Marykate O'Neil CD

It's easy to get stuck in a rut within certain genres (female-fronted folk-pop and Byrds-y power pop are both treacherous examples), which is why the eponymous debut from Marykate O'Neil is so entertaining. O'Neil successfully welds both of the aforementioned subgenres into a seamless whole, and that's where this album gets its charm -- simply because, while it seems so obvious, very few actually do it, or do it well. O'Neil is the protégée of sorts of Jill Sobule (who produced and co-wrote most of this album and is one of the few others to produce a similarly successful fusion in the '90s), and her tendency to craft smart, lyrically compelling songs manifests itself all over this disc. In fact, the list of contributors to this disc reads a bit like a who's who of the power pop world: Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, Mike Deming of the Pernice Brothers, Brad Jones, Pat Buchanan, Ross Rice, and more all pitch in. A lot of the album is gentle, acoustic fare -- the opening "Hudson," the wistful "U-Haul" -- but a lot is also bouncy guitar pop, too, like "Mundane Dream." And the songs are woven together into a mini-concept album of sorts about moving out of your hometown and into the big city. Once again, that isn't particularly revolutionary, but that isn't the point, either. The real centerpiece is O'Neil's vocals; she tends a remarkably restrained style, her purring and sighing acting as the perfect accompaniment for her modest music. The touches of modest genre-shifting only enhance this, elevating it from a simple "guitar pop" or "folk" record and into something more interesting. And as if that weren't enough, O'Neil tosses a modest cover of the Spice Girls' "Stop" -- one of their very best songs -- right into the middle of the running order. Using her slightly bookish sensibility, warm vocals, keen sense of humor, and understanding of what makes a good pop song, O'Neil has crafted a winning debut that's alternately pretty and infectious. ~ Jason Damas

Marykate O'Neil hails from Hudson, a small New England town in Massachusetts where she was raised by a lone beatnik named Leona. She had a pet turtle named "freddie", a doll named "freckles", a bike radio, and her cousins hand-me-down record collection. She spent a lot of time putting on shows for freddie and freckles which are rumored to have heavily featured a large button as a tambourine. As a latch key child, she obviously spent too much time alone and first developed her obsession for pop culture. Upon leaving Hudson, Marykate moved to Boston where she spent even more time alone --- this time studying philosophy. O'Neil eventually left the library and began her foray into songwriting. She was the singer/songwriter behind the Boston band piewackit who recorded a record for IRS records in their autumn years. After the band went their separate ways, Marykate packed her bags and moved to Brooklyn where she would write the songs that make up "Marykate O'Neil". Marykate's self-titled debut record was produced by Jill Sobule with a few songs co-produced by Michael Deming (Pernice Bros.; Beachwood Sparks; Lilly's). The record was recorded in Brooklyn and Nashville then mixed by Brad Jones (Matthew Sweet; Josh Rouse). here is some press ---->"If Elvis Costello and Astrud Gilberto swapped spit in another time dimension, singer/guitarist Marykate O'Neil would be the musical spawn of their eros. A doll-faced talent with enough 60's chutzpah and 90's cynicism to spark her own songwriting genre -- call it 'beat-pop'. O'Neil's self-titled debut is a spotlessly constructed concoction of acoustic ballads, retro organ stompers and smartly choreographed electric guitar bop." --- CMJ"Thank God for Marykate O'Neil. Sounding a little like a female George Harrison and a lot like herself, O'Neil packs a peppy punch in each of these economy-sized tracks --- 14 in all -- making this a blueprint on 'how to please a listener'. There is not a dud on the album. There's no denying she is one hellCMJ (8/5/02, p.4) - "...More cool than cocky...her album will satisfy your mind..."