Fish Records - CHRIS O`BRIEN

Full Review

Chris O’Brien – Little Red

Chris O’Brien has been quietly, but quickly making a name for himself on the competitive Boston music scene – over the last few years a live EP and a strong debut album have given him critical acclaim, including a place on iTunes best albums of 2007 compilation. While these have all marked him out as a strong artist with potential, on ‘Little Red’ he’s put himself right at the forefront of the wider North Eastern singer/songwriter scene with a melodically rich and lyrically powerful collection that is full of craft and expertise throughout.

‘Little Red’ is a more introspective album than his previous works, but it’s not self indulgent or too insular – he strikes the perfect balance of being reflective, but in a way that has a resonance with the listener and allows everyone to relate to the songs. This is perfectly demonstrated on the final track ‘Blood Like Yours’, a song that deals with his relationship with his father’s life choices and the fears that Chris has for his future, it’s an intensely personal song, but one that can be clearly understood by every listener.

It’s not just this connection with the listener that makes the album, he’s a skilled lyricist across the board and there is memorable imagery littered across the disc, ‘This Old Town’ reads like a litany of detachment from a person returning to their home town, and ‘Hurricane Love’ is a beautifully constructed love song that gets the message across with a great imagery and real heart.

The album features many excellent contributors to the album, Mark Erelli and Antje Duvekot both provide vocals, and Zack Hickman provided much instrumental support as well as producing the disc. Despite the high profile assistance on the disc, the whole album is all about O’Brien and his skill as a writer, guitarist and singer – all of which are first rate, and this whole album marks him out as one of the finest young American singer/songwriters around.

This is an album that deserves to be a massive success, it’s easily accessible, melodic, lyrically strong, and most of all a real pleasure to listen to. Don’t let this one pass you by; it’ll be one of the albums of the year – unreservedly recommended.

CHRIS O`BRIEN - LITTLE RED

Chris O`brien