my bad...

In my excitement to wax on about "Aquemini" I skipped

# 16 - "Drunkard's Prayer" - Over the Rhine

I owe my six-year love affair OTR to Brandon Forbes, who drug me out of my ghetto apartment in early '01 (much love to Duke Manor) to head to Cat's Cradle for my first, but not my last, Over the Rhine show.

I'm certain that married couples hear an album about piecing a marriage back togehter far differently than a single guy, but it's no less a significant testimony to the power of fidelity (and good wine) that can speak to anyone. The simple arrangments from Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler's living room SOUND like a personal recollection of troubled days from the not-so-distant-past to say nothing of the actual words one hears on Drunkard's Prayer.

The aptly titled album is not an adolescent, rainy day kind of listen, but more so a stroll by present haunts with your loved one to consider what you nearly lost.

A few months ago I saw OTR in Nashvegas (with Hem), and I'm convinced Karin Berguist can own any venue in the world just by taking the mic. It's a stage presence you don't see in too many artists. Of course, I'm terribly biased and claim her as my favorite female vocalist of all time, so do with that what you will.

The line "My memory will not fail me now" has been highlighted by several journalists, but it is truly the prayer that drives this album.