Jennifer O’Connor
Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars (Matador Records)
by Mike Conklin
Because I was so thoroughly unimpressed — annoyed, even — by everything I heard from Jennifer O’Connor in the past, her new record sat on my desk for months before I decided to give it a listen. Then I saw the cumbersome title and the press materials citing Time Out NY’s assertion that she’s “another Liz Phair waiting to happen,” and waited another month. Turns out the joke’s on me. It’s a huge improvement on her earlier work, and as much as I hate to give credit to our competitors, it does actually call to mind the Liz Phair from way back before she became an idiot. The songs are quick, in-and-out numbers with very little flashiness — just straightforward, stripped down pop, moved along nicely by O’Connor’s vocals, which sit proudly at the top of the mix, exactly where they belong. She, like so many others, occasionally gives in to juvenile rhyme schemes, but there’s a directness and presumed honesty there that make the whole thing engaging from start to finish.
Comments (0)