Our Little Secret


Oaf Ramp

A Washington DC songwriter’s highly promising pop debut

It’s probably the best Elvis Costello album that our Declan neglected to make during his early era, full of hooks, guitars that go twang and vocals that sound for all the world like they’ve been ripped from Elvis’ long-lost audio repository.  O’Connell, a Washington DC legal eagle, is aided in his powerpop task by a band that includes such guitar-toters as Karl Straub of The Graverobbers and Buddy Speir from The Blackjacks, while youthful producer Jared Bartlett has helped create a sound that echoes that of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers.  The album bristles with fine originals, from the opening “Acres of Diamonds,” through to the final reflective, sax-padded “All My Dreams,” a Stiff influence acknowledged in both the Nick Lowe pastiche sleeve and a back-up vocal credit for one Jill Read, O’Connell sticking to the rules and claiming that Read will get paid when deemed contactable. ( Fred Dellar)

Real Gone

Packaged in sleeve featuring a great homage to Nick Lowe's solo debut 'Jesus of Cool', this release by Edward O'Connell has a sound which
is almost timeless. Its songs could have been recorded at any point after the mid-eighties and performed by anyone aged between 25 and 60.
If you're a fan of Tom Petty, it's likely you'll find an instant affinity with this album's opening number 'Acres of Diamonds', since it could have been
pulled straight off his 'Full Moon Fever' record. Granted, O'Connell may be wearing an influence on his sleeve here,
but the end result is expertly delivered. …read more

On Tap

Four Play

Another lyrics-forward popster, longtime local player Ed O’Connell brings out his first disc this month. Certain comparisons are inevitable, but they’re all good and none that O’Connell would deny: Tom Petty’s accessible cleverness; polysyllabic Elvis Costello rhymes; Warren Zevon’s acid commentary; the Nick Lowe ideal referred to by the cover art. Yet O’Connell’s work has its own fresh impact, …read more

The Song In My Head Today

Random musings and more about rock songs and artists

Out of nowhere I get this email -- this guy likes my blog and he's just recorded a CD and would I like him to send me a copy? If you're me, you report the email as spam and change your password pronto, right? Wrong. Something stopped me from hitting that 'delete' button, and instead I responded. What the hell, I figured.… read more

Absolute Powerpop

A place to discover the latest and greatest in power pop releases.

CD of the Day

Washington DC hasn't exactly been a hotbed of power pop, but it's getting there. Lately we've heard from Vegas With Randolph and The Secret Pop Band, and now we have Edward O'Connell. You can't judge a CD by its cover, but in this case you know you're dealing with someone who has an appreciation for classic power pop as the cover is an homage to Nick Lowe's seminal Jesus of Cool (retitled Pure Pop for Now People in the USA so as not to offend delicate American sensibilities). And while it would be hyperbole to say O'Connell's Our Little Secret is another Jesus of Cool, I can say that it honors the legacy of the Lowe classic and is one of 2010's best power pop releases to date. .… read more

Power Popaholic

Power pop music and an honest opinion.  Ranking: 9 out of 10. 

Washington D.C. musician Edward O'Connell has produced a polished gem of a debut on "Our Little Secret." O'Connell is very much a power popper in the  Richard X. Heyman mold. His sound builds on influences from Nick Lowe, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello. Starting with "Acres Of Diamonds," it's got that vibrant strum to warm the soul and a Wilbury-like hook in the chorus, it's a real winner of a single. "I Heard It Go" is a wry observational song that follows with similar rhythm and creative guitar lead during the break. .… read more

Power Pop Overdose

Imagine the Byrds meet Warren Zevon! Edward O'Connell , singer, guitarist, and main songwriter, is living proof that Power Pop is alive and well. His new album, Our Little Secret, is chocked full of jangly goodness but it also provides perfectly contemporary compositions that harken back to the good old days of Power Pop. Catchy and guitar-driven this is just the kind of music you can sing along to in your car and not mind if others are watching. .… read more