The very anticipated second artist album from Irish Trance superstar John O'Callaghan is a collection of fresh new tracks demonstrating his ever increasing talents for music production. It's one not to be missed...

It's easy to forget that John O'Callaghan has only been releasing records since 2004 and back then his was a little know Irish DJ and Producer looking to break through with his music. Break though he did with one banging production after the next that went slipping into some of the scene's biggest DJ's playlists. He is now one of the biggest stars in Trance and very much one of the front running new breed of pumping uplifting Trance producers. His debut artist album 'Something To Live For' certainly gave you that with a spread of high energy offerings like 'Cruise Control', 'Split Decision' and one of my favourite tracks 'Vendetta'. Those were the days of Discover who had the faith to keep pushing John's music out to the masses. His first big hit on Armind came with the vocal uplifter 'Big Sky' which featured a very nifty remix by the Agnelli & Nelson team. That track really set things alight for John and the work for artist album number two got under way. He has already released two tracks from the LP already on Armada's Capitvating Sounds imprint. Those are in this album along with ten other tracks you can’t help but praise. It's a real gem of an album this and I'll tell you why.

Release Date: OUT NOW! (Available from the i:Vibes store)

TRACKLIST

1. Find Yourself
2. Surreal
3. Take It All Away
4. Liquid Fire (with Guiseppe Ottaviani)
5. Out Of Nowhere
6. Never Fade Away
7. Through the Light (with Tom Colontonio)
8. Broken
9. Every Lesson Learned
10. Don't Look back
11. Megalithic
12. Big Sky

An artist album is a real indication of just how good your production skills are, there are no mind blowing remixes by other parties thrown in to add the spice to a bland blend. John O'callaghan is an Irish producer who has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and this second artist album really delivers some mind tangling productions that should ring in the ears for months to come. This one is a proper artist collection with the single disc of unmixed full length productions. None of this mixed together malarkey you find is a lot of artist collections these days.

Find Yourself is a very warm introduction to the thumping tracks to follow o0n from it. It's his latest single and features the vocals of Sarah Howells and features a real punch that should grab your attention. John is no stranger to the vocal Trance track of course with his massive smash 'Big Sky' last year. The tempo is still up there and with the guitar laced lead it brings in a solid beat with punchy kicks that work well together. There is a deep string building up to the introduction of the vocal which is nicely worked into the track. The main vocal is catchy and is placed well over the main hook in the track. The chord changing rumble along the background should ensure the speaker cone is rattling with enjoyment. Surreal is yet another vocal gem from John but rides along the more uplifting trance route with high flowing strings and nicely shaped back beat. The vocal in here is fitted perfectly with the flow of the track and hits right on the money with the breakdown that comes in. The break builds back up but the track does not fully come back until another short cut when the vocal creates the hook that should leave you itching for more.

The vocal's keep flowing with Take it All Away which is a real high energy Trance production. A strong beat, kicks and snare's are always expected with an O'Calgaghan track and they are in here again. Audrey Gallagher is the voice that features in with this one and it's got a solid sound to work on. The lead up is gritty with its bassline and when the beats fade the vocals come in backed up by backing percussion. Sweeping chord changes and the start of the main melody built up by a rolling drumbeat get your ears pricked up. The melody is big and uplifting here with the vocal maybe just put in too much towards the end. The first collaboration on John's album comes with Liquid Fire as the Italian Guiseppe Ottaviani puts his influence across and you can really tell. It's got that sound in it you can tell is Ottaviani's as soon as the beat comes in. The kicks have more flare on them and the lead up flutters in the carnage that is about it get let out of the cage. The melody in here is good and although it’s not a vocal track snippets slide in on the chord changes. Bright and sparkly I'd say this one is but quite banging as you would expect.

Out of Nowhere takes things on a different tone and has a harmonic vibe going off with it. Joise puts the vocal work in here and its very good being well fitted with the atmosphere in the track. The lead is bright and fresh with sweeping backing sounds adding to the harmonic feel and soft strings flickering along the top. The tempo is still up there though but this one chills you out with its soft melodic uplifting nature. Never Fade Away is a chilled break rather than a track. It does sit in-between two thumping sides of John O'Callaghan's trance explosion. The vocals are from the ever popular Lo-Fi Sugar who has been doing vocals form quite a few artists since dropping some for Paul van Dyk on his last long player. No beat on this, just relaxing soft strings and a tinkering piano to roll along with the soothing vocals.

The next collaboration puts a stop on all this chilled out nonsense and returns to the thumping action you know and love. Tom Colontonio fits in very well with John O'callaghan's sound and I'm sure they had no problems coming up with this track in the studio. Having had a good listen to it it reminded me of Paul van Dyk's old productions with the robotic squelch that slips in the back on the lead and erupts after the main breakdown. The chords in here are majestic and as uplifting as they come with the main break really dropping the tempo down then smashing the high heaven out of that by bring back the thunderous beat and erotic robotic drive. This is a really good track and credit to Tom who has come a long way in the past two years himself and is one Trance jock along with John who should be setting dance floors alight in years to come. Broken keeps on with a similar vibe to the last track but this is all John's idea this time. Think of this as a Simon Patterson style track, along the lines of 'Thump' with a high energy introduction, pounding beats chilled down break then an explosion back into the track after a drum roll that lets you know it's coming. The main break in here is really well delivered and uplifting but you get that techno feel on the lead and exit. You can see where John got his inspiration for this track from though but it’s by no means a carbon copy, just a welcome variation.

The atmosphere goes back into the more softer melody driven trance with Every Lesson Learned which is due I think to the vocals by Lo-FI Sugar that make the track sound that way. The main uplifting lead is perky with the beat solid enough keeping the tempo notched up the higher ends of the BPM scale yet again. When the melody does drop the vocals create the harmonic feel you get with this track. Deeply delicious they are and well produced. Don't Look Back returns to the chord driven Trance John does well with its fast flowing pounding beats and high kicks. He even slips in a little break beat right in the middle here that brings in the main string. High impact driven melodies are what gets you interested here as its not a vocal track at all.

The final collaboration on this album is with Aly & Fila who are no strangers to the uplifting stuff having done quite a few top dollar tracks and remixes over the past year or so. This one is not a vocal but another euphoric joyride of rich melodies and pulsating beats. The main melody in here is bright and aromatic with its delivery. Building up layer on layer and sweeping the sounds while the key changes provide the lift. The sound in here is big room, hands up in the air and goes mad when the drum roll begins the beat starts hitting.

It's quite fitting that John finishes with Big Sky as that really is one of the tracks that I'm sure got a lot of people looking into his music. It's not the mix you would probably want to hear with it being an acoustic mix but the vocals by Audrey Gallagher should be enough keep your interest. I suppose its one way to wind down after the high energy that this artist collection delivers in bucket loads. It's not the mix I find appealing if I'm honest but it takes nothing away from a brilliant album.

Conclusion:
John O'Callaghan has hit the button with this second artist album and brought the energy and uplifting feelings you expect to hear. It's not so much a progression from his first album but a demonstration of his ever improving skills and development sound. This one should be essential for any Trance addict and it gets my thumbs up. Bloody good work!