Released: 27 August 2021
Jo O’Meara does things her way on her latest solo album ‘With Love’.
Arriving 16 years after her debut ‘Relentless’, the singer’s new offering is her most involved project yet, with a hand-selected tracklist of personal favourite cover versions and original co-writes.
Jo continues to distance herself from S Club’s pure pop sound, opting instead for more stripped-back, organic tunes with a country edge.
Opener I’ll Be There sets the tone, with acoustic guitars and driving drum beats forming the backdrop for Jo’s powerhouse vocals.
It’s a formula that runs through the album; Sweet Surrender is equally hooky, while her cover of John Waite’s Missing You proves timeless.
Most impressive are the ballads – particularly the self-penned numbers – with On the Surface and Closer offering a vulnerability rarely seen from the singer during her chart-topping heyday.
The most personal track, Lay Your Hurt on Me, inspired by a close friend’s cancer battle, is simply heartbreaking and a triumph both vocally and from a writer’s perspective.
So while covers of Breathe In, I Hope You Dance and Heaven – plus her own tracks Don’t Stop Movin’ and Relentless – are perfectly serviceable, it’s hard not to want for a few more fresh tracks.
But let’s not make that a criticism – we’re just glad to have Jo back!
‘With Love’ is available on CD and Cassette.
Interview: Jo O’Meara: ‘Now is the right time to revive my solo career’
