Search - :: Cross'n Over

"Ably supported by sympathetic musicians [Ethan Azarian] has produced what could amount to an aural equivalent of his paintings... On the simpler songs Azarian slips into territory occupied by that venerable folk troubadour, Michael Hurley....tapping into that folkloric crepuscular world that Hurley has described so well...There are also some great cello arrangements, in particular, halfway through "Upside Down" when the band with cello upfront come in and raise the song to another plane."
(9 out of 10) -Paul Kerr, Americana-UK

"Former Orange Mothers leader Ethan Azarian's second solo album eases further along on a path of musical maturation far removed from the Hollywood Indians' "flyer wars." Improbable as it would've seemed from the perspective of a 1991 campus-area telephone pole, this one-time raconteur from Vermont has become an entirely respectable Austin singer/songwriter/painter. While some songwriters turn inward for subject material, Azarian wholeheartedly embraces well-trod universal themes of love, death, and rebirth without the crutches of irony or melodrama. With everyday language and his unassuming, guy-next-door voice, Azarian uses Cross'n Over as a platform to keep listeners from glossing over the miraculous nature of existence." - Greg Beets, The Austin Chronicle

"Cross'n Over, the title track of Ethan Azarian's second solo album, is about death. But far from dwelling on the macabre, this gentle folk song focuses on redemption and renewal: "no more gamblin' and drinkin' / no more taking this good life for granted / and I'm seein' my lovely / on the other side", exalts Ethan. This sets the tone for the rest of the record, which is distinguished by distinctly introspective meditations on love, friendship, and - despite its title - life." -Allen Y Chen, Austinist