Another band centered around a married couple, and another band of whom I've heard great things, but haven't heard all that much: a friend made me a copy of The Trumpet Child, and I liked the musicianship but wasn't carried away by the material. This song just happened to be one of the first that turned up when I looked for them on YouTube. I like it.
I’ve seen them live a couple times and really liked them, but their records have been mixed bags, IMO. Karin’s got a great voice, and considering that and her looks, probably could have been huge in mainstream country music had she decided to go that route.
Did you see that YouTube of her singing Hallelujah?
AMDG
Yes, and I listened to part of it. She really has a spectacular voice, but I wasn’t really liking what she did with that song. Or rather I should say I wasn’t in the mood for it. Truth is, the song has become somewhat overexposed for me. Jeff Buckley’s equally virtuosic and intense version, which I’ve heard several times, has left me with a sort of “ok, that’s enough” feel about it. Buckley’s is on YT–definitely worth hearing if you haven’t, esp. if you liked OTR’s.
Also, there’s a verse which JB includes, as have others (I didn’t listen far enough to know whether OTR does, but I suspect they were going to, judging by the length of the clip), but LC doesn’t in the original release, which was a good decision in my opinion. It makes the erotic aspect more explicit and seems a little out of place or disruptive or something to me.
Rob, what do you think of Ohio? That seems to be a critic’s favorite.
A friend of mine loaned me ‘Ohio’ when it came out — I liked some of it, but again, found it a mixed bag.
It’s interesting to me how everyone I’ve ever talked to about Over-the-Rhine seems to agree that their records are a mixed bag. Their material is inconsistent for sure, but they are extremely engaging performers. Their concerts are unforgettable events.
Thank you for introducing to me this song. Already it’s perhaps my favorite of theirs.
I agree with you, Mac, about “Hallelujah” being overexposed. After hearing Jeff Buckley’s perfect reading of that, I don’t understand why so many performers continue to play it. In my opinion, Jeff Buckley owns it and further attempts are superfluous.
I should mention, Karin and Linford were neighbors of mine when I was a student in Cincinnati. In addition to being extremely dedicated, conscientious + hardworking songsmiths and ace musicians, I can tell they’re also very nice, humble people. They are very close to their fans and remain deeply rooted in their hometown.
I really can’t say enough good about those two. I have a lot of admiration for them, obviously.
I’ve often thought that a lot of stars who produced a few good albums and then went stale would have benefited from staying closer to their roots rather than living in a show-biz bubble. Good to hear that OTR are also nice people. I’ll definitely be checking out more of their work.
My favorite “Hallelujah” is Cohen’s original, actually, though Buckley’s is so different it’s almost an apples & oranges comparison.
Just listened to the Jeff Buckley version on youtube, and was rather surprised at how much I disliked it.
I can see why one might not like it. Do you like Leonard Cohen’s original?
Light On Dark Water 
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