O.A.R. – Rain or Shine Review

This past Tuesday the first release in what will be a busy year for O.A.R. dropped called Rain or Shine. The live album recorded on two consecutive nights in Chicago last summer includes 37 tracks and just over 4 hours of music – enough to more than satisfy anyone who thinks albums aren’t worth the $15 price tag.

Any O.A.R. fan will tell you live is really where they excel. Previous live releases Any Time Now, 34th & 8th, and Live From Madison Square Garden have all been excellent, with Any Time Now long considered to be the very best live album they have ever done. That was until Rain or Shine.

Longtime fans will continue to dispute Any Time Now VS Rain or Shine, but in my opinion Rain or Shine blows everything else they have done away. Not only is the scale of the album a completely new undertaking for O.A.R., but the sound quality is also unreal – making for an amazing, refreshing take on the O.A.R. live experience. Add in the fact that even with the weather on Night 2 including a horrible storm with heavy winds, rain, and lightning the audio remains perfect.

The album kicks off with About Mr. Brown, with a new intro that had been played only a few times previously. By the time I reached the end of the fourth track So Moved On I knew this album was going to be priceless. The ridiculous end sax on So Moved On made me so amped up even at 1:30 in the morning when I was originally listening to it for the first time. Not to mention the first freestyle of the album that also comes in that track.

Other personal highlights on that monstrous 4-disc set include Conquering Fools, Lay Down, Fool in the Rain, War Song, the entire third disc (Night 2 Disc 1), Get Away, and Rhythm of Your Shoes.

Laced with freestyles and jams throughout various songs, this album is a must have for not only any O.A.R. fan but any live-music enthusiast. Best of all, this is only the beginning in what will be a jam-packed year for O.A.R.. The band is already hard at work writing and rehearsing before heading into the studio to release the next studio album sometime this summer (my guess is late June – early July). For now, enjoy the album because it is a great one.