Music Review // Oscar LaDell "Tell Me True"

 

When it comes to music in the year of 2026, I truly appreciate the sound which doesn't directly influence another sound because it feels like there is so much out there to pull from you should be able to create something that seems new.  In that same way, I also appreciate how artists such as Oscar LaDell can create songs about topics that we've likely all thought about before but just no one seems to have written about them yet.   "Tell Me True" also does have that sound though where you can hear some influences but it just feels all in its own genre.

With these guitars that can give me island-like vibes, I'm reminded musically of both the song "Island In The Sun" by Weezer (but this song is not as poppy) and something from Chris Isaak.  It's that smooth rock sound that has soul and just gives you a certain feeling when you hear it.  The tone is relaxing as well, which is fitting because the lyrics aren't confrontational but more like beach thoughts.  It can also be the type of song to have a chorus that gets stuck in your head, so you will be coming back to this one musically.

One of the things I really like about the lyrics in this song is that there is a line which says: "You gave me that picture / Seeming so cool and wise / It made me feel silly / I never said I cried over you" and this just describes these types of interactions that happen which people don't talk about enough.  When I heard this, my first thought was of something like high school, but then when I thought about it a little bit more, I also made the connection that so much of those ways we feel (they seem cool, we feel silly) stick with us throughout our entire lives.  You can feel those same things at 15 or 50.

The chorus brings out the theme of this song and after the title the lines come: "Was there a right way / To love you / Or did you not feel the same" and I think that's the biggest take away from this song lyrically.  It's funny how sometimes you can be in a relationship when you're in your early 20s and think you've found the one and you're going to spend forever together, but then they have plans and have always had plans of going off to some other country to work in and just saw this as a temporary thing.   I don't know if talking about it beforehand would help, but talking about it afterwards and realizing you just weren't on the same page can help let you know that it wasn't your fault, and this song showcases that.