Hotel California – Orange (2021)
There is one maxim that fits perfectly when applied to music: it doesn’t matter where you’re really from but where your heart lies. We can’t really be sure what Daniel Green, the man from Hamburg, Germany, had in mind when he named his project Hotel California. Maybe it was that ‘dreaded’ song by The Eagles, or maybe it was just the feel of the music produced on the West Coast of the USA in the early to mid-70s. Actually, it could be something completely different. The latest addition to his discography is the album Orange.
Green and his producer/collaborator Carl Albrecht might have had a specific sound in mind but they are actually not copying any other artist in particular, nor are they stuck in the past. Green’s songs and Albrecht’s production try to achieve a certain feel to the music, at the same time bringing it up to a more current sound and production by adding some more modern-pop overtones, like on ‘Let The Ocean Rock Your Soul’. To make such a concept work you really have to come up with some strong songs and that is where Green steps up to the plate.
In most cases, the more gentle songs like ‘Universal Civilian’ works best, but this is not necessarily the case with Orange. Though there is sparse instrumentation in the tracks, which can expose a musician’s musical weakness, Green and Albrecht show strength without weaknesses. One of the reasons might lie in the fact that Green seems to be on a burst of creativity as he came up with 24 songs during the COVID-19 lockdown. It finally resulted in the truly enjoyable album that is Orange and it really does grow on you.
To find out more about Orange and its creation check out Hotel California’s documentary:
For more from Hotel California check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
