FROM NY PRESS 12/7/06
Over the Rhine make wonderful Snow Angels.
MUSIC FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE
Over the Rhine continue its joyful sounds
By David Freeland
Linford Detweiler, half of the musical duo Over the Rhine, writes on his website, "We hope that Snow Angels is a record that becomes part of the landscape for small gatherings of people who love each other." It's a fitting description of a recording whose charm is exceeded only by its musical dexterity. Karin Bergquist, Detweiler's wife and longtime artistic partner, has always been an exceptional singer, but here she shines in new, varied ways, sounding as girlish as Patty of the Andrews Sisters one minute, as torchy as Sarah Vaughan the next. "Darlin' (Christmas Is Coming)" could be a long-lost track from Phil Spector's holiday album, and the emphasis on spirituality ("snow is falling like forgiveness from the sky") adds depth and a sense of wonder at the beauty of the natural world.
Over the Rhine (named after a struggling, historic Cincinnati neighborhood) has been around since the late 1980s, with members coming and going—although the Detweiler/Bergquist axis has remained steady. Categorizing the group would be useless: It's been compared (unfairly) to everything from 10,000 Maniacs to contemporary Christian music for its humanistic concern with religious questions (Detweiler is the son of a Protestant minister). Big companies like Virgin and IRS have signed up for a few albums apiece, but OTR has found just as much success working on its own, using word of mouth to build awareness. Overall it has done a remarkable job, although Detweiler occasionally betrays just a hint of frustration at not having gained wider recognition.
"We've been waiting for one song to sort of shoot up on the horizon and create a little fireworks display," he admits, speaking from his Ohio farm (dogs are barking in the background). "I've often wondered: Have we suffered from being so isolated? That's been a real advantage for us in terms of finding ourselves creatively. But the downside is that I think if we lived in a place like New York or Nashville, the amount of work that Karin would be able to do, apart from Over the Rhine, would be significant."
Detweiler is his wife's biggest fan, and he supports her with beautifully rendered piano solos on Snow Angels. Together, they've made an album bursting with life and creativity, rooted in spiritual issues but set apart through a pacifistic stance ("Put away your swords," Karin sings on the yearning "Little Town").
"Spiritually, I've been a little bit all over the map. I've certainly abandoned my childhood faith, and then have struggled to come back to a place that makes sense to me. As difficult as it can be to reconcile with everything I know, I personally can't rule out the idea of a benevolent, supreme creator: an artist, a conflicted, creative force. Every time I see the night sky, flung full of stars, something awakens in me."
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Positively Yeah Yeah Yeah's ANNUAL Hip Holiday Music feature
by John M. James
Ten years since they treated fans to their first holiday CD, The Darkest Night of the Year, Over the Rhine returns with Snow Angels on the Great Speckled Dog imprint. Somewhere between Billie Holiday, Nat “King” Cole, the Cowboy Junkies, blues voodoo and an Appalachian church's serenity simmers the amber honey confessional waltz of duo Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler. Candle lit with snowflakes falling, these eleven perfect originals are playful, unashamedly romantic, and heart paining redemptive. One cover of sorts fits right in - a softly possessed interpretation of “Jingle Bells” into “One Olive Jingle” - and a piano instrumental finds inspiration from Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas in “Goodbye Charles.”
This is a Great Speckled Dog recording.
Produced by Over the Rhine and Brad Jones.