Jon McLaughlin

The rise was entirely expected. It’s the fall that threw me for a loop.

Indiana’s native son Jon McLaughlin has exhibited such ridiculously good songwriting talents since his teen years singing on his local university’s college label. Numerous independent efforts while at Anderson University led to an independent Christian college student touring with the likes of Matt Wertz, Dave Barnes and Andy Davis – leading to an ever-growing audience of college students and 20-somethings who fell for the fantastic piano-pop delivery of the Hoosier.

Then came the major label. It was inevitable. Island/Def Jam snapped up the act and soon the predictions become a reality. There were tours with Kelly Clarkson, O.A.R., Sister Hazel and Sara Bareilles. There were collaborations with Jason Mraz and TV placements on Scrubs, Ghost Whisperer and movies like Georgia Rule and Enchanted. The latter even earned him a live TV performance on this year’s Oscars broadcast of the song “So Close.” And there were even the stints on the Today Show and the Tonight Show, displaying his keen pop sensibilities coast to coast.

So on the heels of his debut, Indiana, it’s devastating to find the sophomore effort so disappointing. In light of the talent, it’s possible to call this one a failure.

Where does OK Now go wrong? Try just about every category. Musically, the out-of-nowhere ‘80’s beats and riffs found on “You Can Never Go Back” and “Dance Your Life Away” respectively completely ruin the flow of the album and force the listener to do a double take to make sure the correct disc is in the player. The former, especially, is a poor track that reaches for the fun factor and falls far short, utilizing such cringe-inducing lines as “You can never go back to Xanadu /Running with the Young and the Restless…” along with other soap opera programs.

The lyrical trend continues on songs like “4 Years” which could become a solid pop ballad and instead sinks under the weight of simplistic reflective lines about the school years that change us so much. The same can be said of upbeat piano rocker “Why I’m Talking To You” which finds McLaughlin creeping up to a girl in the room that “all the other guys” are looking at in hopes that he’s the one who can catch her. It’s Happy Days level of depth and McLaughlin’s the lyrical Fonzie.

No matter how hard he tries, however, McLaughlin can’t keep his own talent from shining through on occasion. Lead single “Beating My Heart” is a stunning pop burst that stands heads above most current radio singles. “You Are the One I Love” is another sweeping ballad that finds McLaughlin hitting the right heart strings along with his keys as his beautiful vocal hits it perfectly. The album closer “We All Need Saving” might be McLaughlin’s best ever – an a cappella number featuring layered harmonies and a broken premise that brings the album together.

It’s a sad state of affairs for such a brilliant songwriter to sink so low. Perhaps we expected a bit too much from such a rising star. But the core talent is still very much present and hopefully he’ll be able to pick himself back up and create the music he’s capable of. We’ve heard it before and I’ve no doubt we will hear it again. Just not on this one.

Tagged as: Jon McLaughlin, OK Now

↓ One comment

#1 Chris Unthank on October 14th, 2008 at 1:05 am

Ouch. Haven’t had a chance to hear the album yet - but this doesn’t give me high hopes for it.

Does it Resonate with you?

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

URL