Would just like to share this from an Australian newsletter group:By CAM EWART
20 July 2005
At the time of obtaining Drunkard’s Prayer, my only knowledge of Over the Rhine
was the information I could gather from the artwork/credits inside the album,
and that they had toured with the Cowboy Junkies. Opening the booklet, I was
drawn in by the beautiful layout of photographs of what seemed to be the two
primary members at home – Singer Karin Bergquist and multi-instrumentalist
Linford Detweiler are, in fact, married, and the album was recorded in their
living room; the simple and homely look of the artwork had me keen to give it a
listen.
The instrumentation revolves primarily around acoustic guitar, piano and upright
bass, giving the album a very simple, smooth and refined sound. Bergquist’s
vocals draw the listener in with her beautiful melodies. At some points a little
Norah Jones-ish, other times almost a breathless sigh, just enough to carry the
note as she sings about themes and emotions obviously close to her heart.
It’s these melodies that got me hooked on the album. The opener, I Want You To
Be My Love, is a gentle lead in, setting the tone of the work as a whole.
However, from the first guitar strums of track two, Born, I was instantly
silenced, clinging to each note. The simple acoustic guitar and piano combines
with an almost ghostly southern slide in the background, to create the mood for
my favourite song on the album. As I listened for the very first time, it was
almost as if I knew the song already. I was humming along to the melody, trying
to rack my brains as to whether I'd heard it before. I even planted my lady
friend down in front of my stereo to hear the song for herself, as I felt the
urge to share it with someone.
Drunkard’s Prayer, the group's twelfth record since forming in 1990, has been
described by Detweiler as the heart of what his group are about musically. He
also has confessed that this album celebrates the healing and even, survival of
his marriage to singer Karin. All in all, it's a fabulous collection of songs
that flow together to make a beautiful album – joyous, sad, bitter and sweet all
at once, it has encouraged me to seek out their back catalogue, and tell my
friends of my new discovery.