Album Review: Ben Jaffe’s Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love Is Tragically Romantic

Benjamin Jaffe’s Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love is a sweet, Western infused romance. You feel like you have walked into an old town filled with lovers and cowboys wrestling with the “doom” of romance. Of course, not every love story is doomed, but “we kiss a lot of frogs to get to our prince/ princess.” Unfortunately, some of “those frogs’, we truly thought would transform into our “one”.

Interviewing Jaffe, truly helped me in see this album as his personal reset and rediscovery of romance. Relationships are not easy to find, maintain, and, at times, enjoy. Yet, we seek them because something in our soul commands that it be shared with another soul in love. “Blooming”, “Alright Now”, and “Everlasting Peace” show the pull of our hearts to find a companion, but the struggles of our minds, dreams, and real-world situations to submit to such a union. It is a true perspective considering we all look at old relationships or even current, struggling ones and say, “If only this was right or if only that was that way, we would be better!”

Jaffe blends soul, jazz, folk-rock, and dreaminess to give you an album that turns love’s nightmare into a moon river of a ride. He never loses a sense of being mystified by love, even when songs like “Lazy Music”, “Pity”, and “Dominator” show the tides changing in that “moon river”. In some ways, he sings to how in love with LOVE we all are, but how oblivious we can be to its demands and depth. It is as if every human being has fallen for “romantic film” tropes; only to find that real life has none. Thus, Jaffe’s voice swirls in euphoria and pain; emanating notes of confusion, admiration, and vulnerability towards Love’s power. With arrangements that feel starry and novela-esque, he becomes a protagonist/ narrator you want to follow.

Every person hopes to find a love that is empowering, but we feel stumped by love’s powering. Jaffe’s Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love is both raw and artful, which is not an easy match to make, especially on a debut. Yet, that goes to show his talent, and his respect for relationships. For More Information on Benjamin Jaffe And To Buy Oh, Wild Ocean Of Love Click Here.