★★★★★
Sound: OAR still has their reggae/funk vibe only with less acoustic from Marc (vocals and acoustic/electric rhythm). A lot of their songs are heavy on lead and sax. The sound is really good, but I would of liked more acoustic in the record. The reggae is heavy on this record. Their is even a small rap part on "Program Director." It fits well with the song actually, and it was a nice touch. // 10 Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics are sometimes cliche, but all the while from the heart...
- www.ultimate-guitar.com
2012-04-12
★★★★★
Wind Up O.A.R's vision of a wanderer arriving at a big brass show has finally come to fruition. The opening title track to their seventh album, King, begins with regal, majestic horns announcing the wanderer's arrival and non-violent coo. Despite gallant intentions, the synthesized sounds and accompanying hip-hop beat sound like a concerted though stale effort to achieve mainstream radio play. Other tracks are less schmaltzy, however...
- www.relix.com
2011-09-26
★★★★★
Hand up if you're a fan of O.A.R.--the veterans of freewheeling, reggae-tinged jams and inspirational lyrics. Now put your hand down if you loved "Shattered" and don't give a lick about 18-minute live versions of "That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker". I probably just lost half the crowd, and this is the kind of divisive career path that O.A.R. has taken. At one point, they were a Christian-influenced, less weird Phish. Since 2006, they've been more like Dave Matthews Band. And on King, O.A.R...
- www.popmatters.com
2011-09-05
★★★★★
Release Date: August 2, 2011 O.A.R. has a new album? Did you know? Apparently a lot of people did, but I didn't. That's probably something I shouldn't admit as a guy who runs a music website, but whatever. It's not typically the music I cover, despite that I have thoroughly enjoyed O.A.R.'s previous releases. The band has been able to consistently put out solid pop-rock jams over the years, all while growing as musicians with each album. How? I don't know, but it's damn impressive...
- absolutepunk.net
2011-08-29
★★★★★
O.A.R.'s fifth album, 2005's Stories of a Stranger, was aptly named for all the wrong reasons. The band of buddies from Rockville, Maryland had fostered a fan base rooted in jam sessions, reggae-fusion, and a resonant reputation for live gigs. Stories of a Stranger, however, marked a departure that left O.A.R. unrecognizable by its early devotees...
- www.noripcord.com
2011-08-22
★★★★★
Summary: Epic, towering, and completely artificial. Somewhere between the synthetic horns, faux-reggae jams, and glossy, sugar-coated pop choruses, King shows its true colors. If you are a sucker for over-the-top pop, it is possible (if not likely) that you will be captivated by the opening song and title track...
- www.sputnikmusic.com
2011-08-15
★★★★★
This is the seventh album from those whose acronym stands for Of a Revolution. On King, an overlong 16-song affair, the long-time-coming revolution still hasn't arrived, buried as it is under every Train and 311 CD the band have been listening to recently. Having scored a platinum hit with Shattered off their last CD, O.A.R...
- hour.ca
2011-08-15
★★★★★
A jarring crash, a slinky bass line and some groovy reggae beats open O.A.R.'s fifth album, the jam band's major-label debut. In the first five minutes of "Now/Dareh Meyod," it gets everything right -- singer Marc Roberge lends a gruff edge to the pleading love ballad, while a not unwelcome saxophone wails behind him in short, eerie blasts. It could be the Police, reconceived and buffed up for 2003...
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
Like fellow jam bands Phish and Dispatch, O.A.R. have built an impressive fan base by touring incessantly and encouraging fans to trade bootlegs of their shows. That strategy has helped them sell over 1.4 million records and score headlining gigs at Madison Square Garden, and on their sixth album, they've cultivated a slick pop sound to match their arena-size ambitions...
- www.rollingstone.com
2009-06-08
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