HARPER O'NEILL

                                                                "Guilty'" 

                                                                Independent Release

High-profile tour dates with Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wade, Ashley McBryde, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Paul Cauthen are already lining her resume this year, not to mention the release of three very well-received songs over the past few months – “Somebody,” “No Longer Mine,” and “You Don’t Love Me” – making it a safe bet then to say that Texas native Harper O’Neill is about to burst wide open into one of 2023 best success stories.

She’s already proven on her previous efforts that she isn’t afraid to take risks within her music, giving her an intriguing outside the box uniqueness as she walks a perfect line between country’s strongest ideals and Texas Americana, creating a new “old school” sound that allows the naturally gifted rasp embedded into her tonality to uphold the soul of every word she sings.

She now offers yet another very strong preview of her forthcoming project with the release of “Guilty,” co-written by Harper with John Davidson and Jacob Bryant

With a play on words that compares being head over heels with accusations of it being criminal, O’Neill craftily tells through the opening verse that you can lock her up if you want to, but she’s innocently done nothing wrong and committed no crime.

The lyrics skillfully slide into a steamier side as she admits that she tries to be good and keep her hands to herself, but fails miserably whenever her better half walks in the room; punching into the chorus where she then confesses:

“I’m only guilty of loving you

Can’t help myself but I do

I can’t stop thinking about you baby

Oh, and the way you hang my moon

The only thing I’m guilty of is loving you”

This steamier side continues to lace the forefront of the second half of the song as she cleverly paints the picture of their night in together, admitting that innocence just wasn’t made for her while knowingly telling that they’re both are aware of where that “criminal” look will lead them to.

Tying emotions together in the bridge, O’Neill sings through a heartfelt smile that she knew from the moment they met that she’d be with ‘em for the rest of her life, adding an incredible depth to the lyric as it moves us from thinking that this is simply someone lusting over someone new, to instead realizing that this is a long-term connection that refreshingly still sees the flame burning brightly between them.

Harper O’Neill will play the CMA Fest Spotlight Stage on Saturday June 10, 2023, at 12:30 PM CST.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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