OKAN
Laberinto
(Lulaworld Records)
3/5
There’s lots to enjoy in OKAN’s debut album Laberinto, but the Toronto group’s eclectic debut has its faults as well.
The album starts off with classical piano work in the title track, which calmly slides into jovial Cuban beachside tunes, with the lyrical content often remaining reflective.
The vibrato in the vocals is beautiful throughout the album, as is the trumpet, violin, and piano. Most of the time it’s a mish-mashing, artsy pleasure to listen to, although sometimes the quinto and eclectic guitars clutter up the beauty. It feels as though the members of OKAN are, at times, too eager to show listeners their incredible talent on their instruments, and they occasionally jumble what should have been separate songs into one. That said, “Last Day,” violinist/vocalist Elizabeth’s Rodriguez’s first English recording, is a great account of a person learning to cultivate their self through a painful breakup. “1000 Palabras” finds a balance some of the other songs struggle to: it stays focused yet is adventurous, and the results are incredible.
This album gets ahead of itself at times, but when it stays on the right track it’s clear, creative, and fun to listen to.