Lover
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Lover
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NEW!
Track
#1 (Hey Mister) Wins!
Lover
by Ripley Caine Named Album of the Year 2002!
Playback
St. Louis
December 2002
by Jim Dunn
© 2002 Playback St. Louis
Oddly
enough, I saw Gigantic, a documentary about They
Might Be Giants, right before I wrote this review.
In the documentary, critics and fans spoke of the
band’s lyrics, a large percentage of which
are really quite sad. However, the songs are arranged
so cheerfully that you assume that TMBG are singing
happy thoughts. Those sad words and experiences
either pass over you or seep in like some cynical
salve.
While
listening to Ripley Caine’s Lover, I had the
same thoughts. Her voice is silky smooth and the
arrangements are breezy, Caine’s voice strong,
assured, and in control. Her lyrics, though, brood
on an unpleasant world of betrayal, lost lovers,
and the dangers out there. Perhaps it is a bad idea
to interpret someone’s mysteries in their
lyrics, but it seems as if Caine is exorcising some
demons on this CD.
Lover
contains some truly beautiful songs, but if you
listen to them closely, it is easy to see a world
that is torturous. “Monkey in the Middle”
has some of the most haunting lyrics: “What
it was called before/I want the world to know/what
disease may overcome the lost little child in me,/spread
by the one who claimed to be free.” In it,
you never know if the analogy that she uses is literal
or figurative.
In
the end, though, I believe Caine decides this is
all part of the game of lovers. As she says, “I
cry and I fight,/when the time goes away it leaves
us waiting/standing proud like lovers do/I cry and
I fight.” In Ripley Caine’s world, maybe
that is all you can hope for.
Chicago
Freepress
November 6, 2002
by Kim McNabb
© 2002 Chicago Freepress
With
a piercing, crystal-clear voice that sometimes howls
with emotion, Ripley Caine takes listeners through
a journey of what people do to each other playing
the game of love, on her new CD "Lover."
Sometimes folk, sometimes rock, sometimes alternative,
Caine and her perfectly matched band breathe fresh
life into a common format.
Mixing
blues and rock, Caine hauntingly chants, "So
this is the end, so this is the end so my friend
this is goodbye" in "Bent Over Forward."
The
disc closes with the excellent "Like Lovers
Do," in which Caine sings, "When the time
goes away it leaves us waiting standing proud like
lovers do."
Windy
City Times
October 16, 2002
by Vern Hester
© 2002 Windy City Media Group
read
the entire article
Lover's
appeal is in its muted fury. Rolling guitars, dramatic
peaks, and a chugging velocity that runs from beginning
to end. As a result, Caine's vocals blossom like
a peacock's tail feathers. Her voice still has that
ironic twist in tone, but the new landscape gives
it an entirely new palate of hues.
From
the start, Lover gives Caine a lot to sink her teeth
into. The opener, "Hey Mister," sounds
like this autumn's most appropriate single; you
can almost see the caboose of summer shrinking in
the distance. Deeper still is the lyric's depiction
of an unhappy situation ("... this ain't no
petty shit...") that betrays the song's relaxed
sheen. "Bent Over Forward" is Lover's
centerpiece, though. Simultaneously quiet and operatic,
it melds the (old) quiet Ripley with the (new) bolder
Ripley.
Kweevak's
Tracks CD Reviews
October 2002
by Laura Turner Lynch
© 2002 Kweevak's Tracks
read
the entire article
Lover
is the second full-length release from award winning
singer songwriter Ripley Caine. Ripley writes provocative
lyrics that are multi-layered and her songs are
expertly produced. She successfully mixes alternative
edginess with rock and folk. Caine has been compared
with Joni Mitchell and Jim Morrison based on her
sweet wide vocal range as well as her raw passionate
style. The CD starts with 'Hey Mister' a deep reflective
song about loneliness accented with a steady solid
beat and dramatic guitars. 'Labor Day' has a catch
groove, poetic lyrics dynamic vocal expressions
and tight instrumentation. 'Monkey in the Middle'
is haunting, anguished and complete with musical
changes and textures. Ripley Caine is a versatile
singer who effectively merges genres into intriguing
storytelling. Lover is a passionate collection of
stimulating songs that are honestly and soulfully
executed.
Midwest
Bands
October 2002
© 2002 Midwest Bands
I
met Ripley Caine at MWB’s display table at
the Midwest Music Conference in Lexinton, Kentucky.
She came up, introduced herself, and handed me a
copy of her new CD “Lover”. She took just
a bit of time to fill out a card to list on our
site, and then she was gone. I didn’t get a
chance to listen to the CD until I was at home,
but when I put it in I wished that I’d taken
more time to talk that Friday! I didn’t get
a chance to see her live set, either; there were
so many stories like that in Lexington! I was glad
to know that I had the CD, though, and the new one
at that! I guess MWB has its privileges! I got to
hear “Lover” quite a bit before it will
be available to the general public. In fact, it
will be released October 15th on Sweet Pickle Music.
It’s a great CD; driving acoustic guitars,
interesting melody lines with lots of twists and
turns, and Ripley’s voice, which is very reminiscent
of Natalie Merchant and Carly Simon; its folksy
rock with an edge! We’re very proud to have
Ripley Caine as a part of the MWB family! Get your
copy of “Lover” when it’s available
this month, and get to know this fabulous artist!
Congratulations, Ripley, on a job well done!
Chicago
Arts & Entertainment
September 26, 2002
by Paul Barile
© 2002 Chicago Arts & Entertaiment
read
the entire article
There
is something chimerical about the chiming guitar
that supports Ripley Caine’s voice on “Hey
Mister,” the opening cut on her debut album,
“Lover” (coming soon from Sweet Pickle
Music). Caine’s songwriting possesses a quality
that draws the listener in gently rather than through
verbal chicanery or pyrotechnics.
Success
by Caine’s terms seem to be more about recording
an album that will still sound exciting five years
from now than about some pandering commercial idea
of MTV-hyped success.
“Lover” is that album. Long after the
music listening community forgets about some of
the faces on the charts today, people will still
find “Lover” to be a sonic treat.
Windy
City Times
September 18, 200
by Gregg Shapiro
© 2002 Lambda Publications
Looking
like the poster child for bisexuality on the cover
of her new CD Lover (Sweet Pickle), Ripley Caine
continues her creative evolution and remains a singer/songwriter
to watch. Her dramatic, yet removed, vocals are
in more lush surroundings on songs such as "Hey
Mister," "Labor Day," and "Star,"
providing them with a warm humanity. "Different"
and "Over The Moon" verge on being commercial
breakthroughs and both songs would sound great on
the radio.
