Published by Mason Oldridge, 29 September 2023
After last year’s country-infused album Cowboy Tears, Oliver Tree returns to his hip-hop inspired pop sound with his third album.
Alone in a Crowd is somewhat genre-bending, incorporating hip-hop, electronic, acoustic guitar and piano in the mix, making for a record of refreshing production.
The album opens with the lead singles which are some of the most catchy, including the highlight One & Only thanks to its trumpet-based hook. Tree tries his hand at rapping too, over a trap beat on Fairweather Friends, over an ambient beat on Smile and over what can only be described as sounding like a whistling bird on Ugly Side. Furthermore, there are some strong electronic songs in Strangers and Elevator to the Sky as well as dreamy tracks such as Invisible Man and With You. The collection closes on the dance banger Miss You, a dance remix by Robin Schulz of a non-single from Tree’s debut album.
Tree’s eccentric persona might split opinion, though he is undeniably unique, which shines through in his music too, resulting in a particularly varied discography.
In conclusion, Alone in a Crowd contains some of Tree’s best work and deserves more exposure and radio airplay than given.
7/10