Bobby Oroza Get on the Otherside
I don’t have to tell you that the pandemic affected everyone. Hell, we all have a story to tell. Soul singer Bobby Oroza sings about his experiences during the pandemic on his sophomore album Get on the Otherside. Bobby’s job as a performer came to a halt during this time and he was even forced to take on a construction job to pay the bills, forcing him to reevaluate his passion for a career in music. Luckily for listeners, the time away from performing only strengthened his passion for music and the result of the hardships Bobby faced during this time was an extraordinary new album.
Just a few notes into the opening track of the album and you are whisked away to a time when the Floaters, Delegation, and the Dramatics were all over R&B radio. Oroza’s backing band the Helsinki based Cold Diamond and Mink provided the silky, hypnotic sounds that help shape Otherside and the soulful textures of his voice lift you leaving you in a blissful mood.
The vicious hit to the gut that was Covid and the truths he had to face during that time as a husband and a new father can be heard throughout the new record. Otherside has a vastly more mature theme to it than his debut release, This Love. Bobby takes a deeper look at the world around him, setting his ego aside trying to better understand his place in the world. On “Make Me Believe,” Bobby is desperately looking for a way to believe again in love and life. He sings of being broken down both mentally and physically while seeking a way to open his eyes to see a better tomorrow and understand that this is not the end.
Living and loving are the most repeated subjects on the record and it is most evident on “Otherside.” The music has that soulful texture, the wonderful push-and-pull of Bobby’s voice and guitar with Cold Diamond and Mink’s full-feeling drums and bouncing basslines. Even with a loose listen, you’ll hear that it’s a song about how life and love change. It’s like a life philosophy given to us in an easier pill to swallow: Bobby tells us that sometimes we’re responsible for our own limitations and unknowingly bolster them. We have to come to terms with ourselves to grow and move beyond these self-constraints—to get to the other side of them.
Fans of the Lo-fi genre of R&B and bands like Black Pumas and Alabama Shakes will particularly enjoy Get on the Otherside as well as the rest of Oroza’s small but vastly entertaining discography. @bobby_oroza
Check out some of the other amazing new releases out this week…
- George Ezra Gold Rush Kid
- Carrie Underwood Denim & Rhinestones
- Vance Joy In Our Own Sweet Time
- SZA Ctrl
- Moonchild Sanelly Phases
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music in addition to the occasional live show review. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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