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Brendan O'Donnel's "First" |
| Brendan is at times (most of the time) a sensitive
singer-songwriter type, incorporating a violin and more than a passing
semblance to Natalie Merchant in his vocals. At other times, he emits a
rocker’s growl and orchestrates careening riffs and sings with the fury of
Live’s Ed Kowalczyk. And though O’Donnell’s first long player, "First" has it’s share of trite titles- "Today", "Goodbye", "Break"- he pulls from so many influences and fleshes out his material in such a way that it’s multidimensional. For example, he incorporates a jammy, Dave Mathews Band vibe throughout much of the album, but the ubiquitous violin adds an Irish flavor to what would have leaned toward white bread "alternative" pop. Opener, "Elaine" could really be a re-written post 10,000 Maniacs tune from Merchant. "Break", offers angry boy lyrics—"I don’t bend I break/Snap/Twig that you are"—over that Live like instrumentation and Marco Vitalli’s violin. Alas, O’Donnell might be trying to summon another hero of his at the end of "This Life" with a burst of furious strumming. Unfortunately, he’s not Neil Young. Yet. |
