Jamboreebop

State of Grace
3rd Stone/RCA

Review by Stuart Derdeyn

This CD kind of reminds me of One Dove, a band I adored. Part Cocteau Twins, part dance-beats, State of Grace certainly have potential. But that doesn't mean they display enough of it on this release for it to be anything but a footnote. From long eleven-minute excursions like "Better Sun" to short, meaningless dawdles like "Whetherette," the band can't seem to decide what they play.

Even worse, they play up singer Sarah Simmonds' classically-trained voice. Hmm, maybe that's why it lacks any dash of soul and sounds cold as a state of frozen steak repeating lyrics like "Oh yes my love, I love you, I really, really love you" (ad nauseum/ad infinitum).

Cheers to the violin by Lis Ramsey and cello by Susan Tordoff and some of the guitar parts. As for the rest of it, reach a state of grace without this CD.

First published in Drop-D Magazine on September 6, 1996

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