The Other Side of Zero

The Other Side of Zero shifts from side to side with some regularity, ranging from bubbly and invigorating to downbeat and expressive. There's a real sense of diversity here, and it's what sets the album apart.

While the piano/acoustic guitar/percussion combo often associated with female songwriters is prevalent, the tracks manage to establish their own identities and not run together. Yet it's ultimately difficult to shake the feeling that you've heard this all before.

"Worn Out Tune" says it all, with its bluesy but not-quite-bleak atmosphere, and Ziman happily embracing "the ones we just can't get enough of." The band wants all their songs to have this quality, but every track on the album sounds like they were labored over so carefully that spontaneity lost every battle against precision.

Those speedy songs ["You and Me" and "Go Away My Lover"] are the exception on this album, not the rule, but they're still the highlight, balancing Ziman's ruminations on a love gone wrong with something much brighter.

Elizabeth Ziman's voice compares well with the mainstream flavor of a Sara Bareilles, while her songs mine deeper states of self-examination. [Year End 2010, p.75]