Orange Jam – Omer B (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

I remember when I was writing about Groovy Stairs, a previous single from the effortlessly funky Omer B, and thinking just how brilliantly he was able to forge songs out of fantastic musicianship but not let that get in the way of the fun, immediacy and infectiousness of the track. All too often, musicians want to show what they can do, and that often comes at the expense of the song itself. Omer B carves out fabulous and fun sonic slices first and foremost, and only after you have absorbed all the enjoyment on offer do you notice just how fantastic the players are.

If Groovy Stairs did that, Orange Jam ups the sonic stakes in that department even further. Joining him on this wah-wah-washed groover are Mariam Kubansk providing some melodic and mellifluous bass lines, drummer Andrea Ciaccio who comes in with some energetic and expressive playing, and Abramo Riti’s Hammond organ seems to be the sonic glue here, ebbing and flowing in and out of the music, pushing through the sonic spaces, running below, behind and beyond the other instruments, smoothing edges and softening the effects.

And, of course, front and centre is Omer B, funking it up, laying back, driving the point home, leaving space for others to have spotlight moments and generally serving the song perfectly. It’s what he does. And he does it better than most.

It’s a great track, but did we expect anything else?