The passionate college rock of
O.A.R. gets its first live showcase on
Any Time Now, the two-CD album recorded in Washington, D.C., during the promotion of 2001's
Risen. The band sounds great on the 17 tracks found here, playing their high-energy rock with a power that only young bands can really manage to muster. The only problem with the album is that it is truly for dedicated fans, as the lengthy songs tend to blur together and the live approach simply does not complement some of these tracks. Without their strong energy level, this album would be pretty dull, but they manage to squeeze as much out of the songs as they can.
O.A.R. continues to develop, but at this point in their career there isn't much of a need for a live album. They have the power, but they still don't quite have the variety of songs to make a big project like this work. Still, fans should eat this right up as everything is done to the hilt, from the extended versions of the tracks to the visceral performance style of the band. But those unfamiliar with the music should be warned that this is definitely not the album to start a collection with. ~ Bradley Torreano