A Real Life Story

1991 studio album by Maura O'Connell
A Real Life Story
Studio album by
Maura O'Connell
Released1991
LabelWarner Bros.[1]
ProducerGreg Penny
Maura O'Connell chronology
Always
(1989) 		A Real Life Story
(1991) 		Blue Is the Colour of Hope
(1992)

A Real Life Story is an album by the Irish musician Maura O'Connell, released in 1991.[2][3] The album, rather infamously, originally included a market research card, to be mailed to Warner Bros.[4][5]

Production

Recorded in Nashville with session musicians, the album was produced by Greg Penny.[6][7] "Broken Bicycles" is a cover of the Tom Waits song; O'Connell also covered, among others, Janis Ian, John Hiatt, and Lennon–McCartney.[8][9][10] O'Connell's sisters sang on "A Family Tie".[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Chicago Tribune[13]
The Cincinnati Post[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]

The Washington Post wrote that "the album's failings are small but bothersome... O'Connell's affection for reflective ballads occasionally leads her to sing lightweight lyrics that convey more a sense of general moodiness than real emotion."[11] Entertainment Weekly thought that "O'Connell proves a marvelous vocal actress."[8] The Chicago Tribune concluded that O'Connell "combines a gorgeous, supple voice with an impeccable taste in material."[13]

The Milwaukee Sentinel determined that, despite being an album of covers, "the result is one of the warmest and in its own way most personal albums of the young year."[15] The St. Petersburg Times stated that "the LP's best track, Larry Tagg's 'Burning My Rowboat', [is] a light-hearted number that deals with deliberate, self-imposed isolation."[16] The Cincinnati Post panned the "more contemporary sound," writing that "the backing is dull."[14] Stereo Review included the album on its list of the top 36 albums of 1991.[17]

AllMusic wrote that "the arrangements ... strike a balance between rustic simplicity and art-pop complexity without tipping too far in either direction."[12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."When Your Heart Is Weak" 
2."Burning Your Rowboat" 
3."A Family Tie" 
4."Ireland" 
5."Unwinding" 
6."Guns of Love" 
7."I Don't Know Why" 
8."For No One" 
9."When We Ran" 
10."Broken Bicycles" 

References

  1. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 271.
  2. ^ "2 Singers Defy Categorization but Delight Hearers". Deseret News. May 28, 1991.
  3. ^ "Maura O'Connell Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. ^ McLeese, Don (7 Mar 1991). "Marketing ploy insults record buyers". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 6.
  5. ^ Bessman, Jim (Mar 9, 1991). "Warner Bros. Queries Album Buyers". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 10. p. 49.
  6. ^ McIntyre, Ken (February 14, 1991). "O'Connell glad Grammys let her 'gawk and pretend to be famous'". The Washington Times. p. E3.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 830.
  8. ^ a b "A Real Life Story". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. ^ "The Celtic-country connection". USA Today. 7 May 1991. p. 8D.
  10. ^ Callahan, Patricia (7 June 1991). "Singer Thrives on Diversity". Features Showtime. Sun-Sentinel. p. 20.
  11. ^ a b Joyce, Mike (13 Feb 1991). "From the Celtic Fringe: Contemporary Twists on the Old Style". The Washington Post. p. B7.
  12. ^ a b "A Real Life Story". AllMusic.
  13. ^ a b Kening, Dan (16 May 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b Nager, Larry (February 23, 1991). "Maura O'Connell, 'A Real Life Story'". The Cincinnati Post. p. 5C.
  15. ^ Tianen, Dave (15 Mar 1991). "O'Connell brings life to others' songs". Feature. Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 31.
  16. ^ Hall, Dave (19 Apr 1991). "Maura O'Connell A Real Life Story". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 17.
  17. ^ "Stereo Review's Record of the Year Awards for 1991". Stereo Review. Vol. 57, no. 2. Feb 1992. p. 41.
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