Oceana: Love Supply

“I like them boys in uniform / Who wants to hop on my unicorn?”

How’s that sound? If that miserable come-on sounds like your idea of a good time, then you’re in luck. Love Supply, the debut release from this soul/R&B unknown, is filled to the brim with similarly gag-inducing moments. As you may have surmised, Love Supply is a bit lacking in the lyrics department, focusing on the laughably stupid (any “unicorn” reference would fall under this category) and the laughably cheesy (“I wish this falling star would guide me to wherever you are”). Oceana’s voice only further weakens her case. She’s going for the whole “sexy, mousy, modern R&B vibe”, but she ends up with a vocal delivery as anonymous as a *69 phone call. By comparison, Amy Winehouse is a shining beacon of originality.

Not that an artist has to be original to make good music. Problem is, the performances here sound limp. Some interesting sonic details do crop up, particularly the tremolo-drenched electric guitar and Motown drum fills that spice up “Cry Cry”, which is by far the album’s most playable track. However, more often than not, the instrumentation simply serves as window dressing for a very boring view. There are a lot of slick, preppy beats, some unthinkably stupid guest rapping, and jazzy chord structures. There’s also more than one failed attempt at reggae.

This is shopping mall music. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself humming along with Love Supply while underwear browsing at the local JC Penney.