On “Exeter, Rhode Island” and the other more upbeat, rock-ish songs from her third album, “Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars,” Jennifer O’Connor pushes her voice a bit ineffectively, like she’s trying to sound sassy and bluesy but doesn’t quite have it in her. But left alone on “Today” with just her guitar, she gives a quietly moving performance.
— T.B.
