| Over the Rhine | Everybody Has A Story... | Press Archive index
. . . Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City UT by Martin Renzhofer PROMISING DEBUTS BY OVER THE RHINE, CRANBERRIES Over the Rhine - Patience (IRS) It may be the sign of the times or the success of 10,000 Maniacs, but pop bands featuring a female lead singer/songwriter suddenly have begun to appear. Two quartets, one from Ohio and the other from Ireland, have just released debut albums. As first recordings go, they show promise. But these performers of romantically tinged pop seem to still be in search of their own voice. Over the Rhine, formed in Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River, features the elegant vocals of Karin Bergquist and the songwriting of Linford Detweiler. Detweiler also produced "Patience," which is an excellent name for an album that unfolds with rich textures. Detweiler's poetic images deal with typical subjects in an atypical manner. Although "Patience" stumbles a bit in the middle, it features strong opening songs, "Jacksie" and "I've Been Slipping." The band is not afraid to experiment and gently push the envelope. "Lullabye" was recorded over softly falling rain. Words like, "Eumenides" and "festoons" crop up, and certainly aren't words heard every day in a pop lyric. But the musicianship is good enough to merit keeping an eye out for future work. The same can be said of the Cranberries, featuring the vocals of Delores O'Riordon. She is the best part of "Everyone Else" and also the worst. She has a wonderful voice. But at times, unfortunately, she sounds so much like another Irish singer, Sinead O'Connor, that it's scary. O'Riordon has talent. She has written most of the songs, including several catchy and quirky pop tunes with a country-and-western flavor, "Linger," which is an excellent song, and "Wanted." Although the Cranberries have a longer way to go before finding their own identity, the band, like Over the Rhine, is on the verge of becoming better then merely good. |