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Pop Culture Press

P.J. O’Connell
Careful
Clang
A former Flying Pig and North Carolina native and
current New Englander, P.J. O’Connell excels at
simple, heartfelt, sometimes humorous, pop songs with
rock and country elements like “Angel 10/11” and “Mrs.
Jerk” Songs with the rare quality of being instantly
appealing and able to stick with the listener. On
Careful, he again gets help from members of NRBQ,
whose songs would fit in nicely alongside O’Connell’s
-- and perhaps Nick Lowe, Paul Westerberg and a random
pub rocker -- on a cool radio playlist. There’s plenty
to enjoy on Careful, including “Walked Away,” with
sweet harmony vocals and glorious ringing guitars, and
“Run Out of Hope,” featuring Terry Adams’ sly piano
work. An almost blue cover of Autry Inman’s classic
“Town that Never Sleeps” is another album highlight.
“Eventide,“ a satisfying slow burner, caps a fine disc
perfectly.
-Andy Turner