Music of the Heart

Jennifer O'Connor turns a bad breakup into a good album.

By Michael Gallucci on Wed, Jan 24, 2007 at 4:00 am

Beer Drinkers in Space Showgirls: Fully Exposed Edition

[
      {

        
        "name": "Ad - NativeInline - Injected",
        "component": "38482495",
        "insertPoint": "3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "5"
      },{


        "name": "Real 1 Player (r2) - Inline",
        "component": "38482494",
        "insertPoint": "2/3",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "9"
      }
    ]

For her latest album, Over the Mountain, Across the Valley, and Back to the Stars, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Jennifer O’Connor turned to a rocky romance for inspiration. “I went through a breakup, and that’s what I wrote about,” she says. “It came from a real difficult time in my life.” The songs -- like “Dirty City Blues” and “I Was So Wrong” -- on her third CD straddle the line between heartbreak and disillusion. “It’s definitely a more personal record,” she says. “So I kept it stripped down and simple, so the songs would be the focus.”

Since the August release of Over the Mountain -- which features a full, plugged-in band -- O’Connor has been on the road playing solo acoustic shows. She’s toured with Mason Jennings and the Mountain Goats. She also took part in a Bob Dylan-themed benefit show in N.Y.C., which prompted the electric folkie to record Dylan’s “To Ramona” for an exclusive eMusic EP. “I don’t plan too much,” she says. “I just write whatever comes out.”
Sat., Jan. 27, 6 p.m.