Mary Margaret O'Hara
Miss America

THE REVIEW

The Canadian Mary Margaret O'Hara was a shooting star, she appeared, illuminated the music world, and disappeared.

This unfortunately is the only album she recorded. One of the greatest songwriters of all time, she did not experience "commercial success." Her music, difficult to categorize, contains a cocktail of folk, jazz, blues, and country, all seasoned with extreme personality. Above all, her inwardness stands out, considered and pure, neither contrived nor artificial. Another quality that distinguishes her is the use of her voice, which she employs in an extremely articulate manner, creating unique, sensitive, intelligent, and profound harmonies.

The eleven songs that make up the album, not being extremely easy, need to be listened to slowly, and that's precisely why they stay engraved in your mind listen after listen. I remember that at the time the term coined to simplify the album was: elementary but difficult. The first part (side A for the vinyl) is superb, dense, and intimate, the voice is powerful, the instrumentation essential and powerful. The second part is more difficult and less instrumental, the voice is soft and sad, but remains always splendid. We are faced with an excellent album if not a masterpiece. Eleven works of art with absolute gems: "Body's in trouble" - "A new day" - "Keeping you in mind".

O'Hara has immense talent, a unique voice that makes her shine in the musical constellation. It's no coincidence that international critics will declare it among the hundred main albums of the twentieth century. An album, therefore, that one should have, I say should because it is difficult to find, if you find it don't let it slip away it is a treasure.