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 Realistic 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 pop songs ("Everyday," "Dying Star") make Realistic worthwhile, the band's later releases bring more life to Ivy's smooth and gentle style of pop. ~ Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide
as usual, another grossly inaccurate review of an otherwise good solid album. My first listen I my thoughts were, "meh" but as I heard the songs for a second and third time, I enjoyed it more and more. I fact I just took 6 days to drive from San Francisco to New York, the only thing that played in my vehicle was Ivy. Awesome group, awesome songs.