Along with the second album, Big Red and Barbacoa by past UARB Hacienda, I got a copy of his debut CD, Brian Olive in a surprise package of 3 albums that Suzy Shaw sent me in one of my Bomp! mailorder orders. Brian Olive was previously in two rock bands having long Wikipedia articles, the Greenhornes and Soledad Brothers, though there is no article on him individually.
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Brian Olive regained his name and sought to be in a band where he was the one calling the shots; that normally means a solo career. His debut album, Brian Olive came out in 2009 on Alive Records (the same label as the last album by Soledad Brothers). Brian Olive provides lead vocals and plays guitar, piano and woodwinds. Backing musicians include his old friends Jared McKinney and Craig Fox of the Greenhornes, Mike Weinel (formerly of Heartless Bastards), and Dan Allaire, who has been the drummer for the Brian Jonestown Massacre since 2002. Also there was a vocal trio assembled for the sessions composed of the Kadish Sisters and Donna Jay.
Writing for Allmusic, Mark Deming raves: “Most of the tunes on Brian Olive are rooted in rhythm & blues in one way or another, but the man sure isn’t shy about showing how many ways he can bend the sound to his will; ‘Stealin’’ is a funky New Orleans second-line shuffle, ‘Jubilee Line’ has a bassline James Jamerson would have been happy to call his own fortified with free jazz sax wailing, ‘High Low’ reveals echoes of 1950’s cool jazz for bachelor pads, and ‘Killing Stone’ is a piano-based rocker that recalls the early-’70s Rolling Stones. [Brian] Olive also dips his toes into breezy faux-tropicalia on the light and sensuous ‘Echoing Light’ and some tripped-out acoustic psychedelia on ‘There Is Love’. Olive clearly scores high on the eclecticism checklist, but he’s also a fine songwriter, generating memorable tunes regardless of his stylistic bag. . . . Overall, Brian Olive is an impressive and pleasing solo debut that shows his chops as a producer, arranger, and songwriter make him more than just some Midwest sideman, and he should get back into the studio posthaste if there’s more where this came from.”
Brian Olive did as Mark Deming of Allmusic suggested; he was apparently already working on his second album, Two of Everything (2011) when the first one, Brian Olive came out. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys co-produced the album with Olive, and the two also share engineering duties on this venture. Auerbach provides backing vocals along with five women.
(February 2015)
