Over The Rhine - Ohio

Today, with the snow falling outside of my large living room window and the steam rising from my strong cup of coffee, I am finding that little else can tie all of the things that I'm feeling together quite as well as Over The Rhine. Ohio is OTR's seventh (and technically eighth as well, as it is a double album) album and an incredibly strong release. I love this band so much. They create the kind of music that you don't just listen to; you feel it in your heart. They create an aching and longing with the sincerity and honesty of their music. Suffice it to say, I can't say enough good about this group of talented and earnest musicians.

Disc 1 [Download]

1. B. P. D.
2. What I'll Remember Most
3. Show Me
4. Jesus In New Orleans
5. Ohio
6. Suitcase
7. Anything At All
8. Professional Daydreamer
9. Lifelong Fling
10. Changes Come

Disc 2 [Download]

1. Long Lost Brother
2. She
3. Nobody Number One
4. Cruel and Pretty
5. Remind Us
6. How Long Have You Been Stoned?
7. When You Say Love
8. Fool
9. Hometown Boy
10. Bothered
11. Idea #21 (Not Too Late)

Over The Rhine - Drunkard's Prayer

I suppose that you could say that today's posts are a tribute to my favorites, or the ones that hold the most meaning for me. Over The Rhine is certainly no exception on either count. Husband and wife duo Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist make up the heart and soul of this [for lack of a more fitting word] incredible band. Jazzy and sultry, Bergquist's vocals soar over piano and acoustic guitar alike, singing songs of love and loss; hope and heartache. Many nights were spent alone with this album and a beer in my old apartment. Always my first choice when feeling nostalgic, "Drunkard's Prayer" has an uncanny ability to take me somewhere else in time, punctuated by images of evenings spent with friends, and evenings spent alone. Much like Ryan Adam's "Heartbreaker", this work of art was part of a small collection of albums that created the soundtrack to the summer of 2006. A summer spent living in a one bedroom apartment with three close friends. A summer of friends, music, and some of the most incredible times I have ever had. The eleven songs that make up "Drunkard's Prayer" are far too good to be ignored, and if you find this album as meaningful as I do, then please take my advice when I say that it doesn't even begin to do the band justice. Having seen them live, I have a right to say so.

Tracklisting:
1. I Want You To Be My Love
2. Born
3. Drunkard's Prayer
4. Bluer
5. Spark
6. Hush Now (Stella's Tarantella)
7. Lookin' Forward
8. Little Did I Know
9. Who Will Guard The Door
10. Firefly
11. My Funny Valentine

Highlight Tracks: "I Want You To Be My Love", "Born", "Spark", "Lookin' Forward", "Firefly"