NORA O'CONNOR was born and raised as a first-generation Irish-American on the scrappy south side of Chicago. Mugs down "dere" tend to shoot first, ask questions later -- and always get the mother effing job DONE. The doe-eyed Miss Nora is no exception. In addition to being the most versatile and sought-after singer in town -- she is also a legendary bartender, a midwife's assistant (doula) and an ordained reverend. Whether you need to be serenaded, soused, birthed, or hitched -- O'Connor has the goods, and how.
Nora has recorded and toured with a bazillion famous music people. She's sung and played guitar as a member of Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire for five years and counting, was a doe-eyed Rose Red to Gina Black's Snow White with Bloodshot Records' glam-country outfit The Blacks, and has recorded and performed with just about everybody else -- including The New Pornographers, Archer Prewitt, Neko Case, Jon Wesley Harding, The Aluminum Group, Otis Clay, Chris Mills, Janet Bean, Frisbee, Justin Roberts and (in her favorite musical moment shared with Kelly Hogan) sang with Mavis Staples at the 2003 "Waltz" benefit at The Metro in Chicago. O'Connor has also contributed tracks to Bloodshot Records' fifth anniversary release "Down to the Promised Land," their Knitters tribute "Poor Little Knitter on the Road," the new Wanda Jackson tribute "Hard Headed Woman" and their acclaimed kids CD "The Bottle Let Me Down."
Yep,O'Connor has been an in-demand "singing hired assassin" to the hit-making hoi polloi, but now it's time for her to scooch over just a little bit to center stage where she belongs, with her first solo CD, TIL THE DAWN, coming hits summer from Bloodshot Records. Nora says "Making this record was a great way to work with all my favorite players..." and that means payback time from Andrew Bird, Gerald Dowd (drums: Robbie Fulks, Christ Mills) Ryan Hembrey (bass: Edith Frost, Maneshevitz) Kelly Hogan, Grant Tye (Guitar: Robbie Fulks) Andy Hopkins (guitar: Kelly Hogan, Mr. Rudy Day, Andrew Bird) and Scott Ligon (piano, vocals: The Wooden Leg, The Ligonaires.)
TIL THE DAWN features O'Connor-penned urban honky-tonk originals like "My Backyard," Blue Ridge mountain-style harmonizing on "Nightingale," Southern California-country flavor on the Fleetwood Mac cover "That's Alright," and truly uptown citified-soul on Ketty Lester's "Loveletters." TIL THE DAWN has style and grit -- and finally spotlights Nora's amazingly sweet, yet deliciously salty, beautiful soaring blackbird of a voice. Propers are long overdue.
"A solo calling card that is almost startling in its assured delivery and freshness...O'Connor exudes warmth, romance, and optimism and shines brightly form start to finish. 4 stars." Tim Sheridan MOJO
"Her style evokes Patty Griffin and her effortless voice has an assurance and grace reminiscent of Emmylou Harris...For those who appreciate a finely honed voice, this record is a must." Katrina Martin Davenport Venus
"It succeeds beyond words...It is solid and versatile, as well as subtly yet disarmingly sexy." Michael Metivier PopMatters
"Proves she's a serious and talented frontperson...Her emotional voice is light and airy but reveals a dusky jazzy undertone similar to a combination of Norah Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, and Lori Carson...The band perfectly augments each cut, neither overplaying nor laying back. Sweet yet with a tangy aftertaste, O'Connor's record is a subtly sparking gem." Hal Horowitz All Music Guide
"O'Connor's voice is a supple, soaring instrument...every time she lets a high note expire, you can feel Kelly Willis looking over her shoulder." Sam Adams Philadelphia City Paper
"Given the strength of this sparking debut, she should be able to give up a day job or two soon." Kerry Doole Exclaim
"Nora O'Connor is a name I've been hearing from my Chicago friends for a while. Usually her name is followed by the words 'Whew, what a voice.' With the release of her debut solo album, I understand why she elicits that reaction. She's one of those rare singers that makes every song seem like her own." Stacy Fentress TriCities.com
"With repeated listening you'll find you'll understand that's she's worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with her labelmates Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, and Sally Timms. " Vitas Zebraitis Glorious Noise