Extra Virgin
Reviewer: Hanako
Artist/Composer: Olive
Record Label: RCA Records
Year of Release: 1997
Genre: Ethereal Trance Pop
Parental Advisory: No
Avaliability: Domestic

Hanako loves music. That should be pointed out right away befor we begin. A friend of mine and I were exchanging CDs to broaden our musical spectrum and she handed me a CD with a very pretty, yet simplistic and clean cover and said, "Here, listen to them. I was reading in a magazine about them and bought their CD. They're really cool." So I popped the CD into my CD player when I got home. Usually I disregard what my friends say about music because, well, their opinions are usually very different than mine. I didn't expect all too much out of this album. What I came out of my speakers was a real shock.

The first track opens with soothing, reverberating synth-strings panned violently from left to right with an elctronic voice sighing in the background, reminiscent of any given picture of a sci-fi landscape. The first vocals echo through electonicky sweeps and the occasional crunchy percussion samples. Only one thing ran through my mind as I listened to this track-

"Aaahhh... blue."

As I continued on my audio journey, I came across the rather addictive track #5, You're Not Alone. The broken string synths and shivers that pan from left to right accent the beautiful vocals that make the song. The whole album is beautiful, but this is the track that sticks in my head.

The entire album is very dark and mysterious, using liberal amounts of spooky string sweeps slathered over busy percussive beats topped with the sexy, smoky vocals of Ruth-Ann Boyle. The rhythms are slow and absorb the listener into the deep, rich melodies. The best word to describe the feeling ones gets when listening to this album is 'atmospheric'. The passion conveyed in both the vocals and the instrumentals is breathtakingly moving, and gives one a total sense of euphoria. Olive's sound is very reminiscent of Everything But the Girl and BT, but it really isn't quite the same at all. Olive is more dark and slow compared to most of the bands in its genre. Their sound is more like Sade, but slower, darker, and more electronic. It stands alone. Ruth-Ann has a powerful voice that blends with the synths and percussion put together by Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth, making it unique.

This is totally an album to listen to while in the relaxing in the tub with bubbles, candles, incense, and some nice candies. Extra Virgin is one of the most relaxing albums in existance. I highly recommend this album to anyone that needs to unwind or just escape from reality.

Track List:

1. Miracle
2. This Time
3. Safer Hands
4. Killing
5. You're Not Alone
6. Falling
7. Outlaw
8. Blood Red Tears
9. Curious
10. You Are Nothing
11. Muted
12. I Don't Think So
13. *Hidden Track* You're Not Alone (non-percussion version)