Omid Master


The three most recent songs from Australian singer/songwriter Omid Master conclusively prove he is one of the most talented figures in the world of modern pop music. Master has spent fifteen plus years living in the Queensland area of Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef, and is poised to move back to his hometown of Melbourne while also completing the writing and recording of his third full length release. Omid Master’s command over his material has expanded with each new release and, based on the three songs here, it is easy to expect that trend will continue with a third studio release that further establishes him as one of the pre-eminent pop songwriting talents working today. He dispatches this trio of tracks with the sort of effortlessness we hear from the best and gets under the skin of the individual songs with persistence and skill “I’m Going Crazy”, “Only You”, and “When I Close My Eyes” each have a strong personality and, while they never intend on remaking the wheel, it is apparent that Master is adept at pouring old wine into new bottles.

“I’m Going Crazy” is about separation anxiety from a beloved partner. Master’s songwriting does a superb job of going over familiar ground for popular song and making the form his own by describing his own particularly vivid experience. Everything is pared down to its essential elements and the structure is kept concise and honed to a fine edge. There’s a smattering of electric guitar lighting up the track, but it has a much more orchestral rather than lead instrument sort of quality and it underlines the song’s melodic virtues without ever taking over the song. “Only You” brings the strengths of his voice and surrounding instrumentation into even greater clarity. The acoustic guitar work shimmers throughout the entirety of the song and his vocals make an excellent match for the low-fi textures manifested throughout the track. It is a little longer than the first song, but Omid Master never sounds like someone risking exhaustion or tiring the listener’s patience. There are some exceptional clever turns in the arrangement and Master’s vocals hit the musical peaks with just the right emotional force.

The last of the three songs, “When I Close My Eyes”, scales greater heights than either of the earlier tunes. It has a stronger pulse than the preceding tracks, not radically different, but it nonetheless has a sonic urgency the previous tracks lack. He has a notable skill for seizing upon popular phrases, seemingly well worn beyond the point of freshness, and imbuing them with new life thanks to the vigor of his own personality and his palpable musical skills. Omid Master has followed his own unique route to the precipice of stardom and songs with such strength like these are likely to push him into well deserved, widespread popularity beyond his wildest dreams.


Lance Wright