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Sean O'Brien: Too Personal
[First Cold Press]

Sean OBrien comes to us from the Bay Area in California with his first solo project, Too Personal.  Prior to this endeavor, he has been a member of bands that span a great distance in musical genres.  Little of these previous influences are seen in his debut, except for the appearances from his previous band mates, Polly Klemmer from The Mistaken and Russ Tolman from True West.  Miss Klemmer plays piano on a few tracks, while Tolman brings along his acoustic guitar.

With this album, OBrien is trying to take on a personal approach that is stripped down and raw.  His voice, with moments hinting at a young Johnny Cash, is the driving force behind each of the fourteen tracks that are backed by little more than an acoustic guitar.  With songs like The Hatred Shop and Flag and Rifle, this is not your average happy-go-lucky pop album. 

The quality is consistent with what I would expect from a self-recorded album that features, primarily, one man and his acoustic guitar.  It is clear but still resonates with that untreated, rough feel that adds to the intimacy of the album.  However, I had to turn up the volume a few times as I progressed through each song, and at times the music would overpower the vocals that seemed to be fading away. 

The style approached by OBrien can feel a little repetitive and dry at times.  With the simplistic music, he asks the listener to focus on the lyrics and let the music float in the background.  His words are often few but hinting at greater issues from love to political.  However, I feel like his songs lack the clever arrangement and choice of words that have made some of his influences great.  Instead his lyrics come across as forced, rather than sinking in slowly to grab the listener.  Overall, the closer I get to the end, the more I feel turned off and almost annoyed by both the words and the delivery.  I feel as though he bites off more than he can chew and focuses more on making a point rather than good music with a deeper meaning.  It is possible to make a statement and put together quality material at the same time.  At this point, it feels more like hes trying too hard and that the album is anything but too personal.

This album can be purchased at Amazon

Sean O'Brien Official Website

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