Nicole Ockmond: Press

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9/1/03
Nicole Ockmond - In My Head
If you long for the days of singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Janis Ian, with a touch of Dar Williams thrown in for good measure, then you will enjoy Nicole Ockmond's release. Nicole wrote all the songs, except "Winter Rain" and "False Street" which she co-wrote. Nicole says, "Most of what I write about comes directly from my own life, with a little artistic license thrown in of course. I've always loved lyrics. I want my songs to be about things that I actually think and feel. I would like to think that the listener can see themselves in my songs."

Patty Griffin once said that the best songs are the ones that when you hear them, you think they were written just for you, and nobody else. Nicole catches this sentiment on her new release.

Nicole put together twelve tracks that are a little slice of life. The instrumentation is sparse and to say the CD is mellow may be a bit of an understatement.
This is a great late night disc, or perfect with your Sunday morning coffee and New York Times.

While the title track, "Alone," may lead one to believe we are in for a heartbreaker, it is a song of freedom and realizing what is possible when there's, "no one else to worry about/no one else to teach."

"False Street" is the song of a mother enduring abuse at the hands of her husband and the daughter trying to remain invisible so as not to incur the abuse. Even with such weighty subject matter the protagonist dreams of freedom, turning this into a positive song. The child is now grown, and though the memories remain she has worked through much of the pain.

The title track, "In My Head," is a beautiful love song, and one brides could easily consider for a first dance at their wedding reception. All the tracks on the release warrant attention and interpretation, but space and time force me to leave it up to you to analyze the remainder.
This CD makes a nice addition to any acoustic collection, thoughtful, and thought provoking songs. Dennis Halsey The Best Female Musicians

Nicole Ockmond CD release Show May 2003
Written by Amena Bloom

Nicole Ockmond, New Orleans newest blonde with a guitar, performed songs from her new album "In my head" Saturday at Hard Rock Cafe. She also threw the crowd for a loop by performing a brand new song entitled "Survival Instinct" that was not on the album.

When I walked up the stairs of Hard Rock Cafe, I could hear the mellow sound of Nicole's voice. Other than a few snare taps, though, I wasn't sure if the rest of the band showed up. She was, in fact, accompanied by Mike Barras on drums, Kristen Jensen on violin, Josh something unintelligible on bass, and Don Williams on guitar.

Nicole's songwriting skills reflect the depth and purpose of some of the more notable female singer/songwriters of the mid 90's, teetering somewhere between Sarah Mclaughlin and Jewel.

Though she doesn't fill up time with solos or breakdowns, and it seems that she wants the focus to be on the song, the band doesn't do much to contribute music to the song. The band flows solidly as a single sounding unit, despite a few trip ups that occured behind the drumset.

The majority of the songs consisted of severely simple guitar and bass parts which ,if they were of intention or not I am not sure,left plenty of room for Nicole's vocals to stand out with the rollercoaster of highs and lows that she delivers in all of her songs.

The song "Because", which they played near the end of the set, gave everyone a chance to loosen up (one young couple was repeatedly moved to slow dance across the floor). The bassline was fluid and expressive, a definate contrast to the previous collage of whole and half notes. The drums even kicked it up a notch with a more driving and constant beat.

"The Raven", another end of the set surprise, was a little more uplifting and carefree. The violin seemed to lend an almost Celtic feel to the song. The roaming vocals, strong violin line, and more focused bassline gave my spirit a little more hope for the future.

Nicole Ockmond and band were ultimately a show worth seeing, despite the few lulls in the energy that kinda hung over the show. As far as a folk rock show though, Ockmond and company were ready to stand and deliver.