• The Times

    Heaven and Earth ****

    A Scottish-American (via Notting Hill) country bluesman and fan of JJ Cale and Townes Van Zandt, Ogilvy deserves to win over the fans of his heroes with his third album. Heaven and Earth is so warm, Ogilvy’s delivery so laid-back, that you feel as if you could knock it back with a single ice cube in a whisky tumbler. Gems include Stick Around, a sultry pedal-steel number, and Hey Jimmy Shand, a gently rollocking tribute to the Scottish dance-band leader.

  • MOJO

    Mockingbird***

    The gaps between genres in this compartmentalised business make for a hard fall, although it was throat problems, not broken bones, that delayed the follow up to half American, half Scottish, London based Ogilvy’s acclaimed debut ‘Like it is’. Understandably, being a man as likely to play pedal steel line dancing gigs in Falkirk as solo vocal-guitar shows in the States, this is mix of folk- the muted, British, pastoral kind, and American, particularly in its sense of space and movement. ‘Tomorrow is a long Time’ welds elements of Rod Stewart’s version to serenely weary pedal steel, ‘James’ evokes rattlesnakes in Avalon. The jazz-folk of ‘Miller’s Farm’ sounds like an American Nick Drake, the Lovely ‘Lay it all Down’ in fact, sounds like a Drake who made it into middle age, his depression softening to wistfulness. There are a couple of moments when it doesn’t work, but the good stuff more than compensates.

  • NETRHYTMS

    Mockingbird

    ‘Though its recording was interrupted by no less than eight throat operations, the Scottish-American singer-songwriter’s sophomore album has arrived in fine fettle. His honey-smoke vocals bring sounding even more akin to Martin Stephenson than he did on his debut, with hints of Jackson C Frank, John Martyn and Martyn Joseph also peeking through, the mood remains much the same intoxicating minor key leafy Celtic folk meets Southern back-porch blues.

    As before, he includes a couple of classy covers in the shape of Townes Van Zandt’s White Freight Liner Blues and, complementing the song’s and his own Dylan influence, Bob’s own Tomorrow Is A Long Time.

    But, effortlessly played and sung, it’s his own material that shines brightest. Listen to the quiet sensuality of Lay It All Down (on which he sounds like God’s answer to Chris Rea) or the dappled lazing haze of Singing Back on which you can almost imagine him trailing his hand in the river as he wrote it. Likewise Miller’s Farm, from whence comes the album title, is a wonderful marriage of Nick Drake and John Steinbeck.

    Unveiling his countrier side on Portmahomack and Half Asleep, showing Mark Knopfler how to do smoky blues with Downtown and getting on his feet for Ain’t No Reason’s slap lurch r&b complete with brass flourishes from Annie Whitehead and Paul Jayasingha while superbly showcasing his accomplished performance on classical acoustic guitar and pedal steel on the meditatively moody instrumental Blues For Loren, there’s not a weak moment here. ‘Tell me how long can a man wait for his time?’, he sings. With this album, surely it is already here.’

  • UNCUT

    Mockingbird ***

    ‘The sophomore effort from Scottish /American songsmith David Ogilvy is more subtly shaded, treading a fine line between the fluid intimacy of Nick Drake and the cracked country blues of Townes Van Zandt. Ogilvy’s multi instrumental prowess is extraordinary – equally adept at pedal steel, dobro, ukelele and mandolin.’

  • The Sunday Post

    Mockingbird

    ‘Scots-American singer songwriter has come up with an enjoyable follow up to his debut in ‘Mockingbird’. His heritage is reflected in the acoustic blend of Scots traditional folk sounds and Nashville strings to make a laid back, easy listening joy with hints of Bob Dylan. It’s out on the Thumbpick Records label.’

  • Steve Ward of the Classic Rock Society

    Mockingbird

    ‘Mockingbird is the second album from Scottish/American singer songwriter David Ogilvy and is a collection of gentle folk based songs many with a decidedly Dylanesque feel with more than a hint of Gordon Lightfoot in the vocals.

    The songs are mainly Ogilvy originals but a Dylan cover is perhaps the best indication of where his influences lie although the fusion of his dual heritage offers more than enough originality and makes for a highly enjoyable album.’

  • Euro Americana chart

    Mockingbird #1

    The Euro Americana Chart is compiled by DJs, journalists, retailers, promotors and other people who are interested in Americana music from all over Europe. David Ogilvy’s “Mockingbird” reached the Number 1 spot in December 2004.

  • David Sinclair of The Times

    Mockingbird

    David Ogilvy is the J. J. Cale of West London. The Scottish-American singer’s second album, Mockingbird (Thumbpick Records), has that lovely Southern back-porch feel, where songs of reminiscence and regret are steeped in the forgotten art of understatement. “Tell me how long can a man wait for his time?” he sings in a husky mid-Atlantic burr on Portmahomack as banjo and pedal steel glide wistfully behind. If Ogilvy has waited longer than most, it is not for want of a good song in his heart.

  • Uncut

    Like It Is

    A beguiling set of folksy-pop with glistening guitar flourishes and the odd dip into classical, country, and Latino territory. Ogilvy’s dextrous fretwork is a joy throughout.

  • Evening Standard

    Like It Is

    A collection of muted beauty.

  • The Times

    Like It Is

    Steeped in the understated yet deeply soulful production values that traditional record companies no longer seem interested in marketing.

  • www.root-and-branches.com

    Like It Is

    Wonderful…intoxicating….soulfully uplifting

  • Logo Magazine

    Like It Is

    Simple, natural and dripping with talent, ‘Like It Is’ is a portrait of an artist at ease with himself.

  • americana-uk.com

    Like It Is

    Ogilvy is a hugely talented singer-songwriter

  • NetRhythms.com

    Like It Is

    An extremely attractive piece of work

  • The Daily Telegraph

    Like It Is

    Breathtaking fingerpicking

  • Musician

    Like It Is

    Ogilvy’s unquestionable skills as a writer and performer allow this insinuating record to hold it’s own against the greats

  • Lochbroom 102.2FM’s Medicine Show

    Like It Is

    ‘Like It Is’ is as clean as a Highland spring and as open and airy as the prairies. It is a must have album.

  • The Scotsman

    Like It Is

    Serene songwriting, tranquil guitar playing… Ogilvy’s approach is understated, laid back and tasteful.