Reviews:

Audio Mixers: Mike Mogis; Andy LeMaster; Conor Oberst.
Recording information: Valle Mistico, Tepotzlan, Morelos, Mexico (01/2008-02/2008).
Photographers: Gary Burden; Jason Boesel.
At least temporarily dropping the band name Bright Eyes, which Omaha native Conor Oberst has recorded under since his mid-teens, CONOR OBERST serves as a reintroduction to the singer-songwriter. From the lack of album title to the minimalist cover photograph of the artist lounging in a hammock, CONOR OBERST is at the same time free of artifice and deliberately reminiscent of the singer-songwriters of the 1970s. With folk and country elements increasingly prominent in his work recently, the move is neither unexpected nor out of character, and as a whole, CONOR OBERST is both a worthy successor to Bright Eyes' twangy 2007 release CASSADEGA and one of his strongest albums, period. Recorded in the rural Mexican village of Tepoztlan with a fresh group of backing musicians known as the Mystic Valley Band, CONOR OBERST has the stripped-down, laid-back feel of vintage early '70s Laurel Canyon, halfway between Neil Young and Jackson Browne. Particular highlights include the magical country-rock road song "Moab" and the impassioned character study "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)." CONOR OBERST is available as a digital download, standard CD, and vinyl LP.

Personnel: Conor Oberst (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar); Taylor Hollingsworth (vocals, guitar, electric guitar); Nik Freitas (vocals, electric guitar); Macey Taylor Sr. (vocals, bass guitar); Jason Boesel (vocals, drums, percussion); Corina Figueroa Escamilla, Phil Schaffart, Janet Weiss, Andy LeMaster (vocals); Nate Walcott (piano, electric piano, organ).

This appears to be the month for Omaha's finest to hop off of the Saddle (Creek). Even label co-founder Oberst, the precocious, prolific talent behind Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos, is shedding his aliases for a solo effort on Merge. Oberst employs Taylor Hollingsworth on guitar and Macey Taylor on bass here; wonder if his latest sincere folk will recall the cassette-only material he produced as a teen in the mid '90s.