Realistic
isn't a great album on its own, but it hints strongly at
Ivy
's potential. A good deal of the songwriting comes from Academy Award-nominated
Adam Schlesinger
(also of
Fountains of Wayne
), who has an incredible ability to crank out
pop
songs -- the writing on
is occasionally marvelous, but bland. Overly slick production and a few lackadaisical songs keep the album from becoming very memorable. While French singer
Dominique Durand
's wispy, enchanting voice and several great
songs (
"Everyday,"
"Dying Star"
) make
worthwhile, the band's later releases bring more life to
's smooth and gentle style of
. ~ Nitsuh Abebe