Never Too Late

Michael ONeill | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 15, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merrimack Records
• ASIN: B00004XR49
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,296 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Jazziz

Nearly 10 years ago, veteran sideman Michael O'Neill had the seed planted for him to become a solo artist when he was onstage at Carnegie Hall as part of a world tour with singer Rickie Lee Jones in support of her 1991 Top Pop album.

Like most guys who make a great living jamming behind bigger stars, O'Neill -whose resume boasts a few years in the 1980s with Stevie Wonder and a near-nonstop two decades with George Benson - had trouble carving out the time and space to compose and produce an album's worth of material. His muse kept pecking away at him until he felt confident and made the time. The one advantage to waiting some 20-odd years to create the appropriately titled Never Too Late (Merrimack) is the wealth of stylistic influences he's absorbed along the way.

It's easy to identify these influences on a track-by-track basis on Never Too Late. The title track - co-written with keyboardist Gregg Karukas - finds O'Neill approximating the crisp electric style of Benson - high tones flutter and dart off the main melody as wah-wah click textures call out in the background. Ditto the mid-tempo, retro-soul ballad "Winds of Summer," which opens with a brisk hook that recalls Benson's "Breezin'." Pianist Dave Witham (another vet from the Benson crew) chimes in at one point with a quick but playful solo before O'Neill digs into a solo that slowly builds steam.

O'Neill pays homage to Stevie Wonder, too, playing things fairly close to the vest on a thoughtful cover of "Visions" with vocals by Carl Anderson. "I Ain't Lyin' " dips into that Crusaders spirit, opening with a dense swirl of percussion by trapsman Land Richards and Dio Saucedo's tambourine. O'Neill then launches into a rocking electric guitar melody over the bluesy organ harmony of Chris Ho, with plenty of Wayne Henderson-like horn hits provided by Walt Fowler. Mid-tempo meditations like "Sidewalk Strut" and the Brazilian-flavored acoustic piece "Cruisin' On Down" (featuring O'Neill's lively scatting) offer more evidence of the guitarist's ability to please the listener's ear while stretching stylistic boundaries.

--- Jonathan Widran, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem, May 27, 2002

By 

G. Kier "jaysshuffle" (Santa Barbara, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Too Late (Audio CD)

Michael O'Niell is a master guitarist with a remarkable gift for melody, phrasing and structure. He has been in George Bensons' band for almost two decades, and Benson has certainly influenced him, as shown on a track or two of this album. But O'Niell has his own genius and has mastered many of the guitars' capabilities, both electric and acoustic. Just when one think's "Ah, I have heard something like this before!", he throws you off with a unique phrasing or melody that just wakes you up. He is an excellent song writer and arranger as well and this album, his second (after 1997's "True Love"), is a very welcome addition to jazz fans.
The last track, a stunningly beautiful arrangement of
the Beatles' "Yesterday" is worth the price of purchase alone.
...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GEM! So far, so great!, February 6, 2001

By 

Adegabi Olusegun (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Too Late (Audio CD)

If Mr O'Neill had to wait 20 odd years to finally dish this out then surely anyone who's listened to it must admit that it was worth waiting for.

I mean, it's got most of the essentials and more, that can be required from a smooth jazz album. He is definitely up there with the very best guitarists, and yes I'm talking of the likes of Peter White, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour etc.

My only prayer right now is that we don't have to wait another 20 odd years to get another album out of him, but most of all as in every situation in life, as you as you live, it is "NEVER 2 LATE".

Keep serving Mr O'Neill, the ball is firmly in your court!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get this!, June 6, 2002

By 

Matt Schwarz (Zurich / Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Too Late (Audio CD)

I first heard Michael when he was playing 2nd guitar for George Benson at an open-air show in Zurich/Switzerland last year. It almost took me a year to find out who he was and where (the US) to get his (first official) CD.

It was worth the search! One of the best guitar CD's I listened to in a long time. If you like Benson, Carlton, Ritenour, Tropea (who remembers him?), you'll love this. I guarantee it.