Oliver Mann - The Possum Wakes At Night

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 26 / 9 / 2009

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Review

Is he related to the greatest Manns of our time? Oliver certainly would like to be. The clumsy packaging of a few great parts hints at such an attitude. Before you can ultimately unravel the package, you have to go through many prints with portrait shots of little Mr Mann in many stages of excitement. Neutral Records did exactly this kind of packaging back in New York in the late 1970s. Just to show this Australian subvention misfortune its place, it's far from anything special. Let's not be too harsh on an Australian. After all, they live at the very back end of the entire world where things of any kind happen last. In spite of his German surname, the songs that Herr Mann performs are all firmly rooted in Irish and British culture. That type of music works great with folk and countryside music. With his over serious type of vocal performances one can't help but think, however, that he's missing the point. Our Oliver would be much better off singing pop music. Oliver could have sung 'Smalltown Boy' by Bronski Beat much better than Jimmy Somerville in the original. Alas, no one ever told him so.

Track Listing:-

1 Diamonds N Silver
2 By The Rock I Roll
3 Australian Gothic (Canon)
4 Sun Shines On
5 Canon: Carefully, Quietly
6 Hells Bells (I, II, III)
7 Evie
8 Canon: Crackers Cracking
9 Slow Dancing
10 Dancing
11 The Final Light
12 Fireworks