Fortunately for the listener, The Ordinary Way is named after a street sign found in the woods, not the band’s sound. The Fairfax, Virginia seven-piece presents us with – Dojo- their third recording and first with BOS Music. Dojo is a multi-faceted album that covers a wide variety of styles, making the band truly impossible to label. The collection of songs are all so uniquely diverse that every song is almost a stepping stone for a separate album, allowing the band to explore that respective path of sound.
From the opener "Wake to the Sun," the warm soulful voice of Gordon Sterling spills forth as a deep communicator, capable of letting the juggernaut of sounds in the background speak for itself. This folk rocker is granted an immediate sense of awakening alongside the luscious back-up vocals of Robienne Gustave, providing us with a tasteful buzz of catchy dual male/female harmonies. The band envelops themselves in more spiritual waters on "An Honest Moment," built over a sparkling mandolin riff by Austin Mendenhall that rings with spiritual and mystical vibrations, without sounding too new-age.
In the midway part of the recording, the music suddenly falls into space, in the means of a ninety degree turn from the first half. What goes from a recording of diverse and structured songs, the second half of the recording runs into a concept album of jams that are part Enigma, Ozric Tentacles, and "Ray of Light" Madonna. The music defines both mind, body and spirit jam-based compositions that reflect themes of jazz, bold new age, trip-hop and trance. "Come Alive" serves as the pinnacle of their most energetic compositions, dissolving into the off the path instrumental adventures of "The Journey Home" and "The Oracle." Although heavy on the jams, the second half infuses opportune vocals and clever instrumental inter-play, providing it a distinct musical purpose for stretching beyond its structured boundaries, but at the same time may steer an inattentive listener off course.
The band may have gone a bit overboard attempting to cover so many ambitious musical stratospheres, but the recording has some truly momentous high points that make you come back again and again.
Dojo proves The Ordinary Way is on an industrious, but promising path, setting them apart from the rest of the ordinary pack.
