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Keyboardist
Oli Silk is best known by the albums Fact or Friction (2000)
and Duality (2002), which he released with Danny Sugar. During
his relative short solo career he already published the albums So
Many Ways (2006), and The Limit's The Sky (2008). I
recommend to visit his new-look
website, a piece of impressive artwork, where you can find more
information about this upcoming smooth jazz star in a few days.
Born in London, UK he is frequently touring with The Sax Pack, Jackiem Joyner and Cindy Bradley. During the concerts in venues such as Pizza Express and Jazz Café, London he often supports artists like Peter White, Marc Antoine, Richard Elliot, Jaared and Rick Braun.
His new album All We Need (2010) will certainly stimulate the interest for this musician, who is destined for higher merits. Oli is joined by Joe Becket (percussion), Oscar Seaton (drums), Mark Jaimes (guitar, bass), Shannon Pearson (vocals), Dwayne Smith (bass), Gary Honor (sax, flute), Cindy Bradley (flugelhorn, trumpet), Rebeca Vega Felipe (vocals), Carl Stanley (sax) and Marc Antoine (guitar).
Oli welcomes us with the sultry title song All We Need. He has already adapted the elegant piano style of popular artists like George Duke or Alex Bugnon. His sense for melody and arrangment is clean and tidy.
On Tokyo Oli Silks features labelmate Cindy Bradley. He early recognized her skills and loves to perform with her on every opportunity. We will seen both this month at the American Smooth Jazz Awards.
Do you know The Sangin’ Diva? Didn't Know About Love presents the divine vocals of Shannon Pearson. This California native with a voice like an angel brightens everyone's mood. Oli builds a perfect instrumentation around this vocal wonder.
On his album So Many Ways Oli took the London to L.A. Express. Now he is on the homebound traffic L.A. to London. This keyboard piece on a shuffle beat is a vivid expression of his musical evolution. On Latin Haze Oli Silk and Danny Sugar worked together again in the composition. Star musician on this tune is Marc Antoine, whose acoustic guitar performance is terrific. Rebeca Vega Felipe's breathed Spanish words add an amorous touch to the song.
Many foreigners believe that it rains a lot in London, but in fact its rainfall is similar to that in other European capitals. But bad weather can be a theme especially during the fall. Ahead Of the Weather is Oli's special song to brighten up your mood again. Carl Stanley on sax mixes his own ingredient to this remedy.
Oli Silk counts Jeff Lorber and George Duke to his influences. Get Out Claws Oli showcases how strong this influence is, but he has already reached the perfection of his idols. Silk's observation of old styles of Funk, R&B and Soul is flawlessly intertwined in Bring Back Those Days, a tribute to the '70's.
Just An Allusion is a further example of Silk's mastery of keyboards and his great compositional skills. A pleasure to listen. Innovation is the litmus test for many listeners when searching for new music. Lay Back and Think of England is pure innovation and will certainly catch the audience with its lyrical beauty.
Kudos to Oli Silk, who creates with All We Need his own autonomous kingdom of keyboard wizardry. What do we need more? An encore!
Buy the album in all stores
Album Information
Title: All We Need
Artist: Oli Silk
Year: 2010
Length: 0:52:02
Genre: General Jazz
Label: Trippin' N Rhythm
Tracks:
01 All We Need [3:31]
02 Tokyo [5:36]
03 Didn't Know About Love [5:22]
04 L.A. to London [5:42]
05 Latin Haze [5:48]
06 Ahead Of the Weather [4:39]
07 Get Out Claws [3:30]
08 Bring Back Those Days [5:13]
09 Just An Allusion [6:30]
10 Lay Back and Think of England [6:12]
Further reviews:The Limit Is The Sky
Sugar and Silk - Duality
