O.A.R.

Philosophically, O.A.R. belongs in a rare category with the likes of the Grateful Dead, Phish and Dave Matthews Band. They reached mainstream level success–over 1 million in total album sales–without mainstream support. They did it the old fashioned way, by touring relentlessly and allowing and encouraging their fans to record and trade their live shows. Unfortunately, their latest release, All Sides, doesn't follow in the footsteps of their jam-band brethren.

What we get instead are 13 pop rock tracks that play it pretty safe. The band alternates between being radio-rock and a feel-good acoustic outfit. The former is most evident on lead single "Shattered," where they play a kinder, gentler 3 Doors Down. Their other, and far more likeable side is presented on "Something Coming Over," where the sad sack lyrics can’t trip up a relentlessly catchy beat. The parade of hits and misses runs through to the album's end, leaving it frustratingly short of its potential.

—Nathan Atnikov
08.14.08

With its slick mix of pop/rock anthems and radio-ready melodies, All Sides presents an important question: what happens to the quintessential college band after 12 years of touring and recording? Essentially, the college band grows up. It's been more than a decade since O.A.R. honed their undergraduate-friendly sound at Ohio State University, and the five bandmates are now pushing 30. Faced with the prospect of playing mellow frat rock for another ten years, O.A.R. took a different approach on All Sides, hiring producer Matt Wallace (the man behind Maroon 5's Songs About Jane) in an effort to crack the Billboard singles charts. Wallace cloaks Marc Roberge's vocals in reverb and adds thick layers of piano, strings, and guitars. Of course, nobody can fault O.A.R. for trying something new, but polished adult contemporary fare is probably not their forte. Thankfully, traces of the old O.A.R. show up during the album's second half. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide