Mike Oldfield
Return To Ommadawn
(Mercury Records)

I really should just only give you four words for my review of Mike Oldfield’s new Return To Ommadawn – holy mother of God! Presented here as parts one and two, the way Oldfield split up his first few albums (for a side one and a side two when music this glorious was released only on vinyl), “Return To Ommadawn, Pt. I” starts with penny whistle, then moves into acoustic guitar layering, electric soaring on top (my god, to hear the signature electric of this man once again is too wonderful to even really put into words). Then there are tribal drums, more glockenspiel, sweet melodies that will make you cry, and even samples of female vocals from the first Ommadawn. Really, you might not survive this. And this is just Part 1! “Return To Ommadawn, Pt. 2” sees Oldfield repeating the main melody with a mandolin and penny whistle mix, then we are into singular acoustic picking so perfect one doesn’t want Oldfield to do anything else than play an acoustic solo for the rest of this record. But he does do more; a flumping beat starts and once again, we get the pull offs and quick riffing on Oldfield’s electric guitar. He keeps this layering of electrics (bending notes just when you think you can’t take anymore), making side two a real tour de force for his wailing, poignant side. A mandolin/acoustic race, “horseback” voice over and children singing follows, then there’s more electric as Oldfield throws everything at us, but it all flows perfectly into a heady blend that will surely make you rethink guitar playing as you know it. See if your DNA isn’t altered by the stop-and-go ending here. Mike Oldfield’s new Return To Ommadawn is what all old Oldfield’s fans have been waiting for for a very long time…and pretty much what everybody else needs to catch wind of.