Just a year after his late-blooming Indiana album exploded (thanks in no small part to his massive hit from the Disney film Enchanted), Jon McLaughlin returns with his sophomore record, OK Now. The sophomore effort is a lot more mature than Indiana and has a supremely enjoyable diversity to it that makes it extremely hard to peg genre wise or to find a comparable artist to reference. From disco beats to pop sensibilities, OK Now has a little bit of everything and will likely appeal to a wide audience because of it.
Producer John Fields (Rooney, Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Jonas Brothers) and a team of co-writers help McLaughlin along on the new album and the fit is very close to exactly right. “You Can Never Go Back” is a great example of just what I’m referring to as a matter of fact. Everything about this song should rightfully spell disaster. It makes constant reference to Xanadu, it has a heavy disco-overtone (of course), and features wildly cheesy “whoa o’s.” Yet, it is also one of the most enjoyable songs on the album and extremely hard to dislike (believe me, I tried). The soulful “You Were Always on My Mind,” which explodes into a heavily melodic pop rocker after its intro, is another bright moment, perhaps the feel-good song of the year. The hit single “Beating My Heart” is an undeniable highlight too and the Harry Connick, Jr.Vs. Alicia Keys-esque sound of “Why I’m Talking to You” isn’t far behind. If you’re a fan of diverse pop songs that have plenty of soul and are strongly written then you should certainly check out OK Now.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
