Sunny Ozell - Take It With Me
- Written by Kyle McCormick
You can’t really look for Sunny Ozell on the internet without coming across her connection to some actor called Patrick Stewart, whoever that is. So let’s get that covered, and then we can discuss the music: THEY ARE MARRIED. Now that we’ve addressed that, time for a review of Ozell’s debut album, entitled Take It With Me:
Hailing from New York, Ozell’s musical style is said blend “Americana with folk”, which is as good a base description as any. The record is certainly rooted in a sultry female vocal, accompanied by mostly jaunty piano, as well as the usual suspects of drums and guitar, among some other uncommon and special touches. Opener ‘Manhattan Island Serenade’ is a lightly paced and toned number, which provides a charming introduction to the album, before descending into to similarly light noodling. Slightly too abrupt guitar notes announce the beginning the following track ‘Family Tree’, which whilst likely to be a little lacking in inspiration for some tastes is a sweet and enjoyable track.
’Git Gone’ packs somewhat of a punch after the slower pace of the decidedly American ‘Move Along Train’ and ‘Louisiana 1927’, and is guaranteed to get you shaking and jiving, whether at a barn dance or otherwise. ‘Kill Zone’ is a little unnerving with the sombre tone and lyrics such as “I’ll steal your dreams will you are sleeping / And sell them for dust and cheap lust”, among other conjectures that fall far short of ”love”, though the name indicates nothing pleasant lies within.
’Number One’ and ‘Only In The Movies’ are charming and meaningful numbers, followed by a track much in the same league as ‘Family Tree’, as ‘No One Is To Blame’ ticks the boxes of “lovely” and “enjoyable”, but not the boxes of “deep” or “meaningful”, but it is a great track regardless. Closing, piano-led title track ‘Take It With Me’ displays Ozell’s vocal one more time as she imparts lyrical melodies and meanings to the listener with seemingly minimal effort. A restrained summary of the record before, it would provide as good a starting point to this music as it does an end.
Despite lacking a “Wow!” factor, Take It With Me is an enjoyable record if you crave a taste of the what the other side of the Atlantic has to offer (assuming you reside on the Europe side). Accented with all the expected touches, Ozell’s debut record is a homely introduction to her musical career.