I've now listened to the CD 3 * times.  I think it's a record that demands 
(and stands up to) repeated listenings; there's literally too much to absorb 
in a single sitting.



Too often a lyric-driven, rock and roll record proves to be a contradiction 
in terms.  What I think is particularly impressive about this record is not 
so much how well it showcases James' material into a rock and roll 
setting (since that sensibility comes across even in his solo/acoustic 
incarnation), but how it does this and makes it work so well sonically.  This is one damn fine-sounding record; the guitars and backbeat are strong but never clash with the vocals or detract from the clarity of the lyrical torrent.  James and his producer and engineers are to 
be commended.



I also found the record very effective in terms of presenting a coherent 
artistic sensibility.  There's the 
age-old debate about albums that present a unified vision vs. those that are 
"merely" collections of songs.  There is something special about 
those relatively few records in which the overall artistic vision presented 
is greater than the proverbial sum of the parts.  



That said, I think the songs work quite nicely individually as well.  I also 
thought the album was very intelligently sequenced.  For example, after 
the literal bang-bang-bang of the first three cuts -- which I think are 
sequenced just right in terms of opening the door on the world James has 
created for the listener (or probably more accurately, the world he finds 
himself inhabiting) -- the relative calm of the acoustic guitar/organ 
approach on Sweet Water comes in at exactly the right time.  (By the way, I 
think that song is the hit single, for those of us who think in such terms.)



Anyway, congratulations on a very fine record; I'm looking forward to giving 
it many more spins.
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I've heard "the church of the kitchen sink";  
it's a powerful record.  The production choices made are great!
I'd love to tell you which songs are my favorites, but 
they ALL work so well as a unit.  "The War Has Come" is wonderfully realized, 
and is a stunning way to close the volume.  I love where the vocals sit
in 
the mix on the album; giving James' brilliant lyrics a place to shine while 
not leaving behind the large sound of the record.  What a piece of work!
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The latest effort from James O'Brien is an exclamation point of continuing improvment in an already strong career. Without leaving his roots of vibrant irradiating lyrics and intense performances, he has plugged in the band and tightened his song structure to the point where few will be able ignore his talent.
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When my friend Sam hands you a CD and says, "Check this out, its brilliant but please don’t lose it, its autographed" three things go through your mind: 1. Its very rare that he insists you listen to something 2. Brilliant is not a word he uses frequently (and given his Nemsa qualifying IQ its not surprising) 3. Autographed - Sam thinks this guy is going somewhere ... and after listening to James Obrien’s Church of the Kitchen Sink I had to agree.
 
Read full review at http://newspapertaxi.net/pages/ntReview.asp?reviewID=178
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