Full of understated recordings but still full of impact, ‘Ocean Wave’ is an album celebrating the best of British and also the 350th Anniversary of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. As such it collects together a host of patriotic anthems, as performed by a Royal Marines band known for their incredible precision, presentation and musicianship.
Of course, there’s no doubting the skill on show here, and the recordings are pristinely captured and well performed as you would expect. Ultimately, the strengths of the album all come down to the choices of songs. With a host of guest vocalists and solo musicians to carry the melodies, some of the combinations are a bit unusual to say the least.
I must admit, I was put off by the combination of this incredible, traditional band being recorded behind Britain’s Got Talent finalists ‘Richard & Adam’. The duo of classical tenors, who came third in series 7 apparently, were an odd choice and perhaps not strong enough against the band in question.
Then again, maybe I’m being an old curmudgeon. Some of the songs are beautiful, and you can’t argue with the opening and closing songs, ‘A Life on the Ocean Wave’ and ‘Rule Britannia’ respectively. The pace is slower in the middle section, and ultimately your opinion will depend on your opinion of pomp and circumstance, but this is a very good – if flawed – album.
