-taking all in one.

If you are like me and have managed to miss out on seeing Thomas Oliver live, this is the next best thing. But it should come with a health warning for your ears, and possibly your neighbours, because you’ll want to turn the volume up all the way.

Live at the Crystal Palace is available here.


Review written by Kerry Monaghan

 

About Thomas Oliver

Thomas Oliver represents the openness of the mind and the heart, both as a musician and as a human. He touches people's lives in all corners of the globe as he draws a connection between various forms of music that could otherwise be considered polar opposites, and he invites people into an artistic perspective which is entirely unique. His warm demeanour and story-telling on stage are as much a part of his musical identity as his unmistakable falsetto-singing range or his world-renowned touch on the lap-slide guitar, or his celebrated vocal contributions to the genre of Drum & Bass music. Thomas Oliver is the epitome of the term, “one-of-a-kind”.

Produced in Berlin and released on March 6th, 2020, full-length album, The Brightest Light, is a colourful and dynamic journey through Soul, Roots, RnB and Folk, and Oliver's distinctive perspective on the world around him. The first single (released in October), Bulgarian Mountains, has captured the hearts of many, including the millions of Bulgarians who have seen any of the numerous pieces across the biggest television stations in the country, telling Thomas's story and the story behind the song, inspired by a chance meeting with a Bulgarian girl in Amsterdam named Martina.

Simultaneously, Thomas is one of the most celebrated vocalists in the genre of Drum & Bass, having released a massive 20 collaborations with some of the genre's finest producers, including Logistics, Hybrid Minds, Nu:Logic, Black Sun Empire, Urbandawn, Trei, Concord Dawn and Etherwood, and having been released on some of Drum & Bass's most prestigious labels, including Hospital Records, Metalheadz, Blackout and RAM Records.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Thomas Oliver

Releases

The Brightest Light
Year: 2020
Type: Album
Live At The Crystal Palace
Year: 2018
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape
Floating In The Darkness
Year: 2017
Type: Album
Buy Online @ Mightyape
Beneath The Weissenborn
Year: 2013
Type: Album

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