Azure Ray
Hold on Love
(Saddle Creek)
First Appeared at The Music Box, February 2004, Volume 11, #2
Written by T.J. Simon
The Omaha-based duo of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor perform as Azure Ray, a
group that records gentle pop numbers while singing harmonies in a single,
ethereal voice. Its new album Hold on Love is a mellow, string-filled
collection of a dozen delicate songs that stylistically falls somewhere between
Enya and Rilo Kiley. The disc’s highlights are the two opening tracks The
Devil’s Feet and New Resolution, both of which are expansively pretty
tunes featuring dreamy vocals. Unfortunately the rest of the album suffers from
a uniformity that makes the duo’s unique sound feel positively commonplace by
its conclusion. While Hold on Love isn’t a bad record, it does lose steam
way too early in the game. It’s good for setting a quiet mood, but listening
behind the wheel could prove to be a dangerously sleepy gambit. 
Of Further Interest...
Hold on Love is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box