Patience

by

Over the Rhine

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Throughout the last twelve years, OTR have continued to be the best kept secret in independent music. On this, their second album, the chemistry between Linford Detweiler's songwriting and his wife Karin Bergquist's sultry vocals results in one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have come cross. My congrats to you if you can come across a copy of this album complete with liner notes. If you have one, consider yourself one of the lucky few. From the opening track "Jacksie" to the closing "Grey Monologue", OTR establish themselves as artists full of life and hope, offering an album that exemplifies all that God created music to be. Listening to the album from start to finish evokes a palette of emotions able to stir the spirit of any one who ever thought of themselves as a dreamer. If ever there was an album to listen to at home on a cold rainy day with a hot cup of tea curled up on the couch with the woman of your dreams, it is Patience by Over The Rhine.

I saw OtR opening for the Squeeze in support of this album back in the early 90's and was mesmerized by the opening track, Jacksie -- a beautiful haunting musical tale. So I rushed out and got a copy of Patience (originally released on the IRS label).

Unfortunately, the musicianship and energy of the band that I saw live was overly subdued in the studio (an amusing liner note: "...we realized that more often than not we had succeeded in making Ric's guitar sound like it was being played in the kitchen cupboard..."). And with a few worthy exceptions (the first two tracks, HDIF, Rhapsodie), the lyrics are, well, earnest but immature. Then there's a beautiful tone poem, Little Genius that never fails to put me in a reflective trance.

A promising offering -- Karen Bergquist's voice is enchanting and with the band still going strong 12 years later, Patience is a virtue.