 The first thing you notice about Jamie O'Neal is the voice a sunburst of emotion that lets you know you're in the presence of someone special. It's throaty and powerful, full of confidence, brimming with personality and shaded with country, soul and gospel textures. The second thing you notice is the songwriting lyrics that stray off the beaten path to explore new shadows of the human heart. These songs are the works of a woman who understands the beauty of true craftsmanship. Jamie O'Neal is that rare individual, a debut artist who arrives with her talent fully formed. A superb live entertainer, a polished songwriter and a real "singer's singer," Jamie has poured a lifetime of experience into the creation of Shiver, her first Mercury Records album. It is a remarkable listening experience. Critics are already raving about the haunting, sultry sound of "There Is No Arizona." She is joyously in love on the bopping "No More Protecting My Heart" and the driving twanger "You Rescued Me." The title tune is a lovely ballad, while "Sanctuary" marries a pulsing beat with her gospel-tinged performance. She mourns deeply to the accompaniment of sighing strings on "I'm Still Waiting," but turns humorous and wry on the scampering "Frantic." Jamie approaches the Richard Marx tune "The Only Thing Wrong" as a blues lament, yet turns in a solid country duet with labelmate Mark Wills on "I'm Not Gonna Do Anything Without You." She gives a poignantly aching vocal to the sad "She Hasn't Heard It Yet," but is equally adept with the percussive, uptempo "When I Think About Angels." Love ballads such as "Where We Belong" and "To Be With You" sound especially sweet coming from the newlywed newcomer.
"I have always wanted to be in Nashville," says Jamie O'Neal. "I have dreamed of this my entire life." That is not an exaggeration. She has been preparing for Shiver literally all her life. Jamie O'Neal was born in Sydney, Australia as the first child of professional musicians Jimmy and Julie Murphy. When she was two the family migrated to Hawaii, where younger sister Samantha was born. When Jamie was seven the musical Murphys settled in Las Vegas to perform at The Golden Nugget casino. And when she was eight, she took to the stage. "Once Dad learned that Samantha and I could carry a tune, suddenly we were on stage. I was eight and Sam was six. She and I sang 'You and Me Against the World' looking at the floor." Dad, Mom, the girls, a tutor and a four-piece band were gypsies throughout Jamie's girlhood, traveling throughout the U.S. in a motor home to perform at state fairs, hotels and conventions. Samantha's specialty was "You Light Up My Life." Jamie knocked 'em dead with "Southern Nights," "I Got the Music in Me," "Evergreen" and her father's original country tunes, such as "Daddy Let Me Sing With the Band." "This is what I have always wanted. A lot of people go, 'Why didn't you go for a pop deal?' But I have always wanted to do country music. I love the faithfulness of the country fans. I love the fairs. And I especially love how the audience relates to your songs. What you are saying means much more to them than it does to pop fans. Nashville is where I belong."
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