Nikki O’Neill, an R&B/Americana singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Chicago, is releasing her third solo album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. It’s being issued on Blackbird Record Label on March 14th on 12” LP vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming. Featuring eleven songs written by O’Neill, the album is co-produced by her and Rich Lackowski, and it was recorded mostly live with her 5-piece band by John Abbey at Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago. The album’s making was largely supported by the Illinois Arts Council, who chose O’Neill as one of their Creative Catalyst Grant recipients for 2025.
Deeply in love with classic soul, rhythm & blues and gospel from an early age, O’Neill counts Pops Staples, Prince, and Teenie Hodges as her guitar heroes, but it’s songwriting that she sees as her main love. Music journalists have called her “an expressive, nuanced singer and excellent guitarist” who makes albums with songs that demonstrate “a remarkable sense of melody.”
Written in 2023-2024, three years after O’Neill relocated to Chicago from Los Angeles, some of the songs on Stories I Only Tell My Friends revolve around exclusion, uprooting and her personal experiences with migration, while others describe the struggles of staying creative and maintaining a quiet sense of wonder in a fast-paced information-driven society. There are also songs that are pure celebrations of love. “The album seems to move from musically-driven to more lyrically-driven storytelling songs, which wasn’t premeditated,” O’Neill says.
The soul-inspired Americana sound that permeates Stories I Only Tell My Friends is very much a joint creation of O’Neill and the members of her band: Rich Lackowski (drums, percussion, harmony vocals), Chris Corsale (most lead guitars, harmony vocals) and Teddy Myers (organ, piano, Wurlitzer and Rhodes), along with John Abbey and Chris Stanford on bass. O’Neill played rhythm guitar, all acoustic guitars, the solos on “Square One” and “I Wish the Sun Could Shine on Me,” plus the twin guitar solo on “I Just Knew” (together with Corsale).
Stories I Only Tell My Friends is eloquent testimony to the inspiration she found.
Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the standout track “Drive,” a vibrant rocker brimming with soul that hits out of the gate with plenty of breezy vibes. The song captures O’Neill’s ability to craft catchy and resonant tunes that sparkle with uptempo goodness and a hopeful outlook. She also backs herself with a talented band of players who help give the song its shimmering, bouncy soul groove.
Nikki O’Neill describes the inspiration behind the tune:
I remember when I was at the verge of a big move, where I was saying goodbye to neighbors, friends and family. Taking that next step is scary, but sometimes you need to get out and see the world. “Drive” is a bit like a message of encouragement with a happy, soulful groove, and it starts off the album.
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One Response
Great song.
Fits perfectly on my radio show on Radio Viking 101,4