Sounds of Om: 3rd Edition

Album Review

There aren't too many surprises on the third Sounds of Om mix album, this one compiled and mixed by Kaskade. However, this isn't necessarily something to complain about, particularly if you enjoyed the previous volume spun by Andy Caldwell. This mix features many of the same producers — Caldwell, Rithma, Soulstice, West Magnetic, and Afro Mystik — along with a few tracks each from Naked Music NYC and Johnny Fiasco — the former an Om regular, the latter a longtime Chicago producer with an Om-style sound. And, if you're familiar with the Caldwell entry into the Sounds of Om series, you'll also recognize Soulstice's "Lovely," a beautiful and memorable song that appears here as well in "Johnny Fiasco's Lovely Vocal Mix." For those unfamiliar with the trademark Om sound, expect to hear nothing but deep house — soulful diva singing every few tracks, organic sounds, live instrumentation, melodies galore, and a nice steady tempo that isn't sleepy or banging. The Om mixes aren't too different from those of another California Bay Area deep house label, Naked Music, and, in particular, that label's Nude Dimensions series. Furthermore, like that series of mix albums, the Sounds of Om albums are rather cookie cutter — if you've heard one, you know what to expect from the others, for better or worse. In this case, since these Sounds of Om mixes are loaded with great producers, you really can't complain, even if all the volumes sound kinda similar.