Grace Pool

Although reviewers tended to speak favorably of the upstate New York alterna-folk quartet Grace Pool, the band suffered from the persistent and narrow comparisons to 10,000 Maniacs that appeared in nearly every article and critique. Shared geographic origins, a reliance on largely acoustic arrangements, and the presence of female lead singers in both groups created superficial similarities, yet Grace Pool and 10,000 Maniacs shared little else. In several respects Grace Pool stood apart as the stronger outfit, since Elly Brown's lyrics steered clear of the precious tone found in Natalie Merchant's work while Bob Riley's keyboard-driven compositions favored a more atmospheric and abstract quality over the genial guitar-pop melodicism associated with 10,000 Maniacs.

An early incarnation of Grace Pool, obscurely titled after a secondary figure in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, came together in 1983, though Riley suspended the project to join Hoboken's Rage to Live. After departing that ensemble following its debut album, Riley reunited with Brown and reconstituted Grace Pool in New York City. Drummer Frank Vilardi, guitarist Terry Radigan, and keyboardist Cliff Carter completed the lineup, leading to a deal with the recently revived Reprise label and the release of a self-titled debut in 1988. Despite earning respectful notices, the record achieved only modest commercial results. With Radigan and Carter replaced by guitarist Beki Brindle and keyboardist Andy Burton, the new configuration brought a change in texture; Brindle's vaguely Chicago-style guitar approach and Burton's preference for the vintage Hammond B-3 organ sound lent 1990's Where We Live a more grounded character that suited Brown's increasingly bluesy vocal delivery. Like its predecessor, this album faded into obscurity, prompting Reprise to drop the group in 1991. Grace Pool disbanded the next year.