capsule reviews of miscellaneous titles by
OVER THE RHINE

Over the Rhine
Patience   (1992)
Comments:  An airy but appealing sound has been Over the Rhine’s charm since their debut, but here the hooks get stronger, as do the lyrics, and "Patience" shows a band maturing and finding its feet. Not that its predecessor was bad; "Til We Have Faces" was enchanting in that it felt authentic, just like a band getting together in a basement and putting to music the personal journal-entry lyrics they’d written on long dreary coffee shop afternoons. But "Patience" has more confidence and ambition. You can imagine from the energy licking about the edges of the songs that, when performed live, they might really take off. It’s a quietly affecting, sometimes even joyful, explorative work, allowing Karen Bergquist’s graceful voice to whisper and, occasionally soar. While the focus of the song "Circle of Quiet" is the revelatory possibilities of time spent in silence and meditation, this track sounds like the band’s first solid radio-ready single. And the very next song, "I Painted my Name", builds to become an exhilarating, cheerful affirmation, hinting at the energy to be unleashed on upcoming albums. Unassuming, humble, but skilled and solid songwriting, good enough to keep several of these tracks in their regular concert rotation almost a decade later.
Outstanding tracks: "Circle of Quiet" "I Painted my Name", "Jacksie"
Jeffrey's Sum-Up: Impressive

Over the Rhine
Eve    (1994)
Comments: Eve is Over the Rhine’s boldest foray into rock-and-roll, after their coffee-shop acoustic-pop albums established them as one of adult-contemporary’s best-kept secrets. Guitarist Ric Hordinski’s guitars are a revelation; on tracks like "Daddy Untwisted" he seems to trip over himself with exhilarating, inventive riffs. Linford Detweiler’s playful, often ironic lyrics keep us guessing. The opener, "Happy With Myself" bursts out of the gate with such confidence, and such an irresistible hook, Karen Peris’s vocals so free and breathlessly soulful, that it’s clear the band will never fade into the background again. They’re no longer a wistful, melancholy background band; they’re center stage, strong, and ready for their spotlight. "Within Without" is a metaphysical stunner, with complicated wordplay, as the singer appeals, like John Donne, for God to use the violence of the world to bring about rebirth, awe, and miracle: "though I'm usually pacifistic/you are mercifully sadistic/and I didn't know that murder could be good/but the roses came crimson/springing from the prison/of the floorboards where there once were stains of blood." This is heavy stuff. But there’s plenty of fun to be had along the way as well. "My Love is a Fever" is pure guilty-pleasure blues with a twist of Dr. Seuss: "My love is a fever/ my love is a fable/ my love is jazz licks improvised….monkeys shine, fire flies/foxes trot, hobs knob/porches swing, brains storm/hearts attack and air supplies/heads light tails spin/steeples chase you along your chin…" Add to that the fact that the best song on the album is a hidden, unlisted track, a surprise encore that’ll knock you flat with its beauty, which, it turns out, was a hint of things to come. Irresistible.
Outstanding Tracks: "Bothered", "Within/Without", "My Love is a Fever"
Jeffrey's Sum-Up: Impressive

Over the Rhine
Good Dog Bad Dog    (1996, re-issued 2000)
Comments: In 1996, when the IRS record label closed its doors and left its artists homeless, Over the Rhine decided to produce a record on their own. The Cincinnati band had already earned a loyal following for its unusual blend of folk, rock, and pop, and its last album "Eve" had been something of a rock’n’roll revelation. The record they made as a follow-up was something else entirely, like a living-room-concert preview of the best songs they’d ever written. You could tell they were excited, just by the passion with which lead singer Karen Peris sings, by her savoring of the poetic lyrics, and by the emphasis on bold piano arrangements. The record received rave reviews from critics across the nation, but didn’t have enough backing to make much of a splash.
   In 1999, Over the Rhine signed with Virgin/Backporch Records, a relationship that started off on a very good note: the label re-released "Good Dog Bad Dog", a revised version (minus two songs, with a new track.) There is a simplicity to these arrangements that lets the glory of Peris’s vocals and the eloquence of Linford Detweiler’s lyrics shine through. These songs weren’t just written; they were earned by experience and contemplation as much as composition. When Karen sings, "They’ve taken their toll, these latter days," she might be singing about a disintegrating relationship, about the difficulty of working with the band in hard times, or telling the story of someone losing their grip on life. In interviews, though, Linford revealed that the lyrics were a personal statement of a time when he threw in the towel as a songwriter, overcome with frustration, only to find himself drawn right back to it. His torments are distilled into one of the most beautiful breakup songs ever written, an honest and specific cry from the heart, that ends with a note of grace, "Dance without me/ you dance so gracefully/ and I really think I’ll be okay."
    Lucky for us, though, the tears have long since past, and he has rediscovered with the band new inspiration, new songs, and the best thing that could have happened to the band… a second chance. "Good Dog Bad Dog" isn’t just Over the Rhine’s greatest album; it’s one of the finest recordings of the decade, a testament to hope and rebirth in the face of disaster. Or, as Bono once sang, "Midnight is where the day begins."
Outstanding tracks:  "Latter Days", "Faithfully Dangerous", "All I Need is Everything"
Jeffrey's Sum-Up: A Masterpiece