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Album Details

• Artist: Lovers
• Album: The Gutter and the Garden
• Label: Orange Twin
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2004-10-05

It is going to be impossible to do this review without stating the obvious, Lovers sound pretty damn close to Mazzy Star. Now, Carolyn Berk doesn't quite sound like Hope Sandoval but it is more the musical arrangements that evoke the comparison. Lovers is the project of Carolyn's and she writes songs about heartache and heartbreak. Her music is fairly upbeat considering the material. The thing with these songs is that they are emotionally moving, something that there is definitely not enough of these days. Her voice is one that needs to be heard. Simply listen to one track like the album closer "Seasons Greetings" and you will fall in love with Berk's voice. The rest of the Lovers are no slackers either. To create a music sound that is close to Mazzy Star is no easy feat. The music swirls around without making you dizzy. The instrumentation is well orchestrated and everything just falls in to place nicely. The album opens with the softly spoken "Seven Years" and most listeners will know from this opening track if The Gutter and the Garden is an album for them. It builds ever so slowly with the slightest crescendo. This is a great album that Carolyn and her Lovers need to be proud of. Throughout my listening to the album, I kept feeling a familiarity with their sound but it never came to me.

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