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A Lively Mind

Paul Oakenfold

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Album Review

It's trite, but Paul Oakenfold's 2006 effort could be a contender for dance album of the year, if the year were 1997. That may be fine for his hardcore fan base, but it's strange to think the man who was on the edge of mainstream dance music for so long isn't offering the next big thing anymore. Making this even more frustrating is the fact that albums of new productions are rare from the man — mix CDs make up most of his discography — so one would think A Lively Mind would be a grander statement, especially with its "you get to look inside my busy head" title. Dropping these expectations, and the expectation that the star-studded and smart guest list is going to bring the innovation, the album is satisfactory, and even exciting in parts. Two electro stompers — one with actress Brittany Murphy on sex kitten vocals — pass by before the album loosens up and finds an exciting groove with the disco-fabulous "Sex 'n' Money," featuring vocals from Pharrell Williams. Williams' minimal vocals might as well have been a sample of anyone with a cool falsetto, but unbelievably, the legendary Grandmaster Flash's contribution is even smaller. The two other tracks of note are instrumentals. "Praise the Lord" gets campy and offers a Latin-flavored beat with a Duane Eddy-styled guitar, while "Save the Last Trance for Me" is an epic track that builds to a shuddering climax, something Oakie excels at. Some serene, wide-angle numbers toward the end help a lot, making this safe album easier to recommend to the longtime trance addict.

Customer Reviews

Feels like a throw back to WaxTrax Circa 1989

I first stumbled upon Paul at Coachella in 2001. The winds were fierce and the curtain behind him on the main stage was being tossed around violently as he mixed and spun in the warm dusk and desert wind. The sun went down and his music came up. It was inspirational and moving. After that performance I sought out every mix he had done and found some great hour long "essential mixes" he had done in 99. I then saw Paul again at Coachella this year (2006) and was nearly moved and inspired as I was in 01, but not quite as much. His performance was good, but it lacked emotion and soul. The same could be said for this album. It isn't bad mind you, but it is a departure from the normalcy that is trance/house/hour long mixes that are thought provoking and emotional. This album feels like some the offspring of Wax Trax bands from the late 80's early 90's mixed with a bit of Front 242 and The Judgment Night Soundtrack (mixing electronic beats with rap and pop). It's not bad, it's not classic Oakenfold, which is what I was hoping it would be. This feels commercial and feels cheaper in the sense that it has very little emotional investment from Paul as an artist. Just a gut feeling.

sigh...

iTunes, please make zero stars an option... another personification of talent gone bad. i think that oakenfold would have been better off sticking to DJing the more talented people's production. if you are into bland cookie cutter weekend mainstream electronic blah, then this abundance of mediocrity will give you a stiffy. if you enjoy the cutting edge of underground techno, this album will sound like a commercial for tampax. sorry paul, you are officially off the relevant artist roster.

someone put this beast to sleep

When will this hideous, recurring trance nightmare die? The popularity of Paul Oakenfold never ceases to amaze me; hes been churning out the same song for nearly 13 years now and people still cream themselves when he so much as passes wind. And wow, how hip that he has Brittany Murphy (Brittany frigging Murphy????) wailing away on the first track. He is so incredibly bankrupt for ideas that he steals the melody to the KLF's 'What Time Is Love?" (THE track that started trance by the way, oh, criminally insipid trance music fans) on the track 'Amsterdam', and I hope at least he has the good graces to acknowledge this on the sleeve notes. C'mon humans....when is enough considered enough?

Biography

Born: August 30, 1963 in London, England

Genre: Dance

Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Paul Oakenfold is the DJ, remixer, and producer who did more than anyone else to break house music in Britain during the late '80s. During 1987-1988, Oakenfold hosted a series of crucial club nights that introduced thousands of Brits to house music. Just a few years later, he helped push the new dance crossover into the charts by masterminding hit productions by Happy Mondays (among others) and forming one of the most successful dance labels...
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