With a rich history of being an under-the-radar Nashville songwriter with career milestones such as penning a song Johnny Cash sung and recorded, Tim O'Connell continues to evolve.
O'Connell -- the father of Nashville mayor Freddie O'Connell -- took a U-turn from his country music style (see: his concept trilogy of albums spanning from 2022-2024) and decided to explore the jazzier side of the music world on his new EP, Gems.
Perhaps the jazziest track on the EP and song of note is "Till Now:" a song about finding the true meaning of love. The song checks every box for a smooth pop jazz number. After a cozy opening verse with O'Connell's sweet piano melodies comes the fuzzy repetitions of the percussion arrangements. The track is topped off with piano and sax solos that the listener can float along to. It's a no-surprises jazz number through-and-through, and the song hits its climax as he sings, "Love was just a word to me 'till now."
The EP also features songs that are purely of a singer-songwriter fashion. Take "Good Enough (A Father's Song)" for example. The song singularly features piano and O'Connell's vocals, taking away the jazz for a more intimate feel. The song is a little encouragement to both fathers and their children. Sometimes we forget that our parents are human, too, and that's what he hopes to remind us in the song.
Wrapping things up is "Once Upon A Dream." The song is aptly titled, mimicking the steady repetitions of a daydream with its easy-going, repeating vocal melodies. The song is a quaint meditation on the transience and value of love. For O'Connell, lost love is but a dream, fading like the wind. "I did some thoughtless things / Then my dream was gone," sings O'Connell. The melancholy lyricism melds very well with the jazzy backing instrumentation.
The EP is a sonically unique turnaround following O'Connell's dedication to a country album trilogy. And as for that Johnny Cash song he wrote? Well, that little number is "A Singer of Songs." O'Connell spent only a few fleeting decades trying to get the track into Cash's hands -- and eventually, he did.
Cash remarked that he loved the song, and embarked to get it recorded toward the end of his career. His performance of the song was even played at his own funeral. A very monumental feather in the cap of O'Connell, along with his son in charge of Music City.
With no signs of slowing down at the age of 75, O'Connell keeps things new by embracing the old and exploring new paths. We'll keep listening and dreaming in the meantime.
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