5.0 out of 5 stars Time waits for this man

M.S. · 24 June 2013

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Five long years since Omar's acclaimed 'Sing', we're finally blessed with 'The Man' his 7th (!) blend of soul, funk, latin and above all very British street sounds. I've followed said Man since his first releases with Kongo, Talkin Loud and the subsequent circus of labels and managers.Whilst he's seemingly been mislead and occasionally mis-directed by some of these folks with a few of the past single releases and occasional forays into weaker covers (Golden Brown, Be Thankful) and 'pop' sounds (especially on the last album), Omar typically maintains a distinctive, timeless sound.What makes this album so glorious is that his underlying musical integrity is demonstrated from start to finish. 'The Man' is a much stronger effort than many of his previous works because, like 'Best by Far' there is a refreshing lack of trying to be 'current' (which also means, thankfully, no half-arsed raps).Sounding a little like a revamped 'This is not a love song', 'Simplify' kicks us off on the right trumpety note. The strolling, oboe lined, title track follows, already an Omar classic. 'Come on Speak to me' gives us the first latin-laced track with a nice vocal arrangement. 'I can listen' has a 60s soul taste; nice track which feels a little bit of a filler track. In contrast is the skip-stomp of 'Bully' which injects slick scratching and some high-pitch warbling! A gentle collaboration with legendary Caron Wheeler takes the tempo down (I don't think he'll ever better his duet with Carleen Anderson but this is still for the lovers). We move uptempo with the F**** War, make love - classy funk with solid bass, keys and trumpet that Omar and his pals do best. Omar's musical intelligence is always impressive and best demonstrated with the diversity of percussive styles and classical instruments (praise to the return of the oboe!).The highlight for me so far is 'High Heels' (collaboration with Hidden Jazz Quartet) which I understand wasn't originally intended for the album. Good thing his wife persuaded him otherwise. Omar's been involved in loads of collaborations over the years and this is one of my favourites. Quality jazz-breaks and vocals. And just when you think the album might dip, 'I love being with you' follows up with Omar's trademark funk-key-stab. An absolute gem for the summer ( and with a little remix could be a scorcher).The inevitable reworking of "There's nothing like this' is sweet and respectful and matures the original for old and new fans alike. Latin makes a reappearance with 'Eeni Meeni', nice vibe but I really can't dig the chorus. Sorry. No matter how beautifully you sing 'Myni Mo' it still sounds ridiculous. 'When you touch...' feels similar to 'Dancing' Omar's collaboration with Zed Bias. It's fine but it's not 'Dancing'. Lastly, we have 'Ordinary Day', an ode to his family. A breezy end to a sun-soaked set of classic soul.Let's be honest, unless you want to hear the sound of 'now' or another US pop-tart you won't find a better, genuine soul/funk/jazz album this Summer. Get yourself a partner, a barbecue and get your groove on. Thanks Omar, man.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece!

A. · 24 June 2013

This is a long awaited Album and its well worth the wait, Omar is in my opinion the most talented artist that this country has, this man has never conformed to fit in with the "latest trend" thus his sound is absolutely unique to him, the whole album is a delicious confection of sounds & rhythm from Jazz through to Latin vibes ( e.g" Ordinary Day " written for his daughters ) to a reggae beat ( e.g "Bully") & so much more, he also has some fabulous artists such as Pino Palladino who plays on the re-worked new version on what has become Omar's signature tune " There's Nothing like This" which is just hauntingly beautiful!This album is a must for all die-hard fans of Omar & all lovers of great Music, it is just amazing & to date is his best album you can feel the love that went into the making of it it also proves that Omar IS " The Man"

5.0 out of 5 stars British Soul Star shows his class

L. · 26 December 2013

One of the leading lights in British Soul Music, Omar's class shines through once again in his most recent albumn "The Man". It has been worth the wait as there isn't a weak song on this albumn. Some of the production techniques and instruments used are recognisable from previous albumns, but there are new sounds and collaborations which make the albumn fresh and interesting both for die-hard and new fans. From funky beats to well thought out melodies, it is sure to get you moving and singing along. This albumn is diverse but maintains ist quality all the way through, unlike a lot of more commercial albumns contining "filler songs". This guy is underrated and deserves more air-time on the radio and TV. His lyrics, voice and musical ability is far greater than most British or worldwide stars of the modern era. If you get the chance go to see him live too...he doesn't disappoint.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice

E.F. · 11 January 2023

Some good tunes

5.0 out of 5 stars ... Omar for years simply because he always turns out great songs, great music

S.M. · 15 July 2014

Have been a big fan of Omar for years simply because he always turns out great songs, great music, other than that I just love his voice. Up there with the best, easily! To tell you the truth I hadn't thought much about him for a while, easily done as his re-released last album 'Sing' was 3 years ago now. So it wasn't until I bought a 2010 vinyl EP by 'Maddslinky', AKA Zed Bias, with Omar as vocalist, check it! Anyway, that led me back to see what this guy was up to. Although 'The Man' features numerous guest artists, this is still classic Omar. An Excellent album, a must buy.

5.0 out of 5 stars OMAR - The Man, C.D. Album

M.Z.M. · 27 July 2013

I"ve enjoyed Omar"s music and singing for a great many years now. I"ve seen him and his Band many times mainly at The Camden Palace and some years ago I was fortunate enough to win a competition on a London Radio Station and the prize was to meet Omar in person which I did and he very kindly Autographed a C.D. Album and a T-Shirt for me which I cherish to this day.Omar will always be very high on if not the top of my preferred list of Male Vocalists and the very best bit, He"s a Londoner too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth The Wait!

E. · 10 August 2013

I've been a huge fan of Omar and his work since the 'For Pleasure' album in 1994. He is a much underrated UK Soul King, his live shows are a treat and his albums never fail to disappoint. Despite the fact it's taken so long for him to get new management and distribution for The Man, it was certainly well worth the wait and money, and I'm very glad he is still performing and creating after 20+ years in the business. Bravo, sir!

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely classic, fantastic album, you’ll never get bored of...

V.i.t.s.o.l. · 27 March 2021

Have loved Omar’s music since I was a teen! Still love it! Absolutely classic, fantastic album. No wonder he’s one of Stevie Wonder’s faves...

THIS IS REALLY THE BEST BY FAR

H.7. · 18 May 2014

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } It's sad that Omar's music is not played or heard here in the U.S. I learned of him from watching "CHEF!" where he sang the theme song. If not for that I would be unaware of the soulful wonderful music of Omar. This is his most consistently soulful album where the transitions between each song is not as drastic and the combination of rhythms from other genres of music is not so jarring. This is the one Omar album, so far, that I can put in the player and let it play all the way through. There really isn't a bad song on the album, while there are some indispensable ones that you should not miss. The first two songs, Simplify and The Man set the tone and show the diversity of instrumentation, style, and lyricism yet to come. the horns in High heels are amazing. He also revisits his first big hit, There's Nothing Like This" and it is excellent and sounds as if Omar has not aged a bit.

Who's the man?

C. · 13 November 2013

Omar is the man!Für Fans denen mainstream-Soul zu langsam ist und die auf interessante Grooves stehen, ist er es mit dem Album mit Sicherheit. Das Album lebt durch eine bunte Palette an Percussion- und Drumming-Techniken. Mal digital, mal analog eingespielt beseelt schon allein der abwechsungreiche Beat durchgängig. Daneben kommt jeder Song mit einem Thema vom Bass oder vom Omar-typischen Klavinett um die Ecke. Ein bischen Stevie Wonder swingt deswegen auch immer mit, was aber zu Omar gehört wie der Papst in die Kirche. Omar ist Soul, Hip-Hop, R'n'B,Straßenmusik und Jazz. Wer ihn oder seine Musik noch nicht kennt, könnte zu Beginn vielleicht überfordert sein. Es liegt genau zwischen allem und wirkt zeitlos. Das Album ist wie eine Homage an den guten alten Soul von Marvin Gaye und gleichzeitig an den UK Hip-Hop von The Streets. Wo sich frühere Omar-Platten gerne zu lange im R'n'B Bereich aufgehalten haben, verläßt "The Man" nun gekonnt die Komfortzone und besticht durch gelungene und interessante Arrangements mit viel Liebe zum Detail. Was könnte man bei einem Vollblut-Musiker nach 6 Jahren auch anderes erwarten? Als Bonus gibts obendrauf noch eine mit Deluxe-Bassisten Pino Palladino neu eingespielte Version seiner 90' Erfolgssingle "There's nothing like this".. ein Schmankerl!Fazit: Ich persönlich liebe dieses Album und höre es immer dann wenn ich mich nicht für eine Schublade entscheiden kann und etwas Tempo brauche. Die hemmungslose Kreativität zusammen mit der einmaligen Stimme sind für mich der Grund, warum ich für dieses Album super gerne Geld ausgebe.Unbedingt hören: I love being with you, The Man, Simplify, High Heels

Mr. Omar

g. · 10 August 2014

I have met him in London before. Mr. Omar... He is a very tiny guy but very powerful and soulful. I am very happy to see his another great album.

Uno dei migliori album Soul (contaminato) del 2013

G. · 29 November 2013

Il cantautore inglese Omar si è ricavato un posto nell'olimpo musicale di molti appassionati, per la sua "There's nothing like this" del 1990 nel pieno boom del genere acid jazz (qui ne è presente una versione con la partecipazione di Pino Palladino al basso e chitarra).Non è riuscito però poi a ritrovare il grande successo di pubblico, pur collezionando collaborazioni con diversi altri artisti più noti.Questo suo nuovo lavoro, a mio parere, porta in piena luce le sue grandi doti di autore e interprete.Un miscuglio di influenze (soul, R&B, jazz, caraibiche, ecc.) che caratterizzano e danno un'impronta stilistica ben precisa e che a me piace molto.Solita confezione "jewel case"; libretto con indicazione di autori, musicisti e testi; buona qualità audio.

15 ans après....

B. · 25 September 2013

...c'est toujours trés bon à l'écoute !! Cuivre impeccable, titres efficces, voix parfaite. Une bonne surprise en ce mois de rentrée