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Huh Magazine
October 1994

OVER THE RHINE
EVE

There's no denying that Over the Rhine is a great band, and Eve is one of the year's best albums. The question that remains is whether or not the world will feel the same way. Karin Bergquist's vocals have a wonderful range, from Concrete Blonde's smokiness to 10,000 Maniacs' folkiness. On their self-produced third release, the band conjures up Hendrix's ghost alongside their own mixed blend of rock, pop and blues. "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander" borrows a riff or two from Screaming Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You," but manages to wrap it into a structure all its own, while "Sleep Baby Jane" offers up one of the best songs of the year, capturing the same simplistic beauty that made the Police's "Every Breath You Take" a hit. Simplicity is the band's biggest virtue, and when the songs are stripped down to their basics they confirm that this is a great group in dire need of a big break.