What sets "Opaline" apart, however, is that it reflects immense growth -- musically, lyrically, and emotionally. This is the first album in which all the instruments and, most definitely, JR Richards' voice flows freely all throughout the entire album. From the opening beats and soft guitar strumming of "Opaline" to the Richard's poignant vocals and lyrics in the last song, "Drawn Out", the members of Dishwalla masterfully weaves each of their distinct musical interpretations of each song into solid, powerful, unified entities. It's storytelling at its best, similar to watching a movie in which the score manifests and punctuates the storyline and emotions perfectly.

The question "And you think you know what life's about" that Dishwalla posed in their second album is answered in "Opaline." JR Richards' vocals and lyrics take the listener on a journey of Life's Lessons. They emote a feeling of learning difficult, sometimes painful, lessons about life and love -- and then coming out on top once one realizes that love and life are essentially up to yourself. In the the tenth song, "Nashville Skyline", Richards' discovers and shares with the listener that "Underneath it all, you yourself are free/forevermore is the love that you need to believe/and you yourself are there/floating high above/the Nashville Skyline"

This, if anything, is the heart of "Opaline" -- amidst the diversity of life's experiences, Dishwalla has found a way to be free and freely love. Musically and lyrically, "Opaline" embodies this feeling, this lesson so well that you cannot help but learn. And even if you go in feeling that you think you know what life's about, after just one listen, you will feel as if you're "floating high above", no matter where you happen to be...


Addictive!   April 25, 2002
Susan
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I must admit to not knowing that much about Dishwalla but when I heard "Somewhere in the Middle", I knew I had to have the cd. One of my best purchases to date! Every single song on the cd is fabulous! The lyrics and music are addictive and I found myself singing along soon enough. This is not one of those cds that you buy and play only one or two songs.

So many of the tracks are soulful and heartfelt, not contrived at all! Some of my current favs are the title song "Opaline" and "Every Little Thing". If I had known this band had this much talent, I would have been a fan earlier.


a priceless treasure.   June 6, 2005
coffeecraze
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

can i borrow 95 stars from the other albums and place it here?!
this album deserves a hundred stars.. i mean it.

dishwalla, please do us a favor and dont EVER stop making music!



best album of 2002   January 27, 2004
Mike (Nova Scotia Canada)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I am a manager of a cd store and its rare that I see an album that really surpises me. This album did. I caught the last half of the "Somewhere in the Middle" video on Much Music one day and went into work and ordered the CD in quantity because I figured it would sell very well. That was that last time I ever seen the video anywhere and the album didnt sell very well at all. It surprises me that a band of this level of talent doesnt do as well as it should. Rich vocal talent and songs with melody and meaning is a rare thing today. I was puzzled and wondered why it didnt do very well. In my humble opinion I think that the only thing that is preventing Dishwalla from being super stars is the fact that the record label isnt putting money into promoting them. I think it is becuse people are not exposed to them that they are not buying the cd. I took it upon myself to try to correct that injustice at my store. I played it (and still play it all the time) and I am never surpised (but always excited) when people come up to me and ask "hey whats that playing?". That is usally followed by them purchasing the cd. Oplaine is by far the best cd that came out of 2002, and I am being honest when I say that I have listened to the cd countless times mostly every day since I purchased it and it is always never too far away from my cd player. It has been this way since the summer of 2002 and its now the winter of 2004. They have rapidly become one of my favotie bands. Buy this CD and see what I mean. My perosnal favorite track is "Home", but all of them are incredible. Also check out the live CD they now have (only available on import in Canada) called "Live from the Flow State." You will see that the talent in this band is not all studio and JR Richards voice is just as good live as recorded in studio. I only wish that people could hear this album and let the music sell itself. Thanks for lending me you ears.