The first thing I did when I found out that Jamie O'Neal's new album Sometimes was coming out was listen to When I Think About Angels and There Is No Arizona from her debut album, Shiver (2000). The memories came flooding back, the words were all in my head just waiting for me to sing along. And when I was all in, I hit play on the new album and let it play.
Across 12 tracks O'Neal offers new music and refreshed versions of four of her earlier hits. It's a nice nod to her early-2000s success while also reminding everyone that she's still got it and is ready to be part of the country music scene in 2020 and beyond too.
The updated track I was looking forward to most was When I Think About Angels 2.0 featuring Martina McBride. Before I even hit play I could hear McBride singing the 2001 #1 single in my head. And then I heard the Aussie/American duet come to life on the album and it was everything I wanted and needed. I fought the urge to sing along to I could hear their voices together and soak it all in.
I suggest that you hit play on When I Think About Angels 2.0 now and do the same thing!
Jamie O'Neal (ft. Martina McBride) When I Think About Angels 2.0
And while all five of the songs on Sometimes that feature collabs are great to listen to (Lauren Alaina is a star, Sara Evans is awesome and John Paul White is a great duet partner for her), there's a little something extra for your heart on Somebody's Hero 2.0 when Jamie O'Neal is joined by her daughter Aliyah Good. The song is already a lovely anthem and story of love and strength and a ton of heart - and to hear it from the mother-daughter duo is A+.
I don't want you to think though that this is an album without new songs to love - because that is not the case at all. I always find it hard to claim that I have a favourite song on a brand new album because I know there's a very good chance that I'm going to end up falling deep for one that I might not 'get' on the first few listens. So, I'm leaning right now into a trio of tracks that already have me jamming along and realizing that I've been missing O'Neal in my life for years now.
Joshua's Early Picks: Wreck Me, Spin The Bottle, The World Goes On.
O'Neal's song choices allow for sing-alongs and toe-tapping and fun while also telling stories and having heart. It's what good country does, it's what we're looking for whenever pop bleeds into country, and when it works, it works.
It's been 6 and a half years since Jamie O'Neal released her last album, Eternal, more than 15 years since the release of Brave, which gave us the original versions of Trying To Find Atlantis and Somebody's Hero, and on October 31, 2020, we'll hit the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Shiver that introduced us to the Australian country star and There Is No Arizona and When I Think About Angels and more.
Sometimes does an excellent job of celebrating nostalgia while also showing us all that Jamie O'Neal's still got it. Hit play and enjoy this one.
Jamie O'Neal, Sometimes Tracklist
1. Wreck Me
2. There Is No Arizona 2.0 (ft. )
3. Closer To Closure
4. Someone's Sometimes (ft. John Paul White)
5. Somebody's Hero 2.0 (ft. Aliyah Good)
6. Spin The Bottle
7. Jealousy
8. Trying To Find Atlantis 2.0 (ft. Sara Evans)
9. Sometimes It's Too Late
10. Prettiest Wreck
11. When I Think About Angels 2.0 (ft. Martina McBride)
12. The World Goes On