Lisa O'Kane

It's been said one of the virtues of country music is that it doesn't shy away from adult concerns and responsibilities, but as Nashville has commanded a larger market share in recent decades, many major artists have found that the shallower and more simplistic their music, the better it sells. Thankfully, Lisa O'Kane shows there's still some room in contemporary country for a woman who can sing about life and love from the perspective of someone who has seen a bit of what the world has to offer and can share her thoughts with unpretentious wisdom. O'Kane wrote four of the 11 songs on It Don't Hurt, her third album and first major-label release, and "Ain't Done Nothin'," "Pay for My Sins," and "I'm Done" are all tales of busted romances sung from the perspective of a woman who walked away from relationships gone bad, and O'Kane can sound strong and vulnerable at the same time, cursing the lesson and blessing the knowledge in song. O'Kane and producer Edward Tree have also chosen some fine tunes from other writers, such as the title tune's chronicle of a life of pain, John Prine's splendid "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness," "Paper Thin"'s melancholy sage of a marriage that's failed, and the resilient tale of "Got the Car Running." As good as the material is, the real attractions are O'Kane's rich, clear voice and her ability to tell great, heartfelt stories with it; she can sound feisty or stricken with longing at will, and there's a spring in her step that belies the hurt that often comes her way in these songs, aided immeasurably by Tree's sympathetic production and a crack session band. There's a lot of recognizable real life in It Don't Hurt, and Lisa O'Kane doesn't pull any punches, but she also finds some honest beauty in these songs, and this album is a moving and beautifully crafted set of home truths worth investigating. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide