On the debut album release of one of dubstep’s biggest producers, you’ll find Rusko diversifying his skills and ultimately veering away from the sound that he is most known for. You want an artist to take risks, show variety, but the problem with O.M.G.! is that there’s too much experimentation, and consequentially too many sounds for the listener to contend with.

Electro-dance track ‘Feels so Real‘ featuring Ben Westbeech gets points for its chorus, but it would be more listenable if it was a bassline track, or even as a house track. Either way, the “yeah, yeah, yeahs” have got to go. ‘Scareware,’ which features Redlight, has a slight hip-hop coolness about it, but for the most part the lyrics and singing make for cringe-worthy material, leading the listener to wonder if it would have faired better as an instrumental.

Slowing the tempo down, we have reggae-tinged ‘Rubadub Shakedown‘ with Rod Azlan, ladened with lazer gun sound effects. Such sounds work well, and again when they appear second time around when Rusko takes us back to the 90’s for a bit of jungle and hardcore rave on ‘Kumon Kumon’, but as you progress through the album, these effects along with the experimentation that delighted on opener ‘Woo Boost‘ become tiresome.

You also begin to realise that what is arguably the best track of the album, ‘Hold On‘ with its nod to UKG, supported by Amber Coffman’s airy vocals was offered up as early as track two. Rusko is pushing his creativity to the next level, which we welcome. But in the case of O.M.G.!, less is definitely more.

Words Chinwe Ojielo
Buy & Listen to O.M.G