For decades, Nora O’Connor has played a vital support role in the alt-country scene, not just in Chicago but far afield. Her sunshine-and-honey–tinged vocals recall the counterculture heyday of Laurel Canyon, and as a backup singer she’s lent her pipes to myriad releases by the likes of Iron and Wine, Andrew Bird, Kelly Hogan, Neko Case, and the Decemberists. She also releases her own music sporadically; she’s put out three records over the past 28 years, and each one has been worth the wait. O’Connor’s most recent album, 2022’s My Heart (Pravda), is disappointingly short at 36 minutes—but nothing else about it is a letdown. “Tarot Card” channels hippie vibes in lyrics that, like the best country songs, embrace everyday detail. Over a breezy, loping rhythm, the narrator feels around “for change in the back seat of my car” and instead finds the “naked body parts of the Lovers from a torn-up tarot card.” “Grace” is even better; O’Connor’s heartbreakingly on-point Linda Thompson impression combines with a funereal organ to make it a slow-burn soul-folk showstopper. Like the Lovers of the tarot, O’Connor’s music intertwines joy and sorrow. If the past is any guide, we’re not likely to get a new record from her for some time—but the good news is that we can hear her live at this FitzGerald’s show.
Nora O’Connor Janet Beveridge Bean opens. Fri 4/19, 8:30 PM, FitzGerald’s, 6615 W. Roosevelt, Berwyn, $20 general admission, $150 reserved seating for six, 21+
Reader Recommends: CONCERTS
Upcoming shows to have on your radar.
