Over the Rhine just released a sprawling double album that's rootsy, drugged-out and imbued with a subtle shot of pop sensibility, and its principal creative team consists of a married couple. All comparisons to Fleetwood Mac end there, though. Linford Detweiler and Karen Bergquist don't squabble over who's next on syringe duty, and they don't show any signs of fracturing into faceless chart seducers. The Ohio duo toiled for years in a fruitless attempt to catch a break, releasing a number of off-radar albums and getting dumped by IRS Records. Things looked grim but turned around after the group was adopted by the Cowboy Junkies. The Junkies not only tapped Over the Rhine -- which tours as a five-piece unit --as an opening act for an extensive cross-country trek but also prominently featured the dove-throated Bergquist as a backup singer in its own headlining sets. Its reputation sealed, Over the Rhine broke away and began anew, crafting a string of ambitious records that have finally earned the band its critical due.
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