Jo Oliver is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist offering up a hook-heavy sound that fuses the evolution of rock music with a somewhat more retro pop backdrop, making for something that you recognise fairly quickly as his sound. Shine On thrives on the high energy of the instrumentation and the strength of the key line. The set-up fuses distorted guitars with classic keys and a vibrant drum line, on top of all of which the artist’s characterful leading voice delivers the song and its underlying sentiment with notable power.
The song appears with a lot of weight, the rhythm and that hook linger long after the song has finished. The repetition of the title is arranged so that the repetition evolves melodically and makes certain you remember it. Surrounding and supporting this are all of the various roles that Jo Oliver plays within his own music. To listen is to take on the impression that this is a full band set-up. To an extent it is, as you can see from the video below, but the entire band is the artist himself – each riff and moment adds a layer of volume that works in unison with everything else to create a hard hitting and intense musical backdrop.
Structurally the moments in between hooks lay bare the melody and ideas of the song. These moments are mellow, they give you time to reflect on the concept, and they also create a distinct contrast with the hard-hitting chorus that will follow, so the impact is even greater. Following on from this, each hook is followed by a notable riff, something that really pushes further that undeniable element of individuality. The varying stages of the song make sense together, and furthermore, they offer something that is optimistic at heart but not without the presence of some distant emotional turmoil or experience that led to the writing of this song. The verse melody has a slight touch of melancholy that really gets you thinking.
Visit Jo Oliver’s Website for more information & check out his guitar tutorials (in German) over on Youtube. Download the single via Amazon (UK / US)
