Jon McLaughlin Releases “OK Now”

Douglas Boultinghouse
Staff Writer

   Pop-rock enchanted pianist, guitarist, singer and songwriter Jon McLaughlin released his second studio album, “OK Now,” on Oct. 7.

   Though already gaining airplay, McLaughlin earned the attention of many listeners by performing the Oscar-nominated song “So Close” from Disney’s “Enchanted” at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Courtesy of Jon McLaughlin’s MySpace

   The follow-up to his debut “Indiana,” which scored the hits “Beautiful Disaster” and “Human,” heads in a different direction musically. While “Indiana” remained soothing and captivating the whole way through, “OK Now” runs ‘smack into you’ with its eighties-driven dance and rock influences.

   Despite the sound transformation, the two things that define Jon McLaughlin most serve as the backbone of this album ,just as his previous effort. His strength as a songwriter excels as he branched out to co-write with new writers and most importantly, he shows off his skills as a pianist. Each track contains a bit of that piano-style McLaughlin masters to an art.

   The album’s first single, “Beating My Heart,” which charted at No. 23 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, begins the album.

   “There are times every now and then / I forget why I’m breathing out / And why I’m breathing in / And I get so sick with the little things / I can’t relax when it’s happening / to know what it means,” he sings while playing the piano before delivering a pitch-perfect chorus.

   “And then I open my eyes / And I know you’re beating my heart, beating my heart / Look at the sky / I know you’re beating my heart, beating my heart / I go extra miles to show / That you are the one thing that I’ve got / Look at the sky / I know you’re beating my heart, beating my heart,” he belts.

   The stand-out track “Four Years” follows.

   Focusing on the struggles of high school peer pressure, McLaughlin provides an inspirational, yet energetic message to high school freshmen.

   He opens the song with “They tore my high school to the ground and / Put a new wing in the east lot / On my old parking spot / It stands reminding me of how / I wish that I could travel back in time / Change my state of mind / So if you’re still in your teens listen to me.”

   Here, he then inserts the point of the song, “It’s hard to see beyond these walls / Of who and who not to be / Socially / Maybe you’re in you’re out / But in the end when all your hats are in the air / Nobody’s gonna care.”

   As the song progresses, the rhythm of the piano coinciding with an electric guitar become more and more effective weaving in between alterations of the chorus.

   “It’s only four years long  / Then it’s gone / And the king of the nerds and the queen of the prom get a job / What did you know? / He’s a CEO and she answers his phone / So be cool, be hot, be weird / It’s just four years,” he sings.

   The king and queen swap roles in the second version of the chorus as he sings, “The queen of the nerds and the king of the prom get a job / Look at them now / She’s living her dreams while he sleeps with his crown.”

   Further into the album, you will find the brilliant track “Things That You Say.” The way the song begins slow and builds into an explosive chorus sounds a bit reminiscent of his past touring mate’s epic masterpiece “Sober.” McLaughlin served as the supporting act for Kelly Clarkson's 2007 tour.

   “I’m not a fool / I know all the rules / You can’t trick me, get one by me / There’s nothing I haven’t seen before / How can you be sure you’re the only one who’s working an angle tonight / So if we’re gonna play this game look me in the eye and ” he sings.

   The guitars burst into sync with the piano as McLaughlin lets the chorus explode, “Tell me you’re in love I’m the only one / Go on and lie to me with all the things that you say / It’s alright / Just give me tonight / Go on and lie to me and I’ll believe the things that you say / Show me what you want / Anything I got you can take it, fake it, make it / Whatever you’re needing to believe / If we both agree, we can’t say we didn’t see what was coming tonight / So if we’re gonna play these parts / Look me in the eye and ”

   Moving on through the album, the energetically crafted track “Dance Your Life Away” that sums up every aspect of the 1980s genre comes into play.

   Here, McLaughlin brings catchy hooks and rhythmic beats that will have you singing along, if not dancing, for days.

Courtesy of Jon McLaughlin’s MySpace

   He sings, “The sun sets on a Saturday night and the keys are in my hand / Jamie says that she wants to stay in but she just don’t understand / I worked all week at the restaurant and I just need to cut loose / So if you feel like me, get your brand new shoes meet me at First Avenue / No excuses let the music rock your body right.”

   The chorus comes in the form of a chant.  Throughout the song, in between story lines, McLaughlin chants, “No more sorrow / We might not be here tomorrow / So just live for the moment and dance your life away.

   “Why I’m Talking to You” follows closely in order and impressiveness.

   The song, a blues number packed with soul, grows with momentum as the seconds pass.

   “Entering a room on an autumn night / I ran across a beautiful sight / From that point on, when I was not looking at her I said, nothing else looked quite right / Now I was not about just to let this go / I wasn’t gonna leave and not know the way her voice sounded /_Against my ears / So I went over to say hello / And I whispered in her ear real slow I said” he sings.

   What did he say? The soulful chorus tells everything.

   “The stars moved when you walked in the room / That’s why I’m talking to you / My heart won’t beat in the groove unless I’m talking to you / I know I’m not the only fool with eyes / And you’ll get attention from all the other guys / I’m gonna stand here till you realize why I’m talking to you,” he sings to the girl.

   As trills on the piano are added here and there, they lead to an electric guitar riff that could not be placed more perfectly before the songs ends with a series of repeating “oh, that’s why I’m talking to you.”

   McLaughlin closes his album with the mesmerizing cut “We All Need Saving.”

   He sings over a rhythm of hums and vocal instruments while softly playing his piano.

   “Whether or not it’s right or wrong / You’ll do what you will do / But when the cloud in the sky starts to pour in your life / It’s just a storm you’re braving / Well don’t tell yourself / You can’t lean on someone / Cause we all need saving sometimes,” he sings.

   He rounds out the song with two even more inspiring verses: “Say what you will, but the time that we fill / While we are on the Earth should not be alone / We were meant to be known / You make me what I’m worth / But I can’t keep you from yourself  / You’ll do what you will do,” and “And I don’t know / Why it has to be this way / And I don’t know the cure / But please believe someone else has felt this before.”

   While these tracks showcase the key elements that make this album far more incredible than simply ‘Ok Now,’ five other tracks only add to the masterpiece: “You Can Never Go Back,” “The Middle,” “You are the One I Love,” “Always on My Mind” and “Throw My Love Around.”

   Additional tracks “Smack Into You” and “Good Enough” appear on various digital versions of the album.

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