Spring Break
McLaughlin delivers mellow sounds on sophomore album
Kathleen McKiernan
Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Entertainment
10/21/08 - Jon McLaughlin showcases his talent for songwriting again with his second album, Ok Now, released Oct. 7th.
McLaughlin made it from Indiana to Hollywood with his single, "Beautiful Disaster" in 2007 and an appearance in Disney's "Enchanted." Although his sophomore album is still relatively unknown, McLaughlin has proven that he is not just a one hit wonder.
Like McLaughlin's first album, Indiana, Ok Now, is full of great lyrics, mellow sounds, and heart-wrenching ballads.
Always one for a good metaphor, McLaughlin's first single is "Beating My Heart." A classic love song, "Beating My Heart" features McLaughlin's ever-present piano-playing skills, neatly put together in a light pop song.
McLaughlin sings, "There's a sun coming over the horizon. I want to know where it's coming from, but doesn't everyone. It's like 'who am I? And why am I here?' and then I open my eyes and I know you're beating my heart."
McLaughlin must have been a motivational speaker in his past life. Like his last album, the songs on Ok Now encourage and comfort listeners in trying to make it through whatever frivolous things get them down. It's just a moment. It's just a day. There's more to life - that's McLaughlin's mantra.
For example, "Four Years," another positive ballad with soft tones and funky sound, inspires high school students to make it through the harsh years of freshman woes to graduation. After all, it is only four years long.
"Dance Your Life Away" is where McLaughlin diverges from his usual melodious pop sound to become edgier. Well, as edgy as McLaughlin can get. Honoring '80s rock 'n' roll, "Dance Your Life Away" tells listeners to live for the moment and dance their life away. McLaughlin sings, "If we can't dance on the ceiling we'll be dancing in the street. No excuses let the music rock your body right."
The last song on the album, "We All Need Saving," with beautiful lyrics, highlights the troubles of humanity and tells listeners to keep going because life is hard for everyone. The song differs from the rest of the tracks in that the uplifting pop sound is replaced by a serene, acapella sound.
"This isn't real. It's just all you can feel and that's the way that feelings go and whether or not it's right or wrong, you'll do what you will do, but when the cloud in the sky starts to pour in your life, it's just a storm you're braving. Well don't tell yourself you can't lean on someone because we all need saving sometimes," he sings on "We All Need Saving."
Ok Now demonstrates how McLaughlin has developed in his music from his first album. From mellow pop songs, McLaughlin delves into acoustics and rock with his sophomore album with even more eloquent lyrics than before. Though McLaughlin is on the fringes of becoming a celebrity, his talent for song writing remains untouched by commercialism. But this fact unfortunately keeps McLaughlin's inspiring lyrics and peaceful sound from where it can affect the most people and where he can be recognized as a great musician.
McLaughlin made it from Indiana to Hollywood with his single, "Beautiful Disaster" in 2007 and an appearance in Disney's "Enchanted." Although his sophomore album is still relatively unknown, McLaughlin has proven that he is not just a one hit wonder.
Like McLaughlin's first album, Indiana, Ok Now, is full of great lyrics, mellow sounds, and heart-wrenching ballads.
Always one for a good metaphor, McLaughlin's first single is "Beating My Heart." A classic love song, "Beating My Heart" features McLaughlin's ever-present piano-playing skills, neatly put together in a light pop song.
McLaughlin sings, "There's a sun coming over the horizon. I want to know where it's coming from, but doesn't everyone. It's like 'who am I? And why am I here?' and then I open my eyes and I know you're beating my heart."
McLaughlin must have been a motivational speaker in his past life. Like his last album, the songs on Ok Now encourage and comfort listeners in trying to make it through whatever frivolous things get them down. It's just a moment. It's just a day. There's more to life - that's McLaughlin's mantra.
For example, "Four Years," another positive ballad with soft tones and funky sound, inspires high school students to make it through the harsh years of freshman woes to graduation. After all, it is only four years long.
"Dance Your Life Away" is where McLaughlin diverges from his usual melodious pop sound to become edgier. Well, as edgy as McLaughlin can get. Honoring '80s rock 'n' roll, "Dance Your Life Away" tells listeners to live for the moment and dance their life away. McLaughlin sings, "If we can't dance on the ceiling we'll be dancing in the street. No excuses let the music rock your body right."
The last song on the album, "We All Need Saving," with beautiful lyrics, highlights the troubles of humanity and tells listeners to keep going because life is hard for everyone. The song differs from the rest of the tracks in that the uplifting pop sound is replaced by a serene, acapella sound.
"This isn't real. It's just all you can feel and that's the way that feelings go and whether or not it's right or wrong, you'll do what you will do, but when the cloud in the sky starts to pour in your life, it's just a storm you're braving. Well don't tell yourself you can't lean on someone because we all need saving sometimes," he sings on "We All Need Saving."
Ok Now demonstrates how McLaughlin has developed in his music from his first album. From mellow pop songs, McLaughlin delves into acoustics and rock with his sophomore album with even more eloquent lyrics than before. Though McLaughlin is on the fringes of becoming a celebrity, his talent for song writing remains untouched by commercialism. But this fact unfortunately keeps McLaughlin's inspiring lyrics and peaceful sound from where it can affect the most people and where he can be recognized as a great musician.
