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Ollabelle
Ollabelle
(Columbia/DMZ)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2004, Volume 11, #8
Written by John Metzger
On Ollabelle’s self-titled debut, it’s nearly impossible to tell the
traditional tunes from the original compositions. The former are beautifully
contemporized while the latter dig deep into the past for inspiration, and much
like last year’s outing from Po’ Girl, the collective draws together two
disparate eras of music through its powerfully potent performances. Even a cover
of the Rolling Stones’ I Am Waiting fits seamlessly amidst the rest of
the material while gaining a new lexicon within the confines of its spiritual
surroundings. Indeed, the New York City-based ensemble — which was named after
country singer Ola Belle Reed, whose lengthy, but far from complete career was
cut short by a debilitating stroke in the late ’80s — delivers its fusion of
gospel, blues, and folk with a radiantly soulful air that is truly mesmerizing.
As the story goes, Ollabelle was signed to T-Bone Burnett’s DMZ imprint a
mere five days after the O Brother, Where Art Thou? mastermind received a
prospective copy of the group’s album. His rapid response isn’t all that
surprising, however, once one hears how precisely producer Steve Rosenthal
mirrors Burnett’s strange locution by allowing the music to slip into a
paradoxical space that feels symphonic, despite its frequently sparse,
atmospheric overtures. For example, on a rousing cover of Before This Time,
the entourage envelopes its chorus of vocals with only a drum, a tambourine, and
the rhythmic clapping of hands, but the result is something rich, full, and
vibrant. Elsewhere, Ollabelle imbues Jesus on the Mainline with a Neville
Brothers-like charm; chugs through a spooky version of John the Revelator;
fits Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus with a funky fury; unleashes a
riveting rendition of No More My Lawd by thrashing it with a B.B.
King-like electric guitar accompaniment; and splatters the sultry groove of
Elijah Rock with swirling organ and squawking electric guitar worthy of the
Grateful Dead. As for the cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s Soul of a Man —
which was resurrected last year by Wim Wenders for his chapter in Martin
Scorsese’s intriguing PBS mini-series about the blues — the group gives the song
yet another twist by wallowing in its earthy gospel roots.
At 14 tracks and nearly an hour’s worth of music, there’s little doubt that
Ollabelle is an overly lengthy affair, one that should have undergone a
slight bit of editing, perhaps, to remove the preciousness that creeps into the
set through The Storms Are on the Ocean, Two Steps, and, to a
lesser degree, All Is Well. Yet, even here, the group manages to achieve a quietly alluring
gracefulness that’s captivating, organic, and magical, meaning none of the extra
padding comes close to undermining the impeccability of the collective’s
otherwise intoxicating debut. 
Ollabelle is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004
The Music Box
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