Ole Borud Goes Outside The Limits With Latest Offering

It's just bizarre to think of Norway as a place that is now part of the west coast music renaissance. Sweden as well. Ole Borud is an artist who's dabbled in hard rock and other styles. But it's his smooth offerings that earn him respect around the globe. His latest album is "Outside The Limit" and it truly goes where no Ole Borud record has gone before.

The lead track, "Put My Money" is a funky Steely Dan-ish number that might revive a few of your old dance moves. The arrangement is so educated and historic. It respects the past and pushes the envelope forward just enough. "Always Love You" is a more direct melody that straddles 70's and 80's pop grooves. "Come and Rescue Us" establishes a great funky riff from the get go. It then settles into some fluent lyrical lines aided by some funky keys, guitars and intermittent horns.

"Talk To My Lawyer" is a humor driven lyric sung to a minimalist smooth jazz soundscape. For some reason I could hear Michael Jackson singing this on "Off The Wall". The album's title track oozes 80's funky pop again and would make a great 12 inch single. Mr. Borud has tapped into something that has been absent for about 35 years. "Blaming Game" is a plea for peace between humans. A more lite west coast melody that gathers steam as it runs along. There is plenty of ear candy on this album, and smart subtle instrumentation. "Good Time" turns up the funk with fat keyboard sounds and Borud's clean, clear vocals. Another song that could be remixed for maximum dance floor usage. "Can't Pretend" is melodically more linear and aligns more with early 80's west coast music. The guitars and vocals all mesh so seamlessly, creating a rich, lush soundscape.
There's even a terrific jazzy keyboard solo.

"Waiting For The Rain" does more funky jazz straddling with bursts of horns and that ever persistent funky guitar coming out of your right speaker. The production is so delightful. "Fast Enough" closes out this near flawless collection of well thought out music with more upbeat fun.

Ole Borud has created probably the best west coast dance record of 2019. These songs have massive crossover appeal to the dance floor and to smooth jazz radio where the format is more upbeat in it's approach. Lyrically the songs are good enough to make the music even more palatable. These are professionally done grooves for anyone with headphones or a good pair of dancing shoes. Highly recommended and a lot of fun!