She shrugs in disgust when she hears the voice of people who clearly thrive off of hearing themselves talk, and she loves Thursdays for absolutely no reason. Home is where her heart is, and you'll likely catch her reading Oprah's O magazine while munching on a bowl of Weetabix cereal and sipping on a hot cup of coffee. So is she the girl next door? No, she's New York's latest musical knock out: say hello to Jennifer O'Connor.

Up until the age of 16, Jennifer was a self-declared pop groupie, but after discovering R.E.M. and The Replacements her musical loyalties quickly shifted. Today, she listens more to the likes of Kanye West, Silver Jews, The Kinks, Yo La Tengo and Bruce Springsteen. But according to Jennifer, her greatest musical influences lie in the work of Elliott Smith, PJ Harvey, Paul Westerberg and David Berman.

And while Jennifer bloomed a bit after the release of her debut Matador record Over The Mountain..., she's in full bloom now that sophomore album Here With Me is hitting airwaves.

"My current favorite [song] is Always In Your Mind from the new record," said Jennifer. "Why? I like the lyrics, the music, the instrumentation and the performance. I feel like it excels on all fronts."

And it does, along with the rest of the album's catchy folk/rock tracks... like title song Here With Me , which showcases Jennifer's distinctively rustic vocals and ballooning instrumental ability (she plays the guitar, piano and organ on this album), and gives special reference to her girlfriend.

Richly original lyrics often meet a uniquely alternative beat -- which comes at no surprise considering Jennifer's first concert was the Van Halen 5150 tour.

Where is the rest of the inspiration for these emotionally edgy songs seeded? All over, she says. "It depends," she says, "sometimes songs come to me uninvited. Sometimes I have to sit down and make them come out... there's no formula."

Regardless of where the numbers originate, I'm just happy to have them here with me.

Additional Tracks:
The Church And The River
Daylight Out