O.A.R. - The Mighty (2019)

The veteran roots rock/indie reggae-pop group's tenth studio album, The Mighty, leans hard into Of a Revolution's pop intentions, delivering a slick and earnest ten-song set that fits right into their singles-driven oeuvre. Their first collection of new music since 2014's The Rockville LP -- 2016's XX was a greatest-hits package that also included some live cuts and a couple of newbies -- The Mighty kicks off with "Knocking at Your Door," a tightly wound and unabashedly radio-friendly blast of electro-reggae pop that, like much of the album, is as heavily stylized as it is infectious. The slightly toned-down "California" follows suit, pairing vocalist Marc Roberge's slight Jamaican affectation with a wistful melody and inspirational lyrics -- "If you never want to be the silhouette you got to find your light" -- that suggest that the road to salvation leads to the Golden State. Heartfelt and heartbroken, "Miss You All the Time," inspired by the recent passing of a pair of Roberge's friends, confronts grief and its myriad stages before building to a gospel-sized crescendo, while the horn-fueled "OH MY!" promises lusty late-night shenanigans -- subtlety has never been O.A.R.'s strong suit. The Mighty loses some luster in its latter half via an abundance of rote, yet well-meaning ballads like "All Because of You" and "Are You for Real," but it's stocked with enough earworms and stadium-sized choruses to help pad out the next career overview.~The Mighty Review by James Christopher Monger