Elegantly emotive singer-songwriter Oliver James experienced a music career rebirth one day while sitting in a business meeting with his mind adrift. At the time, creating music was an outlet safely tucked away in his past, but a nagging lyric in his head was too good to resist.
Fourteen years later, and three albums, three singles, and an EP in, his acclaimed second-act career proves it’s good for the soul to give into temptation. The result of his brave decision to return to music is a body of work brimming with bare truths and soulful reflection.
“I’m not a pessimist, but I’m not an optimist. I’m interested in darker themes and exposing hypocrisies. There’s strength and positivity in diving deep,” the San Diego, California-based artist says.
His just released third album, “Revelating” out on Wire & Wood Recordings LTD marks a new era for Oliver. Not only does it offer up a fresh installment of his well-crafted, meticulously performed pop-rock with a few surprises, it also comes in the wake of Oliver finding his dream band, and finally pursuing a consistent and steady itinerary of live dates with a dedicated and impassioned unit of virtuosic musicians.
Oliver pens sophisticated pop-rock with majestic arrangements, serve-the-song instrumentation, cinematic textures, and earnestly poetic lyrics. His exquisite aesthetic has attracted an impressive array of musicians and industry all-stars. Oliver has had the pleasure of working with David Letterman’s Late Night Gospel Choir; two-time Grammy-winning mixing engineer Trina Shoemaker (Iggy Pop, Queens Of The Stone Age) at the Magic Shop in NYC (Coldplay, Norah Jones); mastering genius Greg Calbi (Bob Dylan, Nick Cave) at the famed Sterling Sound; and producer, mixing and mastering engineer, Alan Sanderson (Elton John, Rolling Stones, and Weezer) at Pacific Beat Studios.
Crucial to Oliver’s creativity has been his trusted collaborator, keyboardist and pianist, Brett Levine with whom over decades of working together, he’s developed a telepathic and sympathetic synergy.
“Brett is ego free, and adds a creative spark and acerbic wit to the music. His touch also gives the songs textural refinement,” Oliver says. Today, in addition to Brett, and Oliver’s guitar and lead vocal rolls, the Oliver James musical family includes Paul Backes, bass and vocals; and Rick Slinkard, drums and vocals.
Oliver’s journey in music began with this father’s imposing hi-fi and several Beatles albums. By 8, he was strumming away on a throwaway drugstore guitar. The evolution continued with a high school cover band, and, while in college, a band that specialized in originals. From there, Oliver fearlessly pursued a career in music until he found himself in San Francisco dispirited, broke, and burnt out. Oliver then made the difficult decision to give up the ghost and enter the 9-5 “real job” grind.
Oliver has issued three full-length albums with Brett, Chasing The Sun (2012) and What Have We Learned (2016), and Revelating (2025). Also on Wire & Wood Recording LTD is The More You Live, The More You Love (2016 single), The Hardest Part (2018 EP), Swimming Horses (2019 single), and Winter Sun (2022 single). Between his debut and sophomore albums, Oliver relocated to San Diego. Brett still lives east, and now works remotely with Oliver via file sharing.
Among many album highlights, select standouts in the pair of releases include “Giving Chase To The Sun” and “Before He Turned The Gun On Himself,” from his debut, Chasing The Sun, and “Desperate Surrender Broken” and “The More You Love The More You Live” from Oliver’s sophomore album, What Have We Learned.
The poignant and poetically self-reflective “Giving Chase To The Sun” boasts soulfully sweet vocals, rich harmony vocals, rustic acoustic guitars, and dreamy atmospheric lap steel guitar flourishes. The haunting “Before He Turned The Gun On Himself” is as gorgeous as sorrow gets, replete with elegiac strings, gospel vocals, and Oliver’s tenderly wear vocal as if he’s testifying as a spectral presence in a doomed narrative. The enlightening “The More You Love, The More You Live” is goose-bump inducing track that evokes the emotive anthemics of Coldplay and U2. The exquisitely soaring pop-rock of “Desperate Surrender/Broken” offers lay-down-your-arms-and-surrender-to-me redemption with dynamic touches like teardrop slide guitar melodies and a Motown-y horn section.
Recently, Oliver issued a reimagined version of Leonard Cohen’s “Lover Lover Lover” with female support vocals. The track reignited his creative fire, resulting in Oliver James’ third album, Revelating. The new album also includes the arena rocker “Hollow Hardened Hearts”; the brooding but imaginatively arranged “Eternal Diamond” boasting a dazzling surprise ending; and the heart-on-the-sleeve “Holding My Breath” which posits and grapples with some profound questions.
Despite awards and working with some of the industry’s finest engineers and musicians, what’s been the most meaningful aspect of Oliver’s career reboot is the deep connections he has forged with fans. Oliver says in conclusion: “I’ve received emails of people wanting to use my songs for weddings, funerals, and even an ice skating performance. That the music touches so many people is so validating to me.”
