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PASSION MAG SEPT 2004

OLA Onabule is probably one of the best kept secrets in the British music world. Ola's four-octave vocal range drips with emotion and he is being hailed as Britain's finest soul singer - someone who not only connects with his audience but gets them up and dancing.
But Britain's best-known sportsman, David Beckham, has known about Ola for years - he chose him to sing at his wedding to Victoria in Ireland in 1999. Dad-of-three Ola said: "David's a big soul music fan and was putting feelers out to find someone for the wedding -apparently someone close to him had been to see us several times and simply booked us for a wedding in Ireland."It was only as the event got nearer that we began to wonder if we were booked for 'that' wedding.
"It was quite freakish al first, with all these famous people, but they were a great audience,''
Ola has worked with a list of world class names, including Natalie Cole, Al Jarreau, and Gladys Knight. But it could have been so different if his dad hadn't taken him to see James Brown when Ola was just nine. He said: "That was when I realised that music could be your living. I was groomed to be a lawyer- but when I came to London to study I just hassled every band at university to let me join them - folk, rock, even the goths!''
His perseverance paid off and he was briefly signed to Elektra before spending time as a session musician with Simply Red, KD Lang, George Michael and Michael Ball. He said: "There were other sessions but I just can't name them...artists who were, um, less cool. would be a nice way
to put it!" Ola also sang on jingles for ad campaigns - including one for McDonald's. And his previous singles have been used on films and in TV - Eastenders seems particularly taken with some of his music
Ola, who has just released his fifth album full of original material - In Emergency. Brake Silence - on his own Rugged Ram Records, is appearing at Oxford's Old Fire Station on Saturday October 2.

Words by LAWRENCE WEBB

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OUT OF BEDS. ECHOES • SEPT 2004

Viewed from the front, it could be a family home in any quiet, suburban street of any London dormitory town. But something around the back makes it different. Casa del Funk, the studio that Ola Onabule built in the garden of his Bedford semi, has now hosted the recording of three of the best UK-
originated soul albums of the past five years. Inside its soundproofed walls and double-glazing is a digital console with a capacity equivalent to a 60-track analogue board and plenty of room to record a whole band at one time. From it, Ola has been watching his plans to establish his solo career at last begin to bear fruit.
In the 10 years since his album debut, More Soul Than Sense, Ola's CD sales [3,000 in the first year] and the number of live concert dates [a mere half-dozen in '94], have risen exponentially. Virtually doubling the figures on each release, '97's From Meaning Beyond Definition, '99's Precious Libations For Silent Gods and 2002's Ambitions For Deeper Breadth, allied to a touring schedule that now runs to some 100 gigs a year [and has just expanded into Europe], have put the vocalist, writer, arranger and producer in a position where real profile is surely just one even break away. Maybe his fine new album, In Emergency, Brake Silence, is about to provide that breakthrough.
"Some people say there's no audience for real soul music in this country," he reflects, spinning his swivel chair away from the studio monitors to face me, "but I know that's not true: I see the whites of their eyes two or three times a week, so I know they're out there. This whole thing is climbing and we are reaching higher with each album. "But I do feel that, being home-grown, in some ways Britain owes me. I just want it to pay me a fraction of the attention it will pay... who's on your next cover? Nelly? I'm not claiming to be brilliant, but I would like the chance to be heard on a wider scale. Then at least people can make up their minds."
Ola used to have a deal with Elektra, of course, but walked away from it when he grew tired of their plans to turn him into various types of performer he never wanted to be. It took him the first two albums - and some background and voiceover work - to earn enough money to build the studio. Now the footings are firm. Just as important, the music he's making is the way he hears it in his head.
"Because a lot of the musicians I used first were jazz musicians, there was more of a jazz feel to the early albums. But now I've drifted towards the soul music I always loved and grew up with. And I think that soul music is about to
explode again. It seems the next logical step. The children of the people who bought Sam and Dave and Marvin are now making music, and they are making music that we heard our parents play to death. There must be a whole generation out there who grew up on that music and would buy it. "People at my concerts say to me afterwards that they didn't know that music was being made like this - or that it was coming from someone in Britain, not Philadelphia or New Orleans." There's no doubt in this writer's mind that tunes on the new album like the flowing mid- tempo Sou/town or the memorably melodic ballad Heart Of Lead would sit well, not only on regular soul radio, but also on a BBC Radio 2 playlist that these days regularly includes such as Norah Jones, Katie Melua, Jamie Cullum and Anita Baker. For the first time in Ola's career such exposure may not be out of the question: he's actually hired himself a radio plugger as well as an outside PR. "It's awareness that makes all the difference," he concedes. "There are pockets here and there who come to us each time, but it's all the people who may like it who we need to reach. And that takes a national thing. "But I won't be doing this with a major label. Those days have gone. I've seen people who have built something special the independent route and then fell for the big cash offer, and all their uniqueness goes. I won't trade that. "So, for now, we sell most of our CDs at the gigs and a few through the web-site, and we're well past the break-even figure. We're looking to buy a bigger studio, maybe with a second room that we can hire out. I'm determined to break the back of this solo thing. I can't afford to give up on this - it's the only thing I'm good at."

Words by Chris Wells

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MANIFESTO Sept 04

Also one of the finest Soul artists in the UK, OLA ONABULE comes through with his latest outing on Rugged Ram Records titled ‘In Emergency Brake Silence’. I’ve been witness to this man’s powerful live performance a number of times and his latest CD is, for me his best yet recording. The whole album oozesquality from the start, just listening to the dreamy opener ‘SOUL TOWN’ with it’s influences of leon Ware and Marvin Gaye. Truly wonderful UK release, full of inspirational Black Music - drenched in the SOUL! If there is any justice amongst you this CD should be a massive hit and put OLA up there amongst the best of them, where he deserves to be. Absolutely spellbinding and then some...

Words By BOB JONES

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JAZZWISE SEPT 04

Blessed with a big, big voice, singer Ola has been buzzing on the fringes of the jazz scene in the UK for a while, gigging his soul jazz repertoire and opening for artistes such as Natalie Cole, Joe Zawinul and Al Jarreau, Although Marvin Gaye’s heartfelt melodic ways loom large, Ola’s emotionally wrought baritone style at times comes across like a male version of Anita Baker. Yet rather than rework the hallowed neo-soul territory occupied by Donny and Stevie, In Emergency, Brake Silence is an unpretentious collection of soul pop numbers. Musically the material sits firmly in the Al Jarreau/George Benson smooth soul jazz bag. Ola’s voice is at it’s strongest when unleashed on ballads like ‘Love Affair’ or soaring on the catchy ‘Alive Tonight’. This is finger popping radio friendly stuff. One for R&B lovers everywhere.

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SOUL OF THE PARTY, BELFAST TELEGRAPH SEPT 04

Having devoted fans is one thing - but what if the fans were celebrities who had Booked you for a Special concert? And what if the concert turned out to be their fairy tale wedding, the showbiz event of the year, in fact, with the world's media lying in wait! Well, that's exactly what happened when London-born soul) sensation Ola Onabule was booked for a function in Dublin, which he hadn't given a second thought to.
All he knew was that the mysterious person who had booked it, was taking care of everything "at the other end" and all would be revealed on the day. As time went on, and the media continued to speculate about the celebrity nuptials, the London born singer began putting two and two together and on July 5, 1999, he arrived in Dublin to serenade the newly-weds.
The location was Luttrellstown castle, Dublin. Posh Spice-Victoria Adams, had had enough of 'Girl 'Power' and decided to settle down and marry her prince David Beckham. By day, they became man and wife, releasing a single, white dove as a symbol of their love. By night, however, they danced to the music of one of Britain's best kept secrets...Ola Onabule. In Ireland for just six dates to promote his new album, Ola talked to More2Life about serenading Posh 'n' Becks and the inspiration for his songwriting.
His full title is breathtakingly long... Olatunji Olugbenga Omotayo Olanrewaju Adetokunbo Abdul Majeed Onabule, and is courtesy of his Nigerian parents. Although London-born, the singer spent many of the formative years of his childhood in Nigeria. And it was there, watching the legendary James Brown in concert during the mid seventies, that Ola's future was set in stone. "From that point on, I knew I was going to make my living as a soul singer " he said. For many years I thought I was the Reincarnation of James Brown. I had the afro and did all the moves."
In Emergency, Brake Silence is the rather cryptic title of Ola's new album released this month. The album's name stems from what Ola describes as "man's inability to communicate with fellow human beings". Ola believes that people today have got so caught up in themselves, they have forgotten to reach out to others - especially in their time of need. "It struck me that at some point or another we are going to have to realise that we are not as good as we would like to think we are at certain issues, like humanity for instance. "There is a lot of social consciousness and unrest in the world today, The type of unrest that I do not think we have experienced since the late sixties
"The title, In Emergency, Brake Silence, comes from the realisation that when we are in difficult times, we must break the silence in order to communicate with our fellow human beings. "We aim for the stars, but never really get off the ground," he said. But, Ola's music is not just deep and meaningful. He describes his new album as a collection of songs on "loving, losing, winning and living".

Grainne McCarry

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August 2004

Carving himself an enviable niche as one of the UK’s hottest soul-jazz vocalists, Ola Onabule returns with his latest album, ‘In Emergency, Break Silence’, a delicious slice of authentic soul-jazz...

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BBC OXFORD - Read full gig review

April 2004 Review by Alexis Goodyear

Ola Onabule wowed fans at the Old fire station theatre on Saturday night, with a new set from his 5th UK album, 'In Emergency, Brake Silence'. His set was soulful and passionate...

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BBC SUFFOLK - Read full gig review

April, 2004 Review by Pete Brown

Honey-voiced Ola Onabule performed a night of jazz-tinged blues and soul at the New Wolsey. Our reviewer Pete Brown was bowled over by the energy and passion...

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LENGTH & BREADTH

Echoes

The third album from Ola Onabule, Ambitions For Deeper Breadth, is officially released this month. Once again it s on the Bedford-based singer/songwriters own Rugged Ram Records label. And once again its a consistently strong, beautifully performed, passionately delivered and Lyrically replete project, led by a guy whose intelligence is a match for his artistry and aimed at an audience who... well, who the majors will happily tell you doesn~t exist: people who care for music ahead of hype.
So... er, tell that to Ola s smiling bank manager, why don tcha. We did it in the studio in the garden again and although it's heavily reliant on live musicianship, there's a lot of technology in there too, Explains Ola with the air of someone who’s beginning to see his seed bear fruit. We have some expensive equipment in there: it was a very hi-tech way of making the album sound organic! ... Ola has been reaching these hungry buyers through the simple expedient of getting out there and playing live.
We always thought it was one of our strengths. And we re finding that if people get to see you, if you put it in front of them, they also want to buy the albums. Often they buy all three at once, because they're not sure when they'll get the chance again. Recently I played out in Norfolk for an audience who were supposed to be into jazz they'd never heard of me, that's for certain - and they really got into it. They probably thought that soul was something else, something they didn't like. It s surprising things like that that make this worthwhile,

Words By Chris Wells

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THE OLA FACTOR

Blues and Soul 2000

...The album reads like a who's who in quality British musicians and both Ola and Maria made it perfectly clear to me how thankful they both are to these musicians for their support. The album is titled "Precious Libations For Silent Gods"... and opens with a cut that is without a doubt the best soulful cut Ola has recorded since the amazing "You'd Better Believe". The track, "Heartbreak Ghetto", quality soulful groove at its very best. Believe me, soul music in the 90's doesn't get much better than this and on a silkier, smoother and slower tempo is the swayer "The Picture". Ola's vocal power is very evident throughout the set but it is hammered home on this simply stunning cut. This track doesn't just smell of class, it reeks of it!
...Trust me, if you have an ounce of soul in your body, this album just has to go in your record collection. I'll even go as far as saying it's a soulful masterpiece of the 90's and best of all, it comes from these shores.

Words: Collin Bigger For B&S

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