Review #10 : Livin’ On Love

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Review #10

Artist: Mike Oregano
Album: Livin’ On Love
Mike Oregano isn’t the rude boy ska needs, he’s the rude boy ska deserves. Okay, well making him the Batman of ska right off the bat may be a little hasty considering he’s more reggae than ska but I wanted to say that so… yeah.
    Anyway! To be honest, if Livin’ On Love doesn’t get Mike Oregano to the next rung of the professional music ladder, the rest of us are sure in trouble. This crisp, clean, and beautifully produced 10 track LP is the equivalent to a soon-to-be high school grad’s reach school. You remember those right? The school that you know you want, that you think you can get it into but aren’t quite sure how yet. Yeah, that one! Well, Mike just got his acceptance letter.

    For first time listeners, Mike Oregano is a traveling professional musician who knows well over 100 cover songs, can play parties, book your event, create original music, and even season your meal. The guy is the whole entertainment package, not to mention he plays everything himself… like literally… himself… at once… it’s f#$king crazy.

    Not to keep the strange comparisons going but I almost want to say Mike’s music is a cross between a modern Santana, Sublime, and Third Wave Ska. In my opinion, you can get the best taste of this on the record’s third track, High Tonight. Between the sick guitar licks, consistent upstrokes, and lyrics that are reminiscent of bands such as Pepper and possibly Ballyhoo!, 
you may see what I mean.

    My favorite two tracks on this release are hands down Always Irie and Meaning of Mankind, both tracks demonstrate the versatility Oregano can bring to the table (god damnit, that wasn’t an intentional cooking joke…). There are a lot of things in these songs I would love to see more of on future albums, such as gang vocals, memorable style changes, and professionally crafted choruses. Unfortunately, while every song on this LP is solid, and I mean solid, the peak quality of these two numbers does draw attention to the similarity of the rest of the setlist. That said, if you’re biggest problem as a musician is using too many similar chord progressions, you’re in pretty good shape.    

    With that in mind, this brings me to my least favorite song, Get Irie. Now please consider the fact that I’m a strange bird before taking my thoughts to heart … it’s too long. I dislike long songs. I’m sure you were expecting something horrible there, no it’s that simple. I just can’t do long tracks. HOWEVER, (cue dramatic hamster) Get Irie sounds very similar to a certain song I made into a music video for this man. **glares intensely at Mike**

    Okay… okay… I’ll calm down. Honestly though, Mike Oregano is an incredible talent to be reckoned with and an artist that you NEED to check out in 2019. I know for many, local and rising music is hard to jump into, but please do yourself a favor, as this album is for everyone. I don’t care if you like rock, rap, pop, or yodeling.
Seriously, I can’t speak higher of Mike Oregano’s talents. Livin’ On Love is just a feel good record that wants you to appreciate good music and good times, it’s not political, there are no hidden messages, it’s just meant to be fun and that’s ultimately what music is supposed to be.
Ryan Hanratty
Frosted Green Productions


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