Hershey, Pennsylvania's
the Ocean Blue are practically masters of sweet, gentle, vaguely British pop, combining sparkling, jangly guitars with crisp, sweet vocals and thoroughly melodic songwriting. Their self-titled debut lays down the blueprint for this sound, which remained largely unchanged through releases like
Cerulean (which sported slightly dreamier production and songwriting) and
Beneath the Rhythm & Sound (the band's most polished and pop-oriented effort), falling somewhere between the squeaky-clean pop of
the Housemartins and the gorgeous melodic elements of
the Cocteau Twins. While its songwriting occasionally falters, and it lacks the sonic cohesion of its two successors,
The Ocean Blue delivers on what makes all of the band's work so appealing: simple, beautiful hooks and melodies. ~ Nitsuh Abebe