ODi

Home-brewed in the land of Guinness on the Emerald Isle, singer/songwriter ODI packed a bottle of rum and set sail over the Irish Sea to Leeds, bringing with her an elegant voice embedded in soothing instrumentation which wraps itself around all who listen. A Superman delivers warmth throughout. Compiled with heartfelt lyrics, this track
envelopes the listener in the emotions experienced when
ODI's pencil first hit the paper. The Gracious melodies and tranquil vocals of this EP enlighten the soul. The title track sets the bar high in anticipation of what followed,
which didn't disappoint. The latter of the EP displays
apt ability and talent as a singer/songwriter with performance comprised purely of voice and guitar. Following A Superman, which originally came out in the UK back in October, ODI has already begun work on her debut album set for release in late 2009.

www.myspace.com/odimusic

Words : Ben Barltrop."
- No-Title Magazine

" An incredible collection of material that is modern and eccentric in it's approach. Vocal are fantastic, as are the musicians. The CD will appeal to a massive world market."
- Danie Cortese, DCE International

Claire Odlum, aka Odi, has conjured a marvellously edgy trio of expertly crafted folk-rock songs for her debut release. Odi's warm, soulful voice achieves the rare feat of sounding instantly familiar whilst retaining something distinct from the rest of the pack. The chromatic notes she sings on the line 'I will never forget your face' on the B-side 'Mariposa' are at once both haunting and brilliant and will have the likes of Gemma Hayes shaking her head in admiration.

The first track 'Crawl' is the single and rightly so for it is a strong, muscular tune using gritty electric guitars to frame Odi's winning voice perfectly. Very, very promising. More please.

- Chris McCague http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk/

I first came across Wexford singer-songwriter Odi as part of the HOTPRESS first cuts series of gigs at the Wexford Arts Centre. She has a winning voice, ranging from Beth Orton to Sheryl Crow, and an unaffected presence. ‘A Superman’ allows her silky voice to twist its way around a beguiling melody. ‘What You Deserve’ ups the tempo. It has a neat hook line and fills, and proves that her performance on track one was no fluke. ‘You Win But You Lose’ is another winning performance. Odi proves that an artist delivering musical honesty can say more with her voice and guitar (plus a few subtle fills from Dave) than an orchestra with a bank of synthesisers. What she needs now is to build on her undoubted vocal skills and develop her own unique style. The world awaits.

First cuts words Jackie Hayden
- HOTPRESS - Jackie Hayden

Originally from Co Wexford in Ireland, singer-songwriter ODi has the aura, voice and poise, which provides a musical glow, to every member of the audience. A very special performer now receiving the plaudits she richly deserves.
- LEEDS MUSIC SCENE

An Irish female singer/guitar player, joined by Dave Redfearn on guitar and harmonica. Her voice covers a large range and has a powerful but haunting quality, a wonderful mix of gentle Irish tinged vocals with energetic choruses that gets inside of you and draws you in. She dedicated a track called ‘A Superman’ to Craig AKA ‘The Tilting Sky’ for all the effort that he puts into helping artists and bands get heard, which caused cheers from the audience. She sung it smiling across the room, glad to be able to have a way to say thanks, and enjoying every moment of her set. Dave, never really ever stood still, always little bobbing, tapping to the beat, joining in with Odi, the harmonies between these two were wonderful, in perfect time and complemented each other well bringing an added depth to the song. As the song got towards the end it built up, becoming faster, more emotional, and intense, to die back down to a softer finish.
She has been described as being like Suzanne Vega and I would have to agree, she has the diversity in her music to be compared to her and the likes of Sheryl. - Crowe…………www.unitedmoshers.com

“Odi is a singer/songwriter who manages to blend elements of Joan Armatrading's pathos, Beth Orton's eye for the quirky and deep with a touch of Dido's bedsit romance. She has released a new single, 'What You Deserve' a slow, soulful slice of folk/indie cross-over. Odi has a distinctive raw and in equal measure, fragile voice that is magnetic and immensely listenable. The current single ‘What You Deserve reminds me of 'Love and Affection' by the aforementioned Joan Armatrading and oozes warmth and intimacy. All this talent and good looks too - so why isn't she signed? Well with the raft of gigs coming up in the UK and Ireland and the quality of the single, you'd think it wasn't far off” - www.musicreview.com

Fresh from a thirty date Irish tour the ultra hard-working Wexford woman ODi is back in England for more gigs in aid of her latest release A Superman. Playing traditionally styled folk songs in a modern, cutting-edge way ODi provides the listener with heartfelt, soulful songs that are perfect for winding down to.

The EP starts with title track A Superman and sets the mood brilliantly. With excellent chord progressions, perfectly sung vocal patterns and a bold string section this track builds flawlessly to its ultimate climax. With similarities to Dido and perhaps Sheryl Crow I'd say that anybody into mellow acoustic music will lap up ODi. Up next What You Deserve demonstrates how well these musicians gel together. With two beautiful guitar riffs playing and more perfectly sung vocals this track has some great melodies, a sensual vibe and is my standout on the EP. Tears & Wine is a poignant song that appears to be about ending a doomed relationship and drinking to forget about it. Lyrics such as like the pictures she paints, he left her black and blue show ODi at her most poetic. A Superman finishes with another live radio session of the slightly surreal Leaving My Love In New York. Summoning imagery of Autumnal city streets this is a smooth outro to an excellent CD.

There's a lot of acoustic artists out there at the minute, but ODi just seems to have that certain something that will hopefully make her stand out from the crowd. Worth a listen! - www.sheffieldmusic.com

'What You Deserve', ODi’s second single, comes as close to perfection as you can get. In fact, the whole thing seems effortless, which is a good sign and usually means that what we have here is a group of major talented professionals on our hands in terms of vocal excellence and musicianship of the highest calibre. The single is beautifully produced by Karl Odlum (Fionn Regan, The Frames and Gemma Hayes) and the song just sweeps over you with a serenity all its own. I just love the way it weaves in and out, almost dreamlike in its execution.

Kevin Petch

- Leeds Music Scene

I first stumbled upon ODi via myspace, as soon as I clicked on to her page and heard her stirring and passionate vocals I was instantly hooked and this single reinforces my first impression.

Crawl is a stunning track full of drama, it's dark and brooding, the marching beats collide delightfully with the grungy dual acoustic guitars, while ODi's vocals are strong and passionate captivating the listener on the very first spin of the song. Crawl is the perfect single, it's a jaw dropping number that in a just world should see ODi become a household name.

Mariposa is a stripped down acoustic number that showcases an Americana or folk influence, ODi weaves a spell with her combination of simplistic finger picking and wonderous bewitching vocals. Her lyrics are heartfelt and you can almost feel the emotion that's pouring from ODi's heart on this touching track.

The single is completed with Don't Let Me Fall which see's ODi add harmonica to her wonderful blend of acoustic folk. ODi's vocals once again show great depth ranging from a near whisper to a heartfelt croon.

This CD is magical from start to finish, ODi has a wonderfully expressive voice and writes passionate and engaging songs that will captivate even the most hardened critic.

Rhythm & Booze Rating 10 - Rhythm & Booze Webzine