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Billy Ocean
Ultimate Collection
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BMG's new career retrospective for Billy Ocean offers 18 tracks that bridge his beginnings in the 70s and on through the early 90s with his work with R Kelly. Billy Ocean scored on a big string of UK and US hits that planted him in the Top 40 market. This release replaces 1989's Billy Ocean: Greatest Hits that contained 15 songs and which is now no longer available.
Many will remember his 1986 video of "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going", a theme song to the Michael Douglas film, Jewel of the Nile. The video featured DeVito, Douglas, and Kathleen Turner and was a regular rotation on MTV. The song itself is a great composition, funky with horns all over not to mention Billy Ocean's fluid soulful voice. But the song, however recognizeable, was not the only song from Ocean's catalog of tunes.
Ocean's start was in the 70s, and although he charted on the R&B charts, his biggest pop splash came in the 80s. "Caribbean Queen" carried itself with a merge of 80s styled keyboards that were popular at the time and which gave his voice many on-ramps . A key element was his fondness for sexy sax riffs that oozed through the centre of some of his songs. Another fascinating element, one that provided a distinction, were his crossover rock styles that merged into some of his songs. "Loverboy"'s intro could have easily been mistaken for that of an emerging rock band but quickly branded Ocean's ability to be more than one thing to more than one audience. This is a rare feat not easily duplicated but one that Billy Ocean understood and commanded well enough to boost his crossover appeal.
Billy Ocean's beautiful rendition of The Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" is one for the heart. Yes, I'm a sucker for cover songs but I'm even more of a sucker for covers done beautifully and Ocean scores on this one. You'll immediately sense R Kelly's influence in his mixes for Ocean's later material beginning with "Everything's So Different Without You" but R Kelly never removes Billy Ocean from his element, but, rather, enhances it. "L.O.D. (Love on Delivery)" grabs back at his rock elements after a break with several ballads and soul tunes. This guy can cover the bases.
A talent like Billy Ocean is easily missed during this very different time. But this collection brings all those memories flooding back and kicks in the nostalgia engine for those of us who appreciated this guy. I didn't have this album in the player more than 30 seconds before my wife came dancing into room . Not only did she remember...she enjoyed.
An amazing thing about this album is the way that it sounds. The clarity of this album is pretty incredible. It was so crisp and clean that I'm going to have to remember the name of James Cruz, the person who re-mastered this collection. The vocals were 'right next to me', the bass deep and funky, and the percussion sharp.
Ultimate Collection is a well put together celebration of a talent that could dance smoothly across the genre floor and Ocean did so with grace and style. If you remember Billy Ocean, this album will put you in the nostalgia pool. For those who don't know of Billy Ocean but who know R Kelly, check out how R Kelly derived some of his style.
