Interpretations are a dime a dozen. Few can bring something new to older material. But everyone once in a while, there’s a little magic dust floating in the air. When it finds a home, something unique happens. Thus is the case with Christopher O’Riley’s True Love Waits, a reinterpretation of the songs of Radiohead. Radiohead? Who can do that? Who can possibly add anything else to Radiohead material and make it any better?

The songs of Radiohead are more than the sum of their parts. They’re a transformation of ideas, a stretching of the musical sphere so that music can evolve. Otherwise, music becomes a bastard child of another, one tune or style borrowing from another because we’re all out of styles.

And this is where Christopher O’Riley’s project finds itself, in the midst of a daring and daunting task. He has reached into the catalogue of Radiohead and extracted 15 pearls of exacting and unquestionable difficulty and swallowed them. What emerged in the aftermath of their absorption are those same tunes, somehow changed. Of course the obvious change is the instrument used to give life to the song but there is also a beating heart in there.

Absorption is the key; not only the absorption of the material by the interpreting artist and his subsequent release but also absorption by the listener. Music is designed to be a bridge of ideas and feelings. When the audience can successfully cross that bridge without it capsizing then an unexplainable thing has passed from creator to possessor. It’s a dimension of musical transference.

True Love Waits is such an album. O’Riley’s transcription is a transcendent work that redefines how we view music and how it is regenerated. With this album, Christopher O'Riley's love for his subject comes through in his gentle piano recitals. Each track becomes an extension of the track that it replicates. With songs from Radiohead's first 5 releases, Christopher O'Riley has created a entrancing tapestry.

Sequencing on this disc is an interesting exercise. Starting with Kid A's beginning track, "Everything In It's Right Place", O'Riley's flawless redesign sets you on the road to a discovery of the depth of Radiohead's musical depths. The playing of O'Riley has a calming effect and beautifully transitions each subsequent track. Fans of Radiohead have already discovered this and endorse this set of arrangements.

So, is it Radiohead? No, not really. But it may be something better.

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Christopher O'Riley
True Love Waits
Christopher O'Riley Plays
Radiohead

Released: June 10, 2003
Origination Year: 2003
Time: 1:00:23
Tracks:14
Produced by:Da-Hong Seetoo
Engineered by:Da-Hong Seetoo
Mixed by:N/A
Mastered by:N/A
Format: CD
Enhancement: None
Label: Sony Classical/Odyssey
Website:
www.christopheroriley.com

Everything in its Right Place
Knives Out
Black Star
Karma Police
Let Down
Airbag
Subterranean Homesick Alien
Thinking About You
Exit Music (For a Film)
You
Bulletproof
Fake Plastic Trees
I Can't
True Love Waits
Motion Picture Soundtrack