David Crosby has referred to Venice as "the best vocal group in the country and one of the best bands of any kind I have ever heard." And why wouldn't he say a thing like that, considering that Venice sound as if they eat the Crosby, Stills & Nash catalog for breakfast, lunch, and tea? Their debut album, Born & Raised, is so firmly grounded in the mellow '70s California rock of CSN and the Eagles that it could probably pass for a 1975 reissue. Dedicated revivalism isn't necessarily a terrible thing, but even those who dig the form might concede that Venice add little to the tradition. Spinart followed in 1999.