JANGLE ON – July 2014 | Pop Geek Heaven

By Eric Sorensen

Vanishing Act – by Edward O’Connell. There was no sophomore slump for Edward O’Connell either! While one can accuse me of being partial to O’Connell’s music because he is another very talented Washington, D.C. area pop musician, I think that pop fans around the world will agree that Vanishing Act is a strong second release. O’Connell channels elements of pop/rock from the past five decades (starting with British Invasion influences) into this superb disc. My favorite tracks are “Every Precious Day,” “Severance Kiss,” “Odds Against Tomorrow” and “Last To Leave.” O’Connell blends superior song-writing, an excellent sense of melody, strong vocals and a primo cast of supporting musicians on this terrific album. The result is a twelve-track disc leaving the listener wishing for more. Long may you run, Sir Edward!

Edward O’Connell “Vanishing Act”

Edward O’Connell was “Our Little Secret” back in 2010, and finally we get a follow up with similar results. A smart mix of influences: Tom Petty, Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon and Elvis Costello. Now with a larger cast of supporting players (including P.Hux!) the sound is richer than before, and O’Connell hits his stride here. “My Dumb Luck” is an great opener, a contemporary guitar ear-worm that can live on “repeat.” Next, “Lonely Crowd” is a bit more subdued, but it sends a thoughtful message about his audience. “Every Precious Day” pumps up the jangle, making it a catchy single.

“What Have You Done?” is similar to Elvis Costello in structure, the chord and vocalization shifts makes it another highlight amongst many. “I’m The Man” is a country flavored song about a murderous wife. Like the debut, the musicianship is impeccable but its tough to keep the energy going (“Yesterday’s World”). Still, O’Connell manages to keep the sweetness on the slow tempo “Last To Leave” and put out a great finale “The End Of The Line.” Such effort does not get wasted, and it makes my top ten of 2014 best LP nominee list.

9 (Out of 10)

From Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio Website:  Edward O’Connell – Vanishing Act. We’re thinking that this may well be the year where we will have to, for the very first time, compile a list of favorite melodic pop records–the reason being that there are just so many of them and, well, that’s what we probably should have been doing all along. And near the top of that list will have to sit Vanishing Act, the followup to 2010′s Our Little Secret, a pretty nifty record that started it all, “it all” being the thirst for more Edward O’Connell music. Consider your thirst satisfied. Vanishing Act is everything a great melodic pop album should be and then some. The straight-ahead popper “Severance Kiss,” jangly guitars in the spotlight, is an instant classic with an equally classic melody. Sumptuous slide guitar lines kick off the hooky opener “My Dumb Luck.” The lovely ballad and title track, “Vanishing Act,” serves as the album’s centerpiece. O’Connell’s wondrous vocal is a joy to hear. Really, here is another hall-of-fame kind of album, one that will stay with you all the way down whichever line you walk. O’Connell, a Washington, D.C. songwriter and performer, is a local, should-be national, treasure. And his sense of humor is sharp and tickles the funny bone–the paper bag gag from Our Little Secret is carried over to a photo inside the new album’s package. We’ve added the whole of Vanishing Act, which is now playing in rotation on our air. You rock, Edward O’Connell. And, as ABBA once sang, “Thank you for the music!”

Edward O’Connell-Vanishing Act. Edward O’Connell’s Our Little Secret was the power pop find of 2010, an assured debut arriving out of nowhere to claim the #3 slot on my year-end list. Four years later he’s released the followup, and it strides confidently in the footsteps of its predecessor. If you missed out on the debut in 2010 or (less likely) forgot about it, O’Connell specializes in Nick Lowe/Tom Petty/Elvis Costello pop’n’roll and Vanishing Act is another 12 tracks of quality. This becomes immediately apparent with the opener “My Dumb Luck”, an Elvis C-style track with an effortless melody that aging rock critics would be writing about with reverence had it come out in 1979. “Lonely Crowd” is another winner with a chorus backed by driving, Petty-like guitar, and “What Have You Done?” is a mini-masterpiece with a transcendent middle-eight (or bridge). Elsewhere, fiddle and pedal steel make “I’m the Man” a nice, country-tinged track and the minor key of “Yesterday’s World” gives it an early 80s Squeeze/Smithereens feel. As with the debut, it’s almost folly to single out individual tracks as every one of them has something to offer. Speaking of offers, Kool Kat has this disc exclusively before its official release date next week, and they’re offering to throw in Our Little Secret with each purchase. Even if you already have the debut, take this deal and give a copy of it to a friend who appreciates good music.