Reviewed by Tony Cummings

If you are unfamiliar with Over The Rhine, the core of the group consists of husband-and-wife team Linford Detweiler (guitarist/bassist/pianist) and Karen Bergquist (vocalist/guitarist). 'The Trumpet Child' is their 12th album in 18 years and marks a very definite change in direction from the group's Cowboy Junkies style offerings of the '90s. The songs here have been arranged in jazz trio style and often sound like something released in the '50s. While risky, it works extremely well, and the overall effect is refreshing though long time followers of the group may be bemused. The highlights of the album are: "Trouble", a bossa-nova style melodic masterpiece; "Entertaining Thoughts", an upbeat track of pop-rock that goes exactly where you want it to go; and the title track, a beautiful but melancholy torch ballad brought alive by Karen's fantastic voice. A left field album from the group who seem to delight in thinking outside the box.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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