Carman Domenic Licciardello was born on January 19, 1956 in
Trenton, New Jersey. He got saved at an
Andrae Crouch concert. Carman put out
his first album GOD’S NOT FINISHED WITH ME in 1980. His 1983 live album SUNDAY’S ON THE WAY did
quite well. In 1985 he released THE
CHAMPION (Myrrh Records). It stayed on
the Billboard overall sales charts for a record 168 weeks! Carman’s current bio says: “No matter what
Carman does, it will be different, never seen before and unusually
original. This is exactly what we’d
expect from a musical icon. It goes
without saying that still, to this day Carman defies description and definition
and remains a cultural phenomenon-a true American original”.
‘Prepare to Die’ is one of several songs on this project
penned by Carman alone. Jimmie Lee Sloas
plays bass on this effective 80’s pop/dance tale about spiritual warfare: “I’m
depression, I’m your enemy/The power of death is within my command/Hey, I’m
leukemia, open your eyes/I can bury you right where you stand/I’m your ultimate
nightmare, the reality of fear/My threats have been intimidating people now for
years/You dumb religious fool, just get on out of here/Cause I’m cancer.../You
come against me with your fearful evil spell/But I come against you in the Name
of the God of the armies of Israel/Prepare to die/Leukemia, prepare to
die.../Disease, hatred, jealousy/Enemies of the cross/Prepare to die”. ‘Abundance of Rain’ features great background
vocals by First Call. It is a
fast-moving Christian pop cry for revival: “Lately I’ve been feeling dry as a
bone/Like the Holy Spirit has found a new home/Yet by faith I still can see/The
cloud of glory that’s been so familiar to me/My spirit’s been dry/Abarren to
rain/Yet I hear the sound of the abundance of rain.../Lord, send the rain/Let
it fall/Lord, send the rain/Send Your rain/Lord, let it rain/Lord, send Your
Spirit (2X)/Let it fall”. Carman
co-wrote the adult contemporary anthem ‘Revive Us, Oh Lord’ with Steve
Camp. Background vocalists are: Pam Mark
Hall, Kim Boyce, Lisa Bevill, Pete Carlson, Rick Cua, and Brent Lamb. The song includes both honest confessions and
bold requests to God: “We’ve turned from Your ways/Lord, Your fruit we’ve
ceased to bear/We lack the power/We once knew in our prayer.../Revive us, oh
Lord (2X)/And cleanse us from our impurities/And make us holy/Hear our cry/And
revive us, oh Lord”.
‘A Little Bit More Conviction’ has a strong rock edge. My beef is that it puts a bit too much
emphasis on works for my liking: “Well, I saw me a Christian man with a
cigarette in his hand/He was smoking in front of children/Acting bad/He didn’t
care how it appeared/He didn’t show no godly fear/His witness could have been
more than it had.../Two sisters scantily dressed leaving nothing left to
guess/They go to a dancing club and drink some beer/While the parents watch
TV/The kids play in the street/What happened to the Bible and some
prayer?” Tom Hemby plays acoustic guitar
on ‘It Happened to Me’. It speaks of the
great difference Christ makes in our lives: “Now that Jesus lives inside of
me/And sees me through each day/I know Jesus lives inside of me/And answers
when I pray/Something marvelous has begun to rule my life/Yes, it’s love I
feel/Oh, it’s made my soul alive/Could it be?/Yes, it happened to me”. Keith Thomas co-wrote the energetic rock song
‘The Destination is There’ with Carman.
It sounds like something David Meece would have recorded. It encourages us to follow God’s leading and
purposes for our lives: “Don’t borrow someone else’s dream/Keep your own in
sight/For the vision that God gives you will keep you all your life/Your desire
is the confirmation the destination is there/God wouldn’t have put it in your
spirit if it wasn’t going nowhere/So set your sights on the promises and don’t
you be scared”.
‘Fear Not My Child’ is a tender ballad duet with Kim Boyce
in which God speaks lovingly to us, His children: “He said ‘My child, don’t
look behind/Discouragement is all you’ll find/Don’t watch the waves that roll
the sea/But just focus your eyes on Me/And I will make you strong and then/Your
shattered courage I will mend/And if you fall and should get hurt/Remember
these eternal words/Fear not My child/I’m with you always/I feel every pain and
every tear I see/Fear not My child/I’m with you always/I know how to care for
what belongs to Me’”. If we would heed
this advice from the easy listening ballad ‘Love Can’, our world would be a
better place with less quarrels: “God made everybody different, giving each a
special call/There are some talents that He gave to you/That He did not give to
me at all/We all see the same horizon and feel the teardrops of the
rain.../Love can bring our worlds together/Love can cause the boundaries to
fade/And love can help us like each other/And love the only you that God has
made”. Last up is Carman’s first #1
song, ‘The Champion’. It runs 8 minutes
and 39 seconds long. It is his truly
remarkable signature story song in which he uses humour, memorable one-liners,
and vocal distortions to good effect. It
centers in on the cosmic battle between Satan and Christ: “In the vast expanse
of a timeless place/Where silence ruled the outer space/Ominously towering it
stood/The symbol of a spirit war/Between the one named Lucifer/And the Morning
Star, the Ultimate of good.../Proclaim the news in every tongue/Through endless
ages and beyond/Let it be voiced from mountains loud and strong/Captivity has
been set free/Salvation bought for you and me/Cause Satan is defeated/And Jesus
is the Champion!”
Keith Thomas produced and arranged THE CHAMPION, while Lynn
Nichols executive produced it. This
album is proof positive that Carman is a unique artist within the world of
Contemporary Christian Music. His songs
are seldom boring. They are creative and
portray God as alive, well, and victorious over the enemy of our souls. They also encourage us to draw nearer to
God. Fans of 1980’s pop and rock music
need to add this one to their collection.
I’m rating THE CHAMPION 86%. For
more info visit: www.carman.org.