Conor O'Brien
Her Eyes
Self- Released
Jam Music Magazine Nov 2002
By Kris Garnjost
Rating: 9 out of 11
According to the press kit, Conor O'Brien uses 16 musicians on his album, Her Eyes. He uses them well. This is a tight, well-produced group of original songs with a strong blue-eyed soul kind of feel. A little bit of rock, blues, R & B mixed nicely with a smooth expressive vocal feel. Cuts like pajama Monday blues have a wonderfully intimate feeling to them. There is some very good acoustic guitar playing right up front. Conor's vocals have an earthy growl to them that gives the song a low down dirty edge. Underneath all this is solid drumming and some really tasty bass runs. The very next song Hug Drug has a similar style but the tempo is jacked up a couple of notches. The chorus has a great hook and the whole song reminds me of of either a Dave Mathews or a Greg Allman led Jam Band, a great piece of high-energy music.
And then as if the energy wasn't high enough Conor kicks off the next song Spam Safari in an even higher gear. Musically the speed rock opening eventually takes a dramatic shift to something funky but also kind of plodding. It wanders along like this for a little while and then closes with the same very cool speed rock sound.
I don't know how you would classify who you are whatever you call it you certainly have to be taken by it. The sound is so enticing and intriguing that you cant help but be drawn into it.
Conor even includes some jazzy interludes. Looking for My Lady is a fine swing number with sweet jazz guitar licks and a good beat. See You Tonight offers the smoky but sultry blues side of Jazz.
