The singer / songwriter music scene is booming in Australia. With so many talent national and international acts gracing the sound waves it is interesting to see how each artist is creating their own niche in the market. Many seem to be taking a folk / blues styling to their work, like Nick Murray, MT Warning and Timberwolf. What sets Ollie English apart is his way of not only incorporating that folk and blues aspect to his music, but by also melding a soulful and rock styling.
With a falsetto to die for, Adelaide’s own Ollie English is ready to make you swoon with his edgier take on the singer / songwriter scene.
The nineteen-year-old Adelaide born musician has had an interest in music, blues in particular, from a young age. His sound is a mixture of Jeff Buckley and Noah Gundersen. Currently working on his debut EP Cabin Thoughts which is set to be released around late October, English has just dropped his latest single, I Know You’re Gonna Leave as a taster for what is to come.
An earlier release from English, Winter Sun, is more in the vein of the traditional acoustic-blues style and is quietly stripped back in its production. With just his gritty falsetto and a guitar, the song is a great example of why blues is such a soulful genre. However, this is a bit of a standalone track for him as, I Know You’re Gonna Leave and the forthcoming EP is all recorded with a band with English working together with Craig James on guitar and drums plus sound engineer, Dean Edwards.
I Know You’re Gonna Leave instantly transports you onto the banks of the Mississippi. With this track, there is quite a progressive aspect to it through the introduction of a more gritty-rock element intermingled with the blues. For the first thirty seconds of the track it is just that amazing falsetto English has and the guitar that punctuates the atmosphere. It’s smooth yet grounded before the drums launch into the body of the track. The song continues to power through until the last ten seconds where in an almost ghost like fashion, it dissipates. If this is the taster for the EP then bring it on!
Whilst he is a singer / songwriter and one that has taken on a blues edge, English has added the rock and soul layer that sets him apart. With his EP to be released at the end of October, Ollie English is an artist to keep your eyes and ears out for.
