George Ogilvie of Canterbury has an important decision ahead of him - his direction.
Musicians usually have a genre, or a perceived scene to promote / play towards.
It's a simple basic that sets the artists apart from the fan. Ogilvie's
Soundcloud features covers of Alt-J, Daft Punk, and Bastille. Then there are
covers of Katy Perry, One Direction, and Rihanna. It's hard to pinpoint
Ogilvie's inspiration, as his covers fail to suggest a musical icon. Covering
Rihanna and Katy Perry in an acoustic, heartfelt manner may just be his calling
card. Where typical pop covers sound cheesy and highlight the song-writing
failures, Ogilvie picks out the positives and makes it listenable. Personally,
Rihanna's "Stay" is off the market in my listening habits, but
Ogilvie's cover tries to make this track sound somewhat interesting.
Ogilvie's dependence on his covers outweighs the impact of his originals. By
covering popular music, his audience are, by name, pop fans. This may be what
Ogilvie wants, to attract the fans and pick up plays due to courtship
listeners. There are plenty of unsigned song-writers who write fantastic songs.
They never get picked up, because they're not money material. The independent,
story-telling songwriter is by far the best. The intrigue factor that surrounds
a song cannot be mastered like a sorry singer-songwriter. Ogilvie's task now,
is to find out if he’s a Tom Odell, or a Mike Hadreas. You can listen to one of Ogilvie's originals above titled "Far Away", and make up your mind as to what Ogilvie is, and what he can achieve.
