Ned Doheny

Separate Oceans is one of Numero Group’s great curator’s moves: a beautifully assembled dive into Ned Doheny’s world of blue-eyed soul, soft rock sophistication, and Los Angeles studio magic. Far from a simple greatest-hits package, this set maps the songwriter’s smoother, deeper currents—those exquisitely arranged songs where yacht-rock polish meets real soul feeling, jazz-seasoned harmony, and late-night West Coast melancholy. Doheny moved in rare company around the 70s L.A. recording scene, and you can hear that pedigree in every chord change and every luxurious groove, but what truly lasts is his melodic subtlety and emotional restraint. Separate Oceans is the sort of compilation that turns casual interest into devotion, especially on vinyl where the pacing and atmosphere breathe exactly as they should. For fans of sophisticated AOR, mellow groove, and endlessly elegant singer-songwriter records, this is a major shelf piece: smooth, yes, but never slight—only deeper with age.