O.A.R.
In Between Now and Then

Back in the Northeast, from where this reviewer hails, O.A.R. is pretty scarce, unless you count the oars that Harvard boys use.

"Crazy Game Of Poker?" Never heard of it.

Over here in Arizona, however, everyone says, "You've never heard ÎCrazy Game Of Poker?' Are you deaf?"

In Tucson, O.A.R. shows are loaded with college kids who jam out like they grew up on this band. Lots of girls make up the audience, which seems to be a country-wide phenomenon as I complete more research into the band's live show attendance.

Which rocks for guys like me who like drinking beer and ogling women.

O.A.R. plays music too, though. It's kind of Dave Matthews meets John Mayer meets local act Sunday Afternoon. It's joyful yet chill Îthrow your hands up if you're happy and sometimes overly optimistic' music.

Here they've tried to make a definitive fifth L.P. While they've succeeded in creating a more mature, produced and mixed outing than previous attempts, they're still missing a beat.

The song ideas are so scattered; they don't carry a single and consistent theme like all great albums do. It's more like a mish-mash of daydreaming theme music.

Which is fine, but it sounds more like background music than something you'd pop in your CD player when you want to rock out in your car. That means that while the lyrics try to convey a few messages sprinkled here and there, they are too often overshadowed by the musical sunshine these five guys emanate.

Despite Marc Roberge's effort to sustain some emotional impact, the album leaves the listener unfulfilled because the lyrics get hidden behind an upbeat reggae groove.

Rating: Mix yourself up a heaping Bloody-Mary-Prozac cooler and dance in the summer sun to these sparkling songs.

÷ Kevin Smith