Having the 50th music album out is an achievement in itself and the Pop music artist from Perth O’Neill Fernandes has made this even more special with a double album.
Introduction –
Music is an art that most people feel connected to. At the same time, it is a real privilege to make music and connect people through the tracks. Doing it for years and releasing the 50th album is another privilege and truly an achievement in itself; only a few people can do it. O’Neill Fernandes is one of those artists who has released an exceptionally creative project as his 50th album. What came as a surprise is that this album is a double album with 2 sides containing quality musical tracks. After becoming involved with music in 2010, Fernandes found an intimate love and passion for art, along with a newfound appreciation for guitars.
Every successful man indeed has a woman behind him and for O’Neill that is his wife Linda. The prolific artist has always made sure to credit his wife who encouraged him to record his music. With the much-needed support and encouragement from his loved ones, O’Neill embarked on this musical journey, which he just expanded with his latest 50th double album. The new album not just celebrates his art, but his exceptional journey as a guitarist, a creative musical mind, and someone passionate about what he delivers to his fans!
Musicality –
O’Neill’s passion for music started at a young age and he made sure to improve and improvise his records with each release. His music is a pure reflection of his love for the art and his incredible talent. To understand the musicality of his recent album, one must judge the instant captivation his album creates in the minds of his listeners.
Uplifting melodies with an emotional depth have always been present in his music. In addition to that, his love and respect for Australian music and instruments in quite visible on his 50th double album. With an omnipresent individuality and a dose of originality, his music embodies exploration. O’Neill’s music is not repetitive, the musician always tries to do something different, and the experiments are quite visible in his musical projects.
Standout Tracks –
The creative musician has just released his 50th project, comprising two sides. Both sides contain separate musical tracks, exploring different genres and styles. Side A is called ‘Great Southern Land’, referring to the great land of Australia. This side accommodates 20 instrumental covers of top Australian hits.
Side B, entitled ‘Shades Of The Shads…Vol.4’ reflects O’Neill’s commitment to his craft. The band, The Shadows is what started it all. The band’s music is what got the artist interested in music and guitar playing in the first place. This is why Side B of the album is best in celebrating his musical journey.
Side A – Since his family migrated to Perth, Australia, the Pop music artist from Perth has always loved Australian music. Throughout his life, the country’s music has impacted and shaped his musical identity. This is the 8th Australian Album project that the artist has dedicated to Australian Artists and Bands covering the period 1965 to 2005. Listeners can enjoy a total of 20 tracks in ‘Great Southern Land’.
From ‘Something So Strong’ to ‘Great Southern Land’, every song on the A Side of the album is purely dedicated to the Aussie way of life, music, and legendary musicians. Every single track on this side is a reflection of the artist’s love for the country’s rich Pop and Rock music. Some of the tracks on ‘Great Southern Land’ include – ‘Holy Grail’, ‘Rain’, ‘Indisposed’, ‘It’s A Long Way There’, and more.
Side B-
While Side A of O’Neill’s 50th album celebrates the influence Australian music had on his life, and his love for the country’s rich musical history, Side B of the album celebrates a different side of his musicality. This side of the album sums up everything about the prolific artist so far. Side B of his latest album gives listeners an idea of what made him interested in playing guitar in the first place. So, ‘Shades Of The Shads…Vol.4’ celebrates the entire journey of the artist, while taking the audience back to where it all started.
Entitled ‘Shades Of The Shads…Vol.4’, this side of the album includes 28 tracks from a long period, 1960 to 2024. All tracks from Side B are infused with nostalgic beats, enriched rhythms, and melodies that are hard to forget. Tracks like ‘Shadows Medley 2024’, ‘’The Girls’, ‘Stars Fell on Stockton’, ‘Theme From The Boys’, ‘It’s A Man’s World’, etc. have worked immensely well in establishing the musical greatness of the Pop music artist from Perth. The instrumental covers in this album side consist of different genres like Rock, Pop, Reggae, Country, R&B, etc., showing the versatile range of O’Neill’s talent.
Vocals and Lyrics-
O’Neill Fernandes’ 50th album has two sides and 48 songs in total. Every track on both sides of the album is an instrumental cover that takes listeners on a magical journey. Therefore, there are no lyrics in any track on this album. However, this is a sign of a great artist that he does not require lyrics to fulfill the emotional depth, his melodies are enough. With the riffs of his guitar and heartfelt instrumental work, the artist can easily convey the messages to his listeners, creating an unbreakable bond with the audience, without even uttering a single word.
The intense instrumental work on the album brings out a different meaning of music and an irreplaceable joy. With this album, the artist was able to keep his music fresh, engaging, and interesting which stands out on its own, without any lyrics.
Production –
If creating a full instrumental album and being able to deliver joy to his audience was not enough, O’Neill has also done the production of the album all by himself. His creative process and ability to produce a full album make him one of the most celebrated independent artists in the music scene of Australia. The artist already bears a strong foundation in Classical Rock, and Pop music, which allowed him to expand his creativity through his instrumental covers.
He also enjoys experimenting with different musical genres, allowing his versatility to keep the tracks unique, fresh, and appealing to a wide range of listeners. Additionally, the prolific artist has spent time refining the track to ensure the final product meets his high standards. These dynamic qualities and strategic music composition made the tracks polished and ready to take the listeners on a magical journey.
Conclusion –
After listening to every record with close attention to detail, it is quite unchallenging to conclude that O’Neill Fernandes’ 50th album is an easy contender to get a 4.9 out of 5. Considering his artistic creativity and originality, this by far is his best album, creating an unimaginable void in the hearts of music enthusiasts, who want more. His music is now available on SoundCloud, YouTube, and Facebook, Linkedin, where anyone can find more information about this deft musician and listen to his discography.
Click here to listen to these new albums on Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/oneill-fernandes/sets/great-southern-land
https://soundcloud.com/oneill-fernandes/sets/shades-of-the-shadsvol4
