The second full-length independent CD from Cincinnati's Over the Rhine may not feel as immediately impressive as their debut, 'Til We Have Faces, but that may be because it lacks that element of surprise. Listening to the thoughtfully written and elegantly performed material of Patience for the first time, even looking through the delightfully artsy-fartsy lyric booklet and photo essays, it was easy to suggest smuggly that O.T. Rhine has done a lot of this before. Having spent more time with the second release the response has mollified into more of a "they did it again."
There are more great songs, like the driving rhythm of "How Does It Feel (To Be On My Mind)." When they reprise the tune, things start to get a little exciting as they turn up the guitar of Ric Hordinski and let him play something more interesting than the usual; more atmosphere for Karen Berquist's voice to stretch-out languidly upon. Not that I'm complaining about Berquist, and her rich sculpted vocals. She sounds great. It's just that in pushing her so far forward in the mix, O.T. Rhine has developed an art-school detachment, that's not a little maudlin and repressed at times.
I saw Over the Rhine in two settings this last summer, and felt very differently about the two different approaches I experienced. Playing Cornerstone for the second time, the band assumed the confidence of a home team. I felt as an audience I, and everyone else looking on, was being taken for granted. Even though they played with earnest skill and intent, the music failed to touch me in that open air tent. And I was sure that they'd assume that was all my fault. Perhaps if I only noticed how hip they were and how "good" the music was, I'd get with the artistically correct program. Frankly all I wanted was to hear some rock and roll.
Like when the band opened for Adrian Belew in a crowded, smokey St. Louis bar and I couldn't even see the band over the standing fans. Over the Rhine had to work that night, just to get everyone's attention "over the din." I was struck by the urgency and potency of drummer Brian Kelley and bassist Lin Detweiler, and the variety and intensity of Hordinski's guitars when they were turned up and feeding back a little. Berquist's voice remained crystalline and evocative, but it was not hanging out in the air on its own. Together with the band, her voice had become a strong cord in a rich tapestry of sound. It felt a lot like rock and roll, and I didn't have to work to pay attention and feel moved by their efforts.
I guess Patience just reminds me more of the first performance I described and not enough of the second. Still, there are great songs. "Circle of Quiet," "Sister," "Flanders Fields" and "I Painted My Name" all connect, and delightfully so. Hopefully O.T. Rhine will get signed to a major label and a name producer will bring out of them all that is in their union. Until that happens, I'll be patient.
3.5/5