Premiere: Jenny O., ‘Work’ (full EP)

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Jenny O. (Photo by Godma)
Jenny O. (Photo by Godma)

It took five years, but L.A.-based singer-songwriter Jenny O. has completed her assignment. In 2011, the Long Island-bred artist debuted with “Home,” an EP showcasing her honeyed vocals and bright lyricism. This week comes the bookend, “Work.” “‘Home’ … ‘Work,’ get it?” she says with a laugh. “It was always my idea to have a vinyl with them on each side, and hopefully that will happen.”

In between, of course, the songwriter (full name: Jennifer Anne Ognibene) released the highly regarded full-length “Automechanic,” produced by Jonathan Wilson and full of the warmth and wisdom you get in late-night phone calls from home. For “Work,” Jenny O. retreated to the home studio where she made the first EP. “I squirm a little bit,” she says of working on her own, “but I get it done. I feel free and unencumbered.”

The five-song release features the previously released single “Be Here Now,” one of three new songs that includes the jaw-dropping “Schopenhauer On Love,” an homage to the 19th-century philosopher that itself could serve as fodder for an entire salon night. The song “Case Study B” grew out of a demo for her full-length (there’s a full-on rock version), and on “Work” it is drenched in melancholy and strings. The wild-card is “Holiday,” perfect for those mixes you’ll make in a couple of months, or any holiday for that matter. All are sung in that snug voice you’d be happy to hear if it were singing HTML code.

Jenny O. does have another Wilson-produced full-length in the works, but for now “Work” (out Friday via Manimal/Holy Trinity) closes the book on her home recordings and gives an eye into her experiences since “Automechanic” revved up the engines. “I learned not to be attached to things … not to get too spooky … not to connect too many dots … not to assign meaning to anything,” she says. “Can’t wait for the next lesson.”

||| Stream: “Work”

||| Live: Jenny O. opens for the Proclaimers on Oct. 21 at the Roxy. Tickets.