Oliver sets the mood for “Oasis” with a sampled piano figure and spare and light percussion in a beat that in its repetition suggests the backdrop for what will be a meditation on the state of things imbued with the hopes and anxieties blended in the way life can feel both complicated and simple at once. The line “Put my love where I should, trust where I can, leaving fate where it land” is pragmatic and wise but informed by vision to get to where you want to in life especially as a creative person. Misplaced love and loyalty can detail your life or set you up for failure, as can trusting to freely and openly with the wrong people and accepting that accumulated actions can feel like fate but even that is more complicated than it seems and it isn’t the ultimate end of things. Realizing that alone can give a person hope that there are options. Oliver addresses the specter of racism, self-doubt in one’s abilities undermining one’s confidence and perhaps ability to enjoy one’s accomplishments and the ways in which dubious goals and dreams can limit one’s potential and erode one’s sense of self. It’s just over two minutes but “Oasis,” appropriately named given the tenor of the song and the time taken out of the flood of life to contemplate these subjects, contains a great deal of personal insight. Listen to “Oasis” on Soundcloud, give the rest of Oliver’s Stay With Us EP/album a listen on Spotify and connect with the New York-based rapper at the links provided.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
You must be logged in to post a comment.