After its first rotation "Deus Ex Machina" quickly became one of my favourites in my collection. I was extremely impressed with much more than just the mere musical content of the album. First off, you have the album booklet. Inside are printed lyrics to each of the songs, along with Liv's in depth explanations as to why she wrote each of them. She even tells when they were written, and sometimes what the weather was like during her writing process. I felt this was an amazing way for her to connect to fans. I'd never seen anything like it before.

Liv's outer beauty is amplified a thousand times over through her magnificent voice. I can't help but get this overwhelming feeling of completeness whenever I'm exposed to it. There's just something about her. On this album, she seems to capture a bit of innocence that most of us still wish we had on the inside. It's a form of inner peace.

So many different elements are fused together to compose "Deus Ex Machina", that it's nearly impossible to pin it to one specific genre. It took me a bit to decide what I would consider it as.

This was an amazing debut from an amazing artist, and I am more than anxious to see what else she has in store for us. (Online September 7, 2003)