Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
songs of love & love lost, December 24, 2001
This is a wonderful recording, so poetic, and full of lyrical melody. Jamie, who used to be half of "The O'Kanes", a great duo back in the late '80's, has a gentle, expressive voice, with a vibrato I find enchanting...and as a songwriter he's terrific.
All the songs have an "obsessive love and desire" theme running though them..."I Surrender" and "Pretend" are perhaps my favorites, but there isn't a single moment on this CD that I don't find pleasing. Emmylou Harris lends her vocal talents to tracks # 4 and # 12, and the various musicians on it are all excellent.Total time is 48:50, and the booklet insert is perfectly designed to match this CD. A simplicity in the layout, readable lyrics, 5 photos of Jamie (such casual elegance...such perfect bone structure !), it's a quality package for a quality CD. Smooth and lovely from start to finish.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still He Remains A Master At HIs Trade, April 24, 2003
Jamie's first album "Rise Above It" was awesome, and still is one of my favorite to listen to no matter what kind of mood I slide into, but "Beautiful Obsession" is a result of more experience, expertise and a talent developing into a flawless combination that could only belong to this one artist. He is phenominal in his field, and I only desire to see a promotor team up with him that has as much of the raw energy, magnitude and talent that Jamie portays. Does such an animal exist? Evidently not, or we would all be hearing more about him than we do.O'Hara is blessed with the rare gift of communicating with one through his music, by both writing lyrics and music; that in itself is an oddity. He slams home a gut-wrenching truth with his message, but manages to do this in a way that leaves a person no room for denial. As well as succeeding in making one love it to a point of a trance, if you have the ears to listen, he humbly offers honesty to the point of sacrificing himself to accomplish this feat. Jamie does not touch skin with his music, he penetrates below and beyond the skin with a pulsating sound that cannot be imitated by anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. That is what separates a master from a musicican. Jamie O'Hara is a Master.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A river flows thru it, November 16, 2004
The deep and sometimes deceptive voice takes you to another place sounding like Chris Isaac and his first big MTV hit or even the low registers of Roy Orbison...But this tone poem is in the vein of Mickey Newburry...and sounds like it has been produced by Danial Lanois...Tho recorded in 2000, this artist is totally ignored by country music stations..he is too authentic and too cutting to ever make it there...His obsession is well articulated...a love drawn to, a love whose consequences melt down to other realities...He makes a shift from obsession to blame and betrayal...in fact the only thing that irks me about these deeply personal songs is that he paints himself as the victum falling to her charms....instead of saying yes its me I am there for you no matter what...The last song "Mantra" does not bring us to redemtion or resolution but leaves us wandering what the real solution is....the lyrics to this song are really quite uninteresting...But lets move back words... this guy is a very good song writer..His cd Rise Above It is better than Clint Black's first CD...So check it out if you really want to hear a modern day exposition on what Country Music is supposed to be.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Jamie O'Hara
~ Emmylou Harris
~ Lucinda Williams
~ Bob Dylan
~ Mark Knopfler
by Jamie O'Hara 
