Spare, beguiling, and as luminous and golden as the Magic Hour at the end of the day,
Tara Jane O'Neil's self-titled 2017 release is the sort of lovely and inscrutable work one would expect from the indie folk lifer. Recorded by
Edith Frost collaborator Mark Greenberg at
Wilco's studio the Loft in Chicago,
Tara Jane O'Neil may have its roots in the Midwest, but the music, at once radiant and whisper quiet, projects more of an otherworldly vibe in the most charming and pleasurable manner. In its way,
O'Neil's music suggests a kinship with legendary singer/songwriter
Judee Sill in its musical singularity, its occasional nods to the '70s Laurel Canyon sound, and its eager embrace of life's mysteries. But one of the greatest compliments you can pay to
O'Neil is that she doesn't sound much like anyone else, and while she evokes the languid clarity of the '70s singer/songwriter era, she entirely sidesteps its self-indulgence, and there's a confident sense of purpose in her measured pace and the gaps between the layers, as if she's eager to let the workings of the music peek through.
O'Neil plays many of the instruments herself on this album, but the swells of
James Elkington's pedal steel work wonders on several tracks, and if this release isn't big on dazzling instrumental work,
O'Neil and her accompanists conjure a sound and a mood that are striking and emotionally powerful. A splendid work from a wildly underrated artist,
Tara Jane O'Neil is an ideal album for the end of the day, or anytime you need to immerse yourself in something that's clear and beautiful. [
Tara Jane O'Neil was also released on LP.] ~ Mark Deming