BOBBY OROZA 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Since first joining forces with fellow Finnish funkateers Cold Diamond & Mink - the studio band behind Helsinki stable Timmion Records - back in 2017, Bobby Oroza has built up quite a catalogue of retro-futurist soul gems, including recently released sophomore album Get On The Otherside. The two tracks featured on this must-check "45" are both featured on that set and feature typically strong backing from the seriously talented - and ever-reliable - Cold Diamond & Mink. A-side 'My Place, My Time' is a genuinely super-sweet affair, with Oroza delivering an impeccably emotive and soulful lead vocal over a beautiful backing track that tends towards the achingly heartfelt and wonderfully melancholy. 'Through These Tears', meanwhile, is a relaxed, slow-motion treat rich in sustained Hammond chords, strummed electric guitar and languid marimba melodies.

Review: Bobby Oroza has spent many years being a vital sideman to many projects in the Finnish music scene. Over the last couple of years he has increasingly stepped out with his own concerns, mostly on the notorious Big Crown label. It is there he returns once more with two more blue eyed soul gems that are utterly ageless. His falsetto voice is the crown jewel on both tunes as it floats by with devastating purity and emotion. On 'I Got Love' the tumbling rhythms and wah wah guitars encourage you to lay back and gaze at the stars. 'Loving Body' then gets even more lovably lazy and louche as it melts your heart.

Review: Bobby Oroza has long been a key sideman in the Finnish Music Scene but now he's stepping out on his own and is a welcome voice indeed. Straddling a divide be-tween blue eyed soul and rock balladry once again on this latest single, he does a convincing job indeed. His own dreamy flute lines and gentle percussion tumble lie next to churning drums, but it's that super sweet vocal that makes "Strange Girl" so strong. "Down on My Knees" is more tender and introspective but just as good and sounds more like the work of someone from Southern California than the Nordic countries.

Review: Delicious timeless soul from Finnish crooner Oroza. Originally released in 2016, "This Love" hums with a Faze O style sunset haze that could melt the stoniest of hearts. "Should I Take You Home" plays the consummate foil on the B. A cover of Sunny Ozuna, there's such a smooth, arresting bluesy feel that runs throughout you kinda want him to take you home even though you've got a perfectly pleasant abode yourself.

Review: Timmion sub-label Stylart returns with another deep beat beauty with Finnish singer Bobby Oroza. In the words of the label themselves, "This Love" 'should take your mind towards Californian sunsets and gleaming vehicles.' Oroza may certainly not be a household name when it comes to soul music, but this is not actually the first time his name has been inscribed on record labels in his home country. Members of his immediate family have worked in the music and entertainment field in Finland such as his grandfather, who allegedly recorded an album of latin canciones in 1972. "This Love" is unpretentious music about love, romance and heartache. In the words of Stylart themselves, the track 'should take your mind towards Californian sunsets and gleaming vehicles.'