david o'neal - big deal

David O'Neal

Big Deal
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

David O’Neal recently released his debut album called Big Deal, which are nine very digestible pop songs that have their influence from rock, a tad bit of folk and country. According to O’Neal  the “nine songs are about the beginnings and inevitable endings of relationships – all told with a perceptive and often humorous take.” You don’t have to go much farther than reading the song titles to figure this out because with song titles such as ”Look At That Girl,” “Never Want to Fall in Love Again” and “She Got Me” you don’t really have to scrutinize the lyrics to figure out the general theme of the album.

The music itself is good although it rarely has any kind of edge. It’s music that most people from any generation may enjoy. Your grandpa, mom and sister may all like it because the song structures, down to the tone of the guitars are recognizable and have a ubiquitous quality that seem timeless yet not distinct.

The album starts with the title track “Big Deal” which is a soft rock pop song that revolves around O’Neal’s story telling lyrics. His lyrics describe a narrative “So I don't remember the day we first met/it was in November how could I forget” as he interjects the catch phrase “What’s the big deal anyway” after every line. It’s a good song but it often feels a couple of shades off from feeling like he could be covering a Hootie and the Blowfish song. He pushes on the accelerator ever so slightly on the second song called “Never Want to Fall in Love Again.” He trades in his acoustic guitar for an electric as the song sounds 100% USA approved. Kind of like something you would hear playing on the radio in an American warehouse as the workers put away the carts with a forklift. “Give Me His Number” is a bit slower than the first two songs and also has one of the better vocal performances from O’Neal on the album. He choses to close the album with a song “Look At That Girl” that features just his voice and his acoustic guitar. It is a catchy song that again showcases his talent for writing lyrics.

Even though O'Neal's songs sound a bit rehashed at points he is a good songwriter who unapologetically write songs that are almost too easy to enjoy

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