Sixpence None The Richer CD

3rd Rel From Austin Band List To 16.98 On 8/2/99

Sixpence None The Richer: Leigh Nash (vocals); Matt Slocum (guitar, cello, Wurlitzer piano); Dale Baker (drums, percussion).
Additional personnel: Al Perkins (pedal steel guitar); John Mark Painter (oud, accordion, trumpet, Mellotron, hurdy-gurdy, bells, buhl-buhl); Peter Hyrka, Antoine Silverman, David Davidson (violin); Kris Wilkinson (viola); Tom Howard (piano); Phil Madeira (Hammond B-3 organ); J.J. Plasencio (acoustic & electric basses); Chris Donohue (bass); Mark Nash (hi-hat, cymbals).
SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album. "Kiss Me" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
After toiling in relative obscurity in the Christian pop ghetto for several years, Sixpence None the Richer suddenly exploded on to the pop charts in 1999 on the strength of "Kiss Me," an utterly irresistible slice of swoony guitar pop that, once heard, is impossible to shake loose from the brain and could well turn out to be this generation's "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." The rest of the album may not be quite as memorable, but that's not to say that "Kiss Me" is the only thing worth hearing. "Anything," with its fruity chord progression and string sweetening, is almost Beatlesque; "The Lines of My Earth" draws subtly on country influences. Then there's the Pablo Neruda setting. There are moments when the wispiness of Leigh Nash's voice isn't adequately offset by sturdier accompaniment, but overall this is a very winning album. Those who are offended by religious messages in their pop music don't need to worry -- there are a few here, but they're pretty subtle. ~ Rick Anderson
To listen to the self-titled debut from awkwardly named trio Sixpence None The Richer is to stare unflinchingly into the face of late '90s folk-rock. The band is clearly influenced by what's gone before, but their sound is completely modern and original. Fronted by the stylized vocals of Leigh Nash, the band winsomely strums and croons its way through highly personal songs about finding one's way in the world. The influence of folk-poppers like 10,000 Maniacs and Mazzy Star can be heard throughout, in the intimate acoustic guitar rhythms and poignantly conversational vocals, but there's a more progressive Throwing Muses sound at work here as well, keeping SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER from getting too dewy-eyed.

Melody Maker (6/19/99, p.53) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It has the gritty melancholic gorgeousness of 10,000 Maniacs, the hard-edged delicacy The Cardigans are struggling to achieve and...string arrangements Richard Ashcroft would pawn his Hush Puppies for..."