TRIMMED & BURNIN'

In 1990 two Christian music legends, Glenn Kaiser (Resurrection Band/Rez) and Darrell Mansfield joined together to release TRIMMED & BURNIN’ (Ocean/GRRR Records).  Kaiser writes in the liner notes: “Blues speaks to hurts, struggles, and desires in a powerful, emotionally passionate way.  In a time when the world is so full of turmoil, I am of the opinion that true Christians must learn to do the same.  Jesus did and does and He is ultimately my reason for living and singing”.  Kaiser sings, plays guitar, dobro, dulcimer, and a bit of harmonica (harp).  Mansfield sings, claps, stomps, and plays harmonica.  Rob Glickman plays dobro and guitar. 

First up is one of three Rev. Gary Davis compositions (1896-1972), ‘Great Change Since I’ve Been Born’.  Glenn sings and plays guitar on this spirited song of testimony: “Lies that I used to would tell, I don’t tell no more (2X).../People that I used to would hate, Lord, I don’t hate no more.../Been a great change, Lord, since I been born.../A new song been sung since I’ve been born”.  ‘Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burnin’’ is one of five Blind Willie Johnson compositions (1897-1945).  It’s a song of encouragement: “Brother, don’t get weary/Sister don’t get weary/Ever don’t get weary/For the work is almost done”.  ‘Shaky Ground’ is one of six penned by Glenn Kaiser.  Curt Bley plays upright bass.  It speaks of how we can be deceived: “I thought I’d been livin’ in the light of day/I thought I’d been redeemed/I prayed my prayers but I went my way/Livin’ just like I’d been/Standin’, standin’ on shaky ground”.

Darrell takes the lead on ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’, a song about taking responsibility: “Well, nobody’s fault but mine/Nobody’s fault but mine/If I don’t read my soul be lost/Nobody’s fault but mine/I have a Bible in my home (2X)/If I don’t read my soul be lost/Nobody’s fault but mine (2X)”.  The song has a definite twang!  ‘Go Tell Pharaoh’ is a fast paced number that draws from Exodus: “Go tell Pharaoh let my people go! (2X)/ I am the God of the Israelites, that I’ll surely show/Power in the water, power in the sky (2X)/Woe to those in Egypt/That’s the apple of my eye!”  ‘You Got to Move’ has simplistic lyrics: “You may be high, you may be low/You may be rich, child/You may be poor/But when the Lord gets ready/You gotta move”.

‘In the Light of the Morning Star’ anticipates heaven with joy: “The moon comes down/Shinin’ on the earth/It’s a wonderful thing to behold/But someday I know we have been foretold/We will walk on streets of gold”.  ‘Celestial Shore’ is a nice ballad on the same topic: “It won’t be long, but it’s for sure/Soon I’ll be walkin’ through that special door/There’ll be no more cryin’, fightin’, or war/When we gather together on that celestial shore/When we all come together (3X)/On that celestial shore”.  ‘Jesus is Comin’ Soon’ is upbeat musically and has bold lyrics: “God is warnin’ the nation/Warned us in every way/Turn away from the evil/Seek the Lord and pray/We been told/God has warned us/Jesus a comin’ soon”.

‘God Don’t Never Change’ speaks of His faithfulness: “God in creation/God when Adam fell/God way up in heaven/God way down in hell/He’s God/God don’t never change/Always will be God”.  ‘What You Did’ reminds us of the importance of our actions/deeds: “What you did for the least you did for Me/What you did for the least (3X)/You did for Me/You ask/When was this?/How could this be?/What you did for the least/Child, you did it to Me”.  Glenn and Darrell share vocal duties on ‘I Belong to the Band’, while Glenn plays guitar, and Darrell harp.  It is cheerful: “When I get to heaven gonna sit right down/Ask my Lord for my starry crown/I belong to the band, hallelu/Hallelu! Hallelujah!/I belong to the band/Hallelu (2X)”.

Rob Glickman plays the 12-String Slide Guitar on ‘You Got to Die’, which offers frank advice: “Sinner man, you just as well to get ready, you gotta die (2X)/Well, it may be today or tomorrow/Well, you can’t tell a minute or hour”.  ‘Cornerstone’ offers an acapella invitation: “He is the Cornerstone (3X)/Come under Him, the cornerstone/Come unto Him, the cornerstone/Come unto Him, the living stone/Rejected by men, the cornerstone/But chosen by God, Precious Stone”.  Last up is ‘We Shall See the King’ which offers hope: “There’s a blessed time/It’s comin’, comin’ soon/Maybe even  mornin’ night or noon/The wedding of the bride united with the groom/We shall see the King when He comes”.

TRIMMED & BURNIN’ is one of the finest CCM albums ever put out!  Both Kaiser and Mansfield are talented musicians and have raspy, seasoned voices.  This is a raw, stripped down, rootsy, passionate album of both fast and slow selections.  The most common topic is anticipating the joys and glory of Heaven and being with God-no more troubles in sight!  The second most common theme is how Christ changes our lives and the importance of having a personal relationship with Him and living for Him.  A third theme is the coming judgment.  I’m rating TRIMMED AND BURNIN’ (49 min, 50 sec) a perfect 100%.  For more info reach out to the artists on Facebook.

CRAWL TO CHINA

Tourniquet is a Christian metal band formed in the late 1980’s in California.  The band’s theme verse is Psalm 147:3 which states: “He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds”.  In 1990, STOP THE BLEEDING, their debut album was released.  Two of my favorite albums are PSYCHO SURGERY (1991) and VANISHING LESSONS (1994).  1997 saw them release CRAWL TO CHINA.  Here, I am reviewing the 2009 re-release of the album on Pathogenic Records.  At the time of the original release the band was: Ted Kirkpatrick (drums), Luke Easter (vocals), and Aaron Guerra (guitar and vocals).  The re-release was produced by Bill Metoyer and Tourniquet, with artwork by Rex Zachary.

‘White Knucklin’ the Rosary’ is a splendid rock track that comments on how many of us view prayer: “Don’t even try to tell me what prayer is for/My Genie in a bottle needs to give me some more/And when this mess is over I don’t need Him anymore/I’ll put my God back on temporary ignore.../White knucklin’ the rosary/I know my God by what He does for me/Open only in case of emergency/White knucklin’ the rosary”.  ‘Going, Going...Gone’ is pro-environment: “Is it greed or ignorance or is it both?/As the bulldozer trashes a thousand years growth/Clearcutting with a clear conscience/A burning desire to burn/If a tree falls and no one’s around/The wildlife still hear it crashing down”.

According to the liner notes: “Proprioception has to do with our sense of direction when we’re upside down-the sense a cat uses to land on its feet or a gymnast to perform a back flip”.  So, the next song is ‘Proprioception: The Line Knives Syndrome’.  Here are some of the lyrics to this metal track: “Like the feline that finds the floor on all fours/Is the house built on rock that the devil abhors/Build your house on sand to find/A cat with one life instead of nine/Proprioception/Balance correction/Innate sense gives direction”.  The title track, ‘Crawl to China’, was a #1 hit for the band.  It’s an awesome hard rock number about calling: “Is God asking you to crawl to China or just to cross the street?/To trudge through the desert through Arabian heat/Or to accomplish the impossible, an Herculean feat/Or maybe just trade in bad thoughts obsolete?”

‘If I Was There’ is a reverent easy listening ballad about Calvary: “As He marched up that hill I can picture Him still in my mind/All the blood and the sweat on His brow/As He passed me on by/I could see in His eyes/That His pain was a gift of His love/He was the sacrifice, the Lamb/And He is the great I AM/And He paid the price for me/The price for you and me, you and me”.  ‘Tire Kicking’ rocks hard and is about spiritual pride: “I know many verses and have studied many years/Can’t you see how holy my exterior appears?/Armor All on all 4 tires/You sure are looking good/But you will be bent out of joint if I lift up that hood”.

‘If Pigs Could Fly’ calls us to action: “But wait-on the horizon-land-land ho!/Will you sit there and pray or will you get up and row?/The next time you are quick to say/’I’m just waitin’ on the Lord’/Just make sure that you remember where we all have been before”.  ‘Stumblefoot’ reminds us we need God: “The consequence of diligence without Him will show all the dents/That’s why our eyes are always on the throne/What’s wrong with me?/What’s wrong with you?/How many times we’ve fallen through/The thin device of foolish thinking/All along our pride is sinking”.

‘Enveloped in Python’ is a strong metal track partly sung, partly spoken, and includes an Indian recorder solo.  It’s about sin’s grip: “The coiling is fast, this time it’s your last/Your soul asphyxiated/Final chance for escape terminated/Enveloped in python/Constriction complete”.  Next up is ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ based around Edgar Allan Poe’s short story first published in 1843.  The song reminds us our sins will find us out: “I thought I’d committed the perfect, fool-proof crime/I never knew how heavy this would weigh upon my mind/Things done in secret under cover of night/Have a funny way of being brought into the light”.

‘Bats’ is a fun sounding song musically and includes good theology: “The God Jehovah is not feathers, wood, or stone/The Word became flesh and ascended to the throne/He walked the earth like you and me/And dwelling in our hearts is where He wants to be (2X)”.  ‘Crank the Knife’ speaks of relationship tensions: “Distance makes my heart to fester in self-inflicted pain/If I can’t face the consequences of my actions/I’ll find somebody else to blame/I greet you with a brother’s kiss and crank the knife another...twist”.

Tim Gaines (of Stryper fame) plays bass on ‘Claustrospelunker’ which is a mix of metal and Tony Bennett like swing!  It asks good questions: “Are you afraid that where He takes you is a cold, dark, lonely place/Where it’s hard to find His face, hard to find His face/In a world that is not your own?”  ‘Imaginary Friend’ tells a story: “Sitting in a corner admiring the sunbeams/With an imaginary friend he frolics and plays/But he’s forgotten the only One who can take away the pain/Trading in what’s real for a figment/A cashed in life locked up in his brain/They don’t give diplomas from catatonic state”.

Two instrumentals close out the album.  Of ‘America’, the liner notes say: “We must remember that the Lord’s hand is powerful enough to bring peace to any land, if the people will only call on Him”.  The song makes use of banjo, guitars, and marching drums creatively.  Last up is ‘If I Was There’ which you could sing along to as a solo in church.

Fans of Deliverance and Skillet, as well as heavy metal and hard rock music, will enjoy this project!  It is executed with great precision and artistry musically.  The CD booklet of this re-issue includes Scripture verses, revealing liner notes, and pics of the band too.  Many themes are touched upon lyrically.  The importance of prayer and action in good and bad times, God’s calling on our lives and our trust in Him, environmental and wildlife concerns, Calvary, and sin’s dangerous and deadly nature are just some of the song topics.  I’m rating CRAWL TO CHINA an outstanding 97%.  For more info visit: www.tourniquet.net.

PIECE BY PIECE

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982.  Her debut album was 2003’s THANKFUL.  PIECE BY PIECE (2015, RCA/19) is her seventh studio album.  It was produced by Greg Kurstin, Jason Halbert, Jesse Chatkin, and Chris DeStefano.  In the liner notes of this Deluxe Edition I’m reviewing, Kelly writes: “Thank you to all of my fans reading this who have supported that 19 year-old girl who auditioned for ‘American Idol’ and have been with me ever since.  It’s been quite a ride and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

Starting things off is ‘Heartbeat Song’, the album’s lead single, penned by Kara DioGuardi, Jason Evigan, Audra Mae, and Mitch Allan.  It hit #1 on the Billboard US Dance Club Songs chart.  This energetic song includes these earthy lyrics: “You, where the hell did you come from?/You’re a different, a different kind of fun/And I’m so used to feeling numb/Now I’ve got pins and needles on my tongue/Anticipating what’s to come/Like a finger on a loaded gun/I can feel it rising/Temperature inside me/Haven’t felt it for a lifetime”.  Oliver Kraus plays violin, viola, and cello on ‘Invincible’, the second single.  It hit #2 on the same chart as its predecessor.  It’s  a song of great confidence: “Now I am invincible/No I ain’t  a scared little girl no more/Yeah, I’ m invincible/What was I running for?/I was hiding from the world/I was so afraid, I felt so unsure/But now I am invincible/And I’m a perfect storm/Now I am a warrior/A shooting star”.

‘Someone’ follows.  It’s an adult contemporary ballad addressed to a former lover: “I hope you will find/Someone to cry for/Someone to try for/Someone to turn your crooked roads into her streets/Someone to fight for/Someone to die for/Someone whose arms will hold you tight enough to be the reason you breathe/The reason you breathe”.  ‘Take You High’ uses an orchestra arranged and conducted by Joseph Trapanese.  It includes these cheesy lyrics: “When your angels fall out of the sky/I’ll be the wings that make you fly/When you come down/I’ll take you high/If I’m dreaming don’t roll over yet”.

Kelly and Greg Kurstin wrote the album’s third single and title track, ‘Piece by Piece’.  It peaked at #6 on the US Billboard Adult Top 40 and #6 on the Billboard Canada AC Chart.  It’s a moving autobiographical song: “Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me at six years old/And you know he never walks away/He never asks for money/He takes care of me/He loves me/Piece by piece he restored my faith/That a man can be kind and a father could/Stay”.  Jerry McPherson plays guitars on ‘Run Run Run’, a strong duet with John Legend.  It’s an emotional song: “Tell me how you closed the door knowin’ nobody could love you more/Tellin’ all your friends that this love was just made for bleedin’/Hung up underwater but still we keep on tryin’ to breathe in.../Our lust for fighting/Tied up in silence”.

Fred Martin and The Levite Camp sing backing vocals on ‘I Had a Dream’, a terrific adult pop song with a great message: “Remember that the footprints you’re leaving will tell us all who you really are/It’s too bad you can’t see what you’re worth/Spreading your legs ‘stead of using your words/Character is shown by the things that we do/The one thing you’re never gonna hide is the truth”.  Sia Furler and Greg Kurstin wrote ‘Let Your Tears Fall’, which offers comfort: “Watch a tear fall/Let them fall, fall and I’ll make the seas calm/Take you in my arms/You cry/Let your tears fall/It’s not a crime to fall apart sometimes/It’s not a crime/To ask why (2X)”.

‘Tightrope’ is a pretty ballad that finds Kelly being honest: “And maybe you and I will fall in time eventually/Maybe we’ll both die trying but I can’t bring myself to leave/Cause I’ve looked and I ain’t seen nothing like you/The way you light up every room tonight so easily/And I have moved mountains babe just to stumble into your good grace/And I, I still can’t compete/You’re on the tightrope”.  On ‘War Paint’ Jason Halbert and Eric Olson play keyboards and bass, while Aben Eubanks plays guitars.  This pop/rock song cries out for peace and intimacy: “Why in the hell do we fight on the front line/When we both know that we’re here on the same side?/We can be beautiful without the mistake of our war paint.../Hold me close and kiss my skin/Don’t be afraid, let me in/I’ll hold you close/And take your hand to my heart/Here I am”.

Dan Rockett wrote ‘Dance with Me’, while Nicole Hurst sings background vocals.  It’s all about having fun: “And when the music starts and the lights go down/We will all be found/No one’s fighting anyone/We’re all dancing on the ground/Come on and dance with me (2X)/Feel the music like a lover’s kiss/Feel the rhythm like a warm embrace/Come on and dance with me (2X)/I’m wide awake, yeah/It’s 4 AM and the room won’t stop/My heart is pounding, how your body rocks/My lips they quiver on your skin/Let’s take this dance and just breathe you in”.  ‘Nostalgic’ is a pop/dance number: “When I’m sleeping I still kiss your face/I can’t have it when I’m awake/Even though we lost it, I still get nostalgic/Even if we wanted/You can’t turn back the hands of time”.

The standard edition of the album ends with ‘Good Goes the Bye’ on which Tony Lucido plays bass.  It’s about a relationship ending: “Slam goes the door, hush goes the phone/Out goes the flame/And I’m standing here alone/Burn goes the drink/Down go the tears/Drip goes the sink/And I’m missing you like hell/Break goes the heart/Wrong goes the right/Good goes the bye”.  The Deluxe Edition of the album includes 3 Bonus Tracks.  ‘Bad Reputation’ is a funky R & B number that uses The Regiment Horns.  Many women will relate: “Well, I tell ‘em, tell ‘em yeah, you’re nothing to me/I tell ‘em that you’re just another/You’re just like any other/Well, I try to sell ‘em but they ain’t buying it/Baby, they see me start to stutter/When they ask if I’m your lover”.

‘In the Blue’ was written by Kelly, Jesse Shatkin, Anjulie Persaud, and Fransisca Hall.  It’s about longing: “I see your face in every stranger/Footsteps down the hall/Warm breath, back of my neck/Shadows on the wall/And your voice is loud as thunder, hey/I can hear it crashin’ in my head, yeah”.  One of the co-writers on ‘Second Wind’ is country’s Maren Morris.  Chris DeStefano plays pedal steel on this song that finds Kelly being direct: “You can hate me, underestimate me/Do what you do cause what you do don’t phase me/Just when you think I’m at the end/Any second I’m a-catch my second wind/Na, na, na, na/Na, na”.

The sixteen track Deluxe Edition of PIECE BY PIECE has eight ballads and eight faster paced songs, although I would have interspersed them more.  The most frequent theme for sure is relationships not working or not working out at all.  Second to this is the theme of personal strength and aspiring to greatness.  Unfortunately here, Kelly doesn’t tie those things to God.  There is one song about a happy relationship, one about partying, and the standout title track about the importance of being a good father and good husband.  The pics of Kelly in the booklet are modest and beautiful.  I’m rating this pop/dance album 88%.  It’s a good album, but not her best.  For more info connect with Kelly on Facebook.

JACI VELASQUEZ

Jacquelyn ‘Jaci’ Davette Velasquez was born on October 15, 1979 in Houston, Texas.  She released two independent albums and then put out her major label debut HEAVENLY PLACE in 1996.  It birthed five hit songs.  She won a Dove Award for ‘New Artist of the Year’.  Jaci’s second album was released in 1998.  It was self-titled, with a gorgeous picture of her on the front cover.  In 1999 and 2000 she won Doves for ‘Female Vocalist of the Year’.  In the liner notes Jaci thanks “All of the songwriters for such incredible songs, and all of the players.  You guys were incredible”.

Starting things off is one of four #1 hits from the album, ‘God So Loved’, written by Chris Eaton.  It was nominated for a Dove for ‘Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year’.  It shares the Gospel message: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son/That whosoever believes in Him/Will not perish but have everlasting life/I try so hard to find the words to say/To let you know how great is this God to whom I pray/Nothing can or ever will compare/To the peace that flows in your soul when He is living there”.  Jackie Street plays bass and Jaci and Michael Tait sing backing vocals on ‘Show You Love’, a soulful pop song about witnessing: “I won’t convince you with anything I say/But maybe you will see His love in how it is portrayed/An act of kindness, a loving sacrifice/Simple little things that have the power to change your life”.

‘Little Voice Inside’ is a ballad that finds Phil Madeira on the B-3 and uses the Nashville String Machine.  It’s about the Holy Spirit: “Little voice inside keeps calling/Little voice inside it cries/Little voice inside keeps calling/Little voice-oh won’t You be my guide?”  Michelle Tumes provides backing vocals on ‘You’.  She also wrote this ballad of testimony: “You make everything good/Everything wonderful/You grace my days and heaven fills my view/Let’s forever sing/You make everything pure/Everything beautiful/You make me see the only thing that’s true/It’s You who makes the waters of my sorrows part and leads the gladness into my heart”.

The third ballad in a row is ‘Look What Love Has Done’.  It finds Michelle Tumes on backing vocals and uses the Nashville String Machine.  This pretty song speaks of God’s transforming power: “Where once each breath was just a sigh of aching emptiness/Where once I hardly felt the beating in my chest/Now each breath feels like a precious kiss of life/Now inside me beat the wings of a thousand butterflies”.  Mark Heimermann sings backing vocals on ‘Child of Mine’, a pop song that finds God talking to a prodigal: “I know you so well and I can tell when you’ve been hiding something from Me/Just let it go/Let My love flow/Let it bring you release/I have come to breathe new life into the heart of a child of mine/I have come to give you peace/So lift your head and believe/You were made in a beautiful way/Born to be holy and sure of your faith/Something inside you has led you astray”.

Mark Heimermann and Toby McKeehan wrote ‘Speak for Me’, while Dan Needham plays drums on it.  It opens with words Moses could’ve uttered: “What have I to offer to a world in need?/Yet for some unknown reason You have chosen me/Lord, You’ve set my journey/You’ve prepared the way/Still I’m desperate for the words to say/All I am is willing/All I have is in Your hands”.  Next up is ‘Glory’, a pop song of positivity with Anointed on backing vocals: “I went for the horizon and I found the glory of Your love/I see the glory/There’s glory all around in the world/And glory has been found/It surrounds me/And opens my mind and heart”.

Dann Huff plays guitars on ‘Sweet Surrender’, a quiet love song to God: “And with a single leap of faith I’m fallin’ into Your loving arms/Showing no resistance/There’s a peace that flows over me/Sweet surrender/Love me tender/You have captured my desiring heart completely/Sweet surrender/Yours forever/I will gladly give my all to You/Receive me/Oh Lord, I am ever Yours”.  ‘Paper Tigers’ was penned by Heimermann, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and George Cocchini.  It’s a cool song that tackles fear: “They are only paper tigers following me/In the wild imagination of the make believe/And there’s a fighter, a survivor arising in me/I’m not afraid of paper tigers/Night brings creepy things and I hide away/False fears disappear in the light of day”.

Jaci and Melody Chambers sing backing vocals on ‘Made My World’, a happy pop/rock song about how God gives meaning to our lives: “I never thought of what I could be/Where I’d go/What I’d do/I never thought of what I should be/Until You/You came into my life/When I was all alone/You came down and saved my soul”.  Chris Eaton and David Velasquez wrote the closing track ‘Al Mundo Dios Amo’.  Chris Harris co-produced this splendid Spanish version of ‘God So Loved’ with Mark Heimermann.

JACI VELASQUEZ is a really good album of adult contemporary and light pop songs for the most part.  What a beautiful young lady she is and what a wonderful voice!  God’s love for us comes through clearly on this project.  There are praise and worship songs about God’s goodness and surrendering to Him.  Listening to the Holy Spirit and sharing God’s love with others are also stressed.  There’s a great song about overcoming fear.  Jaci would go on to star in the movie ‘Chasing Papi’ and to co-host a Christian radio show.  I’m rating JACI VELASQUEZ 91%.  For more info visit: www.jacivelasquez.com.

THE LONG FALL BACK TO EARTH

Jars of Clay put out their self-titled major label debut back in 1995.  Over the years they became one of CCM’s most creative bands, producing such songs as: ‘Flood’, ‘Crazy Times’, ‘I Need You’, and ‘Dead Man (Carry Me)’.  In 2009 the band released their ninth full length album, THE LONG FALL BACK TO EARTH (Gray Matters/Essential).  It was nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album’ and won the Dove for ‘Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year’.  It peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Albums chart and at #29 on the Billboard 200.  Jars of Clay is: Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matthew Odmark.

First up is ‘The Long Fall’, a beautiful instrumental shy of two and a half minutes.  It’s one of eleven songs penned solely by the band.  ‘Weapons’ is a pop/rock song that uses a choir comprised of the band, Ben Shive, and Joshua V. Smith.  It urges kindness: “Hallelujah, we can finally see/How the bitterness was bruising on our skin/We didn’t notice that grace had run so thin/Till we’re falling apart and the cracks in our hearts let the truth sink in/Lay your weapons down (2X)/There are no enemies in front of you”.

The album’s lead single, ‘Two Hands’, was nominated for a Dove for ‘Song of the Year’.  It’s one of three here written by the band, Jeremy Lutito, and Gabe Rushcival.  It’s one of my fave Jars of Clay pop songs!  I love these words: “I have a broken disposition/I’m a liar who thirsts for the truth/And while I ache for faith to hold me/I need to feel the scars and see the proof/I use one hand to pull you closer/The other to push you away/If I had two hands doing the same thing/Lifted high, lifted high”.  The album’s second single is ‘Heaven’.  Here’s the chorus to this rock song: “And find, glowing on the inside/Heaven’s not that far/Glowing on the inside/Showing on the inside/It’s growing where we are”.

‘Closer’ is a cool love song: “I’ll drop out of the race for more personal space/Cause the rockets we’re in get so cold and I miss your skin/It’s just how I’m feeling/If you need more love, well you’ve gotta get close to me/If you want my love, well you’ve gotta get closer to me/No unreachable itch, if you hemorrhage I’ll stitch/You are tears, I’m a cheek/I’m a pail on your boat with slow leaks/Out to sea for weeks”.  ‘Safe to Land’ is a wonderful ballad about relationships: “I’m coming home, I’m waking you up/In the middle of the night, I’m not giving up/I’m gonna stay till we make it work/We’re not going down even if it gets worse/We’ll work it out/Yeah, we’ll work it out/I need your light/Guide me in/Is it safe?”

Katie Herzig contributes vocals on the next two songs.  ‘Headphones’ is a sad commentary on society: “I don’t have to hear it if I don’t want to/I can drown this out, pull the curtains down on you/It’s a heavy world, it’s too much for me to care/If I close my eyes, it’s not there/With my headphones on (4X).../I take in the war-fires and I’m chilled by the current events/It’s so hopeless, but there’s a pop song in my/Headphones on”.  ‘Don’t Stop’ is a terrific sounding 80’s pop number.  It includes these words: “My recurring dream of you/Starlight in your eyes and music everywhere/I am dancing close to you/There are no days or nights we’ve left behind”.

‘Boys (Lesson One)’ is a touching song from father to son: “Lesson one-do not hide/Lesson two-there are right ways to fight/And if you have questions we can talk through the night/So you know who you are/And you know what you want/I’ve been where you’re going/And it’s not that far/It’s too far to walk/But you don’t have to run/You’ll get there in time/Lesson three-you’re not alone”.  ‘Hero’ acknowledges spiritual need: “We need a hero to save us from ourselves/Save us from ourselves/Save us from our fear/When the sirens wail we need a hero here!/We hide on our knees in silence/Maybe God doesn’t hear at all/And the wait overtakes the violence/And we watch as the giants fall/We’re not gonna let it end this way”.

Next up is ‘Scenic Route’, a nice pop song.  I like these lyrics: “We’re just sitting like novels we’ve picked up but never read through/You think you know my ending/i think I know yours too/You see, nowhere in these conversations is there anything new/Even though we know the sun will rise/Every ray of light still takes us by, by surprise”.  ‘There Might Be a Light’, a song of romantic longing, is next: “There is no delusion/To you I don’t exist/I am only shadow/Only a ghost can wait as long as I have for this/And I, I can’t wait much longer/Cause there might be a light/Somewhere in your mind/When you think of you and I/I know there will be a light/It might not burn very strong/But I know it’s coming on”.

‘Forgive Me’ is addressed to one’s partner: “For every town there is a crier, like a thief in every choir/And when I think of the mistakes I’ve made/All my transgressions on a big parade/As far as the eye can see/As deep as the heart can be/Such an impossibility that you would forgive me/Forgive me”.  Last up, on this standard edition of the album is ‘Heart’, which almost runs six minutes long.  It’s a light pop song with these nice thoughts: “One flag left to burn, one country to fall/One soul to pour out, one love to catch all/No walls to defend, wars to align/Give me your heart, you already have mine/No mountains to climb, papers to sign/Offer your heart/I’ve given you mine”.

THE LONG FALL BACK TO EARTH is an artistic success and a real treat for the ears.  It`s alternative adult pop/rock music accompanied by Dan Haseltine’s stellar vocals.  Songs about spiritual themes and spiritual growth are equal in number to those about male-female relationships.  Other themes covered are: isolation, loving our fellow man, and the relationship between fathers and sons.  There are so many terrific songs here!  It’s one of my favorite Jars of Clay albums.  I’m rating it 100%!  For more info visit: www.jarsofclay.com

STRONGER

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas.  She won the inaugural season of ‘American Idol’ in 2002.  Her first four albums were: THANKFUL (2003), BREAKAWAY (2004), MY DECEMBER (2007), and ALL I EVER WANTED (2009).  Here, I will be reviewing her fifth studio album, STRONGER (2011, RCA-19).  It peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’.  In the liner notes Kelly quotes Leo Tolstoy: “If a man lives, then he must live for something”.  She adds: “I live for love and music”.

‘Mr. Know It All’ was the album’s first song and lead single.  It was written by Brian Seals, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones.  It hit #1 on the US Billboard Adult Top 40.  This light pop song puts a guy in his place: “You ain’t got the right to tell me when and where to go/No right to tell me, acting like you own me lately/Yeah, baby/You don’t know a thing about/You don’t know a thing about me/Mr. Play your games/Only got yourself to blame/When you want me back again/But I ain’t falling back again/Cause I’m living my truth without your lies”.  ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’ was the album’s second single.  It garnered three Grammy nominations.  It was a #1 hit on several charts including the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 and the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.  It also hit #1 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Denmark.  These lyrics from it are ones of inner strength: “Think you left me broken down/Think that I’d come running back/Baby, you don’t know me, cause you’re dead wrong/What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger/Stand a little taller/Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone/What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter/Footsteps even lighter/Doesn’t mean I’m over cause you’re gone/What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, stronger/Just me, myself, and I”.  ‘Dark Side’ was the album’s third and last single.  It was penned by busbee and Alexander Geringas.  It also hit #1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.  It’s about wanting to be accepted where one is at: “Everybody’s got a dark side/Do you love me?/Can you love mine?/Nobody’s a picture perfect/But we’re worth it/You know that we’re worth it/Will you love me?/Even with my dark side?.../So, don’t give up on me/Please remind me who I really am”.

‘Honestly’ includes these interesting lyrics: “All I see are Stepford-like lives/Needles and knives/Beautiful lies/Bringing out the green in your eyes/A perfect disguise for envy and pride/Face me/Make me listen to the truth/Even if it breaks me/You can judge me, love me/If you’re hating me, do it honestly”.  On ‘You Love Me’ Kelly is straight up with a guy: “You say/I’m not good enough (2X)/But what you really mean is/You’re not good enough (2X)/You can’t deliver/So you turn it around”.  It’s a great dance song.

Toby Gad, Bridget Kelly, James Fauntleroy, and Kelly wrote ‘Einstein’, a great rock song that tells a guy off: “Didn’t get it the first time/But don’t think I’ve been so blind/And I may not be Einstein/But I know/Dumb plus dumb equals you (3X)/Even had the nerve to flirt with her in front of my face/Here’s your keys, your bags, your clothes and now get out of my place/You say I’m crazy and that we’re happy/Is that supposed to comfort me?”  ‘Standing in Front of You’ is a nice ballad featuring The Love Sponge String Quartet.  Chris Rodriguez, Aben Eubanks, and Jerry McPherson play guitars.  It includes these words of encouragement: “Take a breath and listen/Open up, stop wishin’/All that you’ve been missin’/Standing in front of you/Everything you’re fearin’/All the walls you’re buildin’/Take a chance/Your reason?/Standing in front of you.../And they won’t break us and they can’t get through/Cause I’m gonna be here/Standing in front of you”.

Rodney Jerkins, Andre Lindal, and Lauren Christy wrote ‘I Forgive You’, a pop/rocker about letting go of grudges: “I forgive you/We were just a couple of kids/Trying to figure out how to live/Doing it our way/No shame, no blame/Cause the damage is done/And I forgive you/I forgive you/We were busy living the dream/Never noticed the glass ceiling falling on us/No shame, no blame/Cause the damage is done/And I forgive you”.  ‘Hello’ is about loneliness: “Sentimental feelings never get me anywhere/My heart continues beating/Is there anybody, anybody?/Hello, hello/Is anybody listening?/Let go!/As everyone lets go of me/Oh, oh/Won’t somebody show me that I’m not alone, not alone”.

Toby Gad and Olivia Waithe wrote the adult contemporary number ‘The War is Over’.  Kelly is very confident on this one: “All I have to say is/You don’t deserve me (2X)/I’m finally walking away/Cause you don’t deserve me and you’re not worthy/And I won’t let you pull me in/Because I know you’re gonna win/But the war is over/And I won’t fight you anymore/I’ve never been so sure/Cause the war is over.../I’m finally walking away/Cause you’ll only hurt me”.  ‘Let Me Down’ finds Kelly and Chris DeStefano on backing vocals.  It’s about disappointment: “You’re only gonna let me down/When it counts, you countdown/You’re only gonna turn me out/As I burn, you burn out/You’re only gonna make me feel so crazy/But when I think we could be something/You go and let me down, let me down, oh”.

‘You Can’t Win’ is an energetic pop/rocker with down to earth words: “If you go, they’ll say you’re following/If you don’t, then you’re too good for them.../If you’re thin, call it a walkin’ disease/If you’re not, they’re all screamin’ obese.../If you speak, you’ll only piss them off/If you don’t, you’re another robot.../You can’t win, no”.  Last up is the Jennifer Hanson/Michael Logen penned ‘Breaking Your Own Heart’.  Strings are arranged by Deborah Lurie, Phil X plays guitar, and Dann Huff provides a guitar solo.  The song offers these thoughts: “Too many tears, too many falls/It’s easier here behind these walls/But you don’t have to walk in the shadows/When life is so hard/You’re breaking your own heart/Taking it too far down a lonely road”.

Kelly Clarkson is one of the best female vocalists in mainstream music today.  STRONGER is an album many teen girls and young adult ladies will be able to connect with.  Several of the songs speak about guys not willing to invest in or commit wholeheartedly to a romantic relationship.  Girls and women longing for a man to love them completely will enjoy these songs.  There’s also a couple songs of encouragement and one about forgiveness.  I wouldn’t say Kelly comes across as bitter, just realistic, on this pop/rock/dance album, which I’m rating 94%.  For more info connect with Kelly on twitter or facebook.

VOX HUMANA

The Christian rock band Daniel Amos formed the year of my birth, 1974, so it was a very good year.  They recorded their first song, ‘Ain’t Gonna Fight It’ for the Maranatha! Label in 1975.  The next year they released their self-titled debut album.  It and 1977’s SHOTGUN ANGEL were country rock in nature.  Their third project, HORRENDOUS DISC, was eventually released by Larry Norman’s Solid Rock Records in 1981.  By then Daniel Amos had left their country sounds behind.  Between 1981 and 1986 the band released four records known as the Alarma! Chronicles.  Here, I will be reviewing a 2 disc deluxe edition of the third in that series, VOX HUMANA (Latin for ‘human voice’).  The original 12 song album was put out by Refuge Records in 1984.  This deluxe edition came out in 2016 on Stunt Records.  The group’s roster on VOX HUMANA is: Terry Taylor (lead vocals, rhythm guitars, occasional keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals), Ed McTaggart (drums, percussion, synthesizers), Rob Watson (keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals), Tim Chandler (lead guitars, 4 & 12 string bass, synthesizers, backing vocals), and Greg Flesch (lead guitars).  Terry Taylor wrote all the songs and he produced the album with Rob Watson.

‘Travelog’ is a new wave pop/rock song about life being a journey: “This river channels out to my private shore/My boat’s a magic couch on remote control/Confused, I now consult my jungle guide/Departure times, best bets/And four stars that shine/As I bask in the blue light/Of my/Travelog”.  ‘(It’s the Eighties, So Where’s Our) Rocket Packs’ is a fun, quirky, sarcastic track: “I thought by now I’d walk the moon/And ride a car without no tires/And have a robot run the vacuum/And date a girl made out of wires.../I thought by now we’d live in space/And eat a pill instead of dinner/And wear a gas mask on our face/A president of female gender”.

‘Home Permanent’ is a tropical sounding pop ballad about heaven mostly: “My hair points to the sky/The place I want to be”, but my favorite lyrics here are: “I gave a toy top to my little brother/It says to SPIN FROM SIN/And to my mother/I gave a recipe book/It’s like no other/Now she makes chocolate Bibles/A witness to my unsaved father”.  ‘It’s Sick’ is a fast-paced song about desensitization: “Hey!/We cannot sense, we cannot know/What they’re going through over there/Bodies dropping in the snow/Russians marching everywhere/It’s history that cannot be felt by tiny souls.../It’s sick and I got it on my TV/It’s sick when I don’t feel a thing”.

Next up is ‘William Blake’.  According to Wikipedia he “was an English poet, painter, and printmaker”.  He lived from 1757-1827.  This slow song includes these words: “Sleep, William Blake/All is well/There’s a marriage up in heaven tonight/There’s a fire in hell/You were not mad/I know time will tell/William Blake”.  ‘Dance Stop’ is one of two songs Tim Chandler helped lead vocalist Terry Taylor arrange.  It’s a harmless song to bust your moves to.

‘Live and Let Live’ is a pop song with an Eastern sound to it.  On it, the band confirms their desire for something more than other religions can offer: “I’m longing for a land not assigned to me by birth/I’m holding close to me/Life amid the curse (2X).../Longing for another world/Crying for your tenderness”.  ‘When Worlds Collide’ is a melodic ballad about human love: “Stay my love/Here in my arms/Let me say ‘I love you’/Then sleep awhile/Dream your dreams/Soon I will take you/Far away/From where the night threatens the day/And worlds collide/I’m on your side/When worlds collide/I’m on your side”.

‘As the World Turns’ is a cheery sounding pop song, but speaks of the difficulties of being a Christian: “And I never get comfort in the earth or the sky/It’s my belief they’re not my home/The world spins one way/But I go another/Against the grain/One often stands alone/As the world turns it slaps me hard/As the world turns it tells me I’m weak/As the world turns I drop my guard/As the world turns/I turn the other cheek/I sing, hey oh, slaps me hard.../I put it all together in the exercise yard”.  ‘She’s all Heart’ is about an unsatisfying male-female relationship: “My longing/Not to be a god or hero/But to be a tree that grows for ages/Hurting no one/When I told her this/She could not see at all/She’s all heart I know/She’s all heart and souls that never touch/Never know how very much they are one heart”.

‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’ is a bouncy pop song with these interesting thoughts: “The clergy dresses you in tights and cape/And so the pressure’s on to make no mistake/In truth, there is no way that you won’t break/You’re gonna fall/You’re much too small/From wells of power, you take a drink/You drown in it/It’s bigger than you think/A world accountable/Among the stars a grain of sand/You’re incredible/Incredible shrinking man”.  ‘Sanctuary’ is a mesmerizing rock ballad that runs almost six minutes long.  It’s one of Daniel Amos’ best songs.  It’s a song of divine comfort and refuge: “Hush little baby, don’t you cry/Your daddy’s here/So brush the tears out of your eyes/Brush them from your eyes/From your eyes (3X)/And should you find you have the things you need/Remember, remember/Me/And should the moon burn red/Stars leave the sky/Remember, remember/Your sanctuary”.

VOX HUMANA is one of my favourite Daniel Amos records.  It has 1980’s alternative pop/rock written all over it, with a nice mix of faster and slower songs presented.  Lyrically, Terry Taylor’s brilliance shines on this album.  He offers great commentary on the state of this world, using wit and sarcasm, but he also touches the heart by expressing both a need for human love and a need to connect with the Heavenly Father and our eternal home in heaven.  While Jesus and God are not mentioned by name, believers and many seekers will know who Taylor is pointing to.  I’m rating VOX HUMANA 100%.

The second disc of this bonus edition of the album begins with three demos written and performed by Taylor and Rob Watson in 1984.  ‘I Can’t Resist You’ is a pop song about a guy smitten with a gal: “How do you do it?/How come I’m hooked?/A strange fascination/A word is all it took/I can’t resist you.../You’re a magnet/I am drawn to you”.  ‘The Man that Can’t Be Mentioned’ includes these lyrics: “I cannot face the matter/It’s too soon, maybe later/Oh, I know you’ve gotten over your past love, girl/I remember how he held you.../Please don’t talk about him now”.  Next is ‘Do Anything for You’, about a man tragically obsessed with a lady.  The other fourteen tracks are alternate takes of songs on VOX HUMANA.  Highlights for me include an acoustic mix of ‘Travelog’, a rhythm mix of ‘It’s Sick’, a solo acoustic version of ‘When Worlds Collide’ by Terry Scott Taylor, and a live performance of ‘Sanctuary’ from Flevo Festival in 1985.  Disc 2 runs just over 68 minutes long.  I’m rating it 85%.  This collector’s edition of VOX HUMANA comes with several cool pics of the band and extensive liner notes.  For more info visit: www.danielamos.com.

ADIOS

Glen Travis Campbell was born on April 22, 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas.  According to Wikipedia he’s released 60 studio albums and seven live albums!  His debut album was 1962’s BIG BLUEGRASS SPECIAL with the Green River Boys.  Campbell has had over 80 singles reach the charts.  Over the years he’s been known for such songs as: ‘Gentle on My Mind’, ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’, ‘Wichita Lineman’, ‘Galveston’, ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’, and ‘Southern Nights’.  What I will be reviewing here is Glen’s 64^th and final studio album ADIOS (2017, Universal Music Enterprises).  It was recorded around five years ago, after it was revealed that he had Alzheimer’s.  The album, produced by Carl Jackson, is Campbell’s sixteenth Top 40 album.  It debuted at #7 on the Top Country Albums chart and peaked at #40 on the Billboard 200.  Collectors will love the album’s liner notes written by Glen’s wife Kim, and his longtime banjo player, Carl Jackson.

The album opens with ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’ written by Fred Neil.  It was the theme song for the movie ‘Midnight Cowboy’, and in 1969 Harry Nilsson had a hit with it.  Glen’s daughter Ashley plays banjo on this easy listening tune with appropriate lyrics given Glen’s current condition: “Everybody’s talkin’ at me/I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’/Only the echoes of my mind/People stoppin’, starin’/I can’t see their faces/Only the shadows of their eyes/I’m going where the sun keeps shinin’/Through the pouring rain/Going where the weather suits my clothes”.  ‘Just Like Always’ is one of four songs on the album that are Jimmy Webb written.  Catherine Marx plays piano on this country ballad of romantic longing: “I pass your street/I look both ways, so incomplete/And I think that I might see you/But of course, I don’t/And I wish that you would call me, but I know you won’t/And I love you anyway/Just like always”.

Aubrey Haynie plays fiddle on Willie Nelson’s ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’.  It’s a soft ballad duet by Glen and Willie, on which Willie plays gut string guitar.  These lyrics confront an ex: “How’s your new love?/I hope that he’s doin’ fine/And I heard you told him/That you’d love him ‘til the end of time/That’s the same thing that you told me/It seems like only yesterday/Gee, ain’t it funny how time just slips away”.  Carl Jackson wrote ‘Arkansas Farmboy’ and provides harmony vocals on this sentimental country ballad: “Oh the weeds have grown high on the farm back in Dixie/Where cotton and corn used to grow/And the memories run wild in this Arkansas farmboy/Who’d give all he owns just to go/I recall how granddaddy held me and taught me/The melody to ‘In the Pines’/On a five-dollar guitar that led to a fortune/I’d trade just to go back in time”.

Track five is a short snippet performed by the late Roger Miller: “Have I lost your love or have I lost my mind?/Am I seeing things or am I goin’ blind?/Do I hear you cryin’ softly in your sleep?/Am I all alone or is it only me?”  On track six Glen and Vince Gill flesh out that song, entitled ‘Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me)’.  It’s full of questions about one’s relationship: “Is it my imagination every time?/Is it jealousy that rules this heart of mine?/Has it come to pass or has it come to be?/Am I all alone or is it only me?/Or is it just a crazy phase that we’re going through?/Is it cold in here or is it you?/Do I hear you crying softly in your sleep?/Am I all alone or is it only me?”

Mike Johnson plays steel guitar on ‘It Won’t Bring Her Back’, a country ballad that offers advice to a heartbroken fella: “You gotta get a grip on it mister/This is not the remedy/And it won’t bring her back, and it won’t stop the pain/And it won’t make you feel any better soon/You keep drinkin’ that old jack/You’re gonna end up under a train/You can lay down on the railroad track/But it won’t bring your baby back/It won’t bring her back”.  Next up is Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right’, which has an upbeat shuffle to it here.  It’s about a guy leaving a gal: “I’m headed down that long, lonesome road, babe/Where I’m bound, I can’t tell/But adios is just too good of a word, gal/So, I’ll just say ‘Fare thee well’/I don’t mean to tell ya that you’ve been unkind/But you’ve been wastin’ all my valuable time/Now you’re the reason this ol’ boy don’t toe the line/Baby, don’t think twice/It’s all right”.

Glen first recorded Dickey Lee’s ‘She Still Thinks I Care’ on his 1972 GLEN TRAVIS CAMPBELL.  On this new version, Tony Creasman plays drums and Kevin Grantt plays bass.  It’s a great country and western number with down to earth lyrics: “Just because I asked a friend about her/Just because I spoke her name somewhere/Just because I saw her then went all to pieces/She thinks I still care/Yes, she thinks I still care”.  ‘Postcard from Paris’ is another sentimental song: “And I wish you were here/When the shadows fall and all the rushing traffic stills/I wish you were here/And the bells are ringing on the seven hills/I make my way to a small cafe/I wonder what you did today/I wish you were here”.  Glen and Kim’s daughters (Ashley, Cal, Shannon) and Carl Jackson do a great job on backing vocals!

Jerry Reed Hubbard wrote ‘A Thing Called Love’.  Carl Jackson sings tenor, Ashley sings high baritone, and Glen takes the lead.  It reflects on the opposite of hate: “Can’t see it with your eyes, hold it in your hand/But like the wind that covers our land/Strong enough to rule the heart of any man/This thing called love/It can lift you up, it can let you down/Take your world and turn it all around/Ever since time nothing’s ever been found stronger than love”.  Last up is the title track, Jimmy Webb’s ‘Adios’.  This easy listening tune is a fitting conclusion to Glen’s storied career: “We never really made it baby/But we came pretty close/Adios, adios.../Our dreams of endless summers, they were just too grandiose/Adios, adios/And I’ll miss the blood red sunset/But I’ll miss you the most/Adios, adios”.

I’ll be straight up with you. ADIOS will appeal mostly to the forty and over crowd.  It’s mainly comprised of country and easy listening ballads, with a few exceptions.  Glen’s voice was actually in fine form for these last recordings of his.  Those who will relate most to this album lyrically are those with unfulfilled romantic longings, those who are experiencing heartbreak and heartache, and those who are lonely.  On a couple of songs Glen does point out there are better days ahead, so all is not gloomy.  Hopefully ADIOS, which I’m rating 90%, will spur others including myself to pick up some of Glen’s classic recordings.  If you like Randy Travis, buy this album.  For more info visit: www.glencampbell.com and www.universalmusicenterprises.com.

TIME

Third Day released their self-titled debut in 1996 on Reunion Records.  ‘Nothing at All’ from that project hit #34 on the Billboard rock charts.  In 1997 they put out CONSPIRACY NO. 5.  It was nominated for a 1998 Grammy for ‘Best Rock Gospel Album of the Year’ and won a Dove Award for ‘Rock Album of the Year’.  One of its tracks, ‘Alien’, also won a Dove for ‘Rock Song of the Year’.  In 1999 Third Day released their third studio album TIME (Essential).  Monroe Jones is the album’s main producer.  On two songs Jim Dineen is a co-producer.

Starting things off is ‘I’ve Always Loved You’.  It’s a light country/rock number with Buck Reid on steel guitar.  On it God calls out to us: “Don’t you know I’ve always loved you/Even before there was time?/Though you turn away/I’ll tell you still/Don’t you know I’ve always loved you and I always will?”  Jim Spake and Scott Thompson play horns on ‘Believe’, a Southern rocker addressed to the unsaved: “Always looking for a sign/Miracles won’t change your mind/Tell me how much evidence you need/Turning truth into a lie/Hardened hearts and blinded eyes/All you need to do is just believe”.

Scotty Wilbanks plays Hammond B-3 and Alfredo Gerald and Tabitha Fair provide backing vocals on ‘Took my Place’, a short gospel music influenced rocker.  It’s a song of testimony: “Chained like a prisoner from the day I was born/Blamed like a criminal for the things that I’d done/Then along came from out of nowhere/Precious as the light of day/You gave me something no one could take away/When You took my place”.  ‘Never Bow Down’ is about devotion to one’s Christian faith and includes a great electric guitar solo: “And everyone from everywhere/Will show you their allegiance/But the child of God will faithfully stand tall/I will never bow down/Though I know I will be saved from the fire/I will never compromise/All that I have and everything I hold”.

‘Your Love Oh Lord (Psalm 36)’ is now a modern worship classic.  Third Day included a live version of it on 2000’s OFFERINGS: A WORSHIP ALBUM.  The song begins with these words: “Your love, oh Lord/Reaches to the heavens/Your faithfulness stretches to the skies/And your righteousness is like the mighty mountain, yeah/Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide”.  Monroe Jones plays piano on ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’, which offers advice: “Chasing lies can find you tired and jaded/And in your world the colors have all faded/If you think that you can find a place to get away from the pain/You’re looking for nothing/And I hate to see you leave without a fight/Time will open doors for you/Wishes spent make dreams come true/I promise I’ll be there/Don’t say goodbye”.

‘What Good’ is a Southern rocker that speaks out against materialism: “Rich young man, you think you can make it through the world on the things you’ve got/I’ll tell you, I know it’s true/You can’t get to heaven on things you’ve bought, no/They’re going to leave you/They’re going to fade away/What good is it a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”  ‘Can’t Take the Pain’ is a great ballad from Peter’s perspective: “I can’t take the pain of knowing that I left You/I can’t bear the shame of knowing I was wrong/But I’ll take the blame for everything that I’ve done/I can’t take the pain of leaving You alone, of leaving You alone/I was there when they accused You, but I guess I was too afraid/Not just once and not just twice/But three times I denied Your Name”.

‘Sky Falls Down’ includes background vocals by Michael Mellett and percussion by Blaine Barcus.  It’s about being bound for gloryland: “Sky falls down, it crumbles into the sea/The sun goes out/He’s coming back for me/I’ll be found at the place/Where the gravity leaves the ground/I won’t be comin’ down”.  ‘Give’ includes these words which I really like: “How great the love lavished on us all/That we can be the children of God/All I want is love/I confess to this/I will take it, Lord/All You have to give”.  It’s a lengthy track at over eight minutes long.

On TIME Third Day is: Mac Powell (vocals, acoustic guitar), Mark Lee (guitars), Brad Avery (guitars), Tai Anderson (bass), and David Carr (drums, percussion).  I wouldn’t say this is the band’s most popular album, but it is certainly one of their best.  Musically, there’s pretty much an even mix of rockers and adult contemporary ballads.  Third Day urges folks to believe in God and stresses devotion and faithfulness to one’s Christian faith.  The love God has for us His children, and Christ’s redeeming work for us is presented.  There’s also a good song about Christ’s return.  Fans of Kutless and Jeremy Camp will enjoy this Christian rock album which I’m rating 100%.  For more info visit: www.thirdday.com.

LUCKY TOWN

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey.  He released his debut album, GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J., in 1973.  It was his seventh studio album BORN IN THE U.S.A. (1984) that really resonated with me as a kid with its awesome title track, and other songs including ‘Glory Days, and ‘I’m on Fire’.  Fast forward to 1992 and he released two studio albums via Columbia Records on my birthday, March 31^st. They were his ninth and tenth and entitled HUMAN TOUCH and LUCKY TOWN.  Here I’m reviewing the second one.  It peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200.  The album was produced by Bruce, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and includes additional production by Roy Bittan.

‘Better Days’ is a mid-tempo rock song on which Randy Jackson (who would go on to be a judge on ‘American Idol’) plays bass.  The song tells this story: “Well, I took a piss at fortune’s sweet kiss/It’s like eatin’ caviar and dirt/It’s a sad, funny ending to find yourself pretending/A rich man in a poor man’s shirt/Now my ass was draggin’ when from a passin’ gypsy wagon/Your heart like a diamond shone/Tonight I’m layin’ in your arms carvin’ lucky charms/Out of these hard luck bones/These are better days baby/These are better days it’s true/These are better days/There’s better days shining through”.  The title track, ‘Lucky Town’, is a melodic one of determination: “Well, here’s to your good looks baby/Now here’s to my health/Here’s to the loaded places that we take ourselves/When it comes to luck you make your own/Tonight I got dirt on my hands but I’m building me a new home/Baby, down in lucky town/Down in lucky town/I’m gonna lose these blues I’ve found/Down in Lucky Town”.

Lisa Lowell, Patti Scialfa, and Soozie Tyrell sing backing vocals on ‘Local Hero’ which includes these interesting words: “Well, I learned my job/I learned it well/Fit myself with religion and a story to tell/First they made me the king/Then they made me Pope/Then they brought the rope/I woke to a gypsy girl sayin’ ‘Drink this’/Well, my hands had lost all sensation”.  ‘If I Should Fall Behind’ is a short, beautiful ballad about commitment: “Now there’s a beautiful river in the valley ahead/There ‘neath the oak’s bough soon we will be wed/Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees/I’ll wait for you/And should I fall behind wait for me”.

Roy Bittan plays keyboards on ‘Leap of Faith’, a gospel music influenced light rock song.  These words from it might make some blush: “Now your legs were heaven, your breasts were the altar/Your body was the holy land/You shouted ‘Jump’ but my heart faltered/You laughed and said ‘Baby, don’t you understand?’/It takes a leap of faith to get things going/It takes a leap of faith, you gotta show some guts/It takes a leap of faith to get things going/In your heart you must trust”.  ‘The Big Muddy’ serves as a warning: “Billy had a mistress down on A and 12^th/She was that little somethin’ that he did for himself/His own little secret didn’t hurt nobody/Come the afternoon he’d take her wadin’/Waist deep in the big muddy (2X)/You start out standing but end up crawlin’”.

Next up is ‘Living Proof’ which opens with these wonderful words about a baby being born: “Well now, on a summer night in a dusky room/Come a little piece of the Lord’s undying light/Crying like he swallowed the fiery moon/In his mother’s arms it was all the beauty I could take/Like the missing words to some prayer that I could never make/In a world so hard and dirty, so fouled and confused/Searching for a little bit of God’s mercy/I found living proof”.  ‘Book of Dreams’ is an easy listening number that includes these intimate lyrics: “In the darkness my fingers slip across your skin/I feel your sweet reply/The room fades away and suddenly  I’m way up high/Just holdin’ you to me/As through the window the moonlight streams/Oh, won’t you baby be in my book of dreams?”.

‘Souls of the Departed’ is an adult rock song full of meaning: “On the road to Basra stood young Lieutenant Jimmy Bly/Detailed to go through the clothes of the soldiers who died/At night in dreams he sees their souls rise/Like dark geese into the Oklahoma skies/Well, this is a prayer for the souls of the departed/Those who’ve gone and left their babies broken hearted/This is a prayer for the souls of the departed”.  Closing things out is ‘My Beautiful Reward’, which speaks of life’s ups and downs: “Well, your hair shone in the sun/I was so high/I was the lucky one/Then I came crashing down like a drunk on a barroom floor/Searching for my beautiful reward”.  Ian McLagen plays the Hammond organ.

LUCKY TOWN is a roots rock album.  You won’t really find stadium rock anthems here such as the song ‘Born in the U.S.A.’.  When the songs do rock here, it is in a more laid back fashion.  Four of the ten tracks are what you would call mellow.  Bruce’s vocals are gravelly sounding which is a good thing here.  There are happy love songs, songs about having a good time or longing for better times, and selections about blue collar life in small towns.  While not Bruce’s most dazzling album, LUCKY TOWN is a solid rock effort and it is worthy of several listens.  I’m rating it 95%.  For more info visit: www.brucespringsteen.net.

DIGNITY

Hilary Erhard Duff was born on September 28, 1987 in Houston, Texas.  She played the lead character in the Disney Channel series ‘Lizzie McGuire’ from 2001-2004.  She currently stars in the comedy-drama series ‘Younger’.  Her first three studio albums were: SANTA CLAUS LANE (2002), METAMORPHOSIS (2003), and HILARY DUFF (2004).  Fast forward to 2007 and she released her fourth studio album, DIGNITY (Hollywood Records).  It debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200.  Here, I am reviewing the standard 14 track version of the album.  In the liner notes Hilary writes: “This is the first time I have written a record completely based on how I was feeling on any particular day.  Good mood, bad mood, sad, happy, playful, funny, lonely, stressed out, or really calm and peaceful.  It’s all there!!”  She adds: “Most importantly, I want to thank God for loving me, guiding me, and giving me all of the blessings that I have”.

Starting things off is the album’s third single, ‘Stranger’.  It hit #1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and was written by Hilary, Kara DioGuardi, Vada Nobles, Derrick Haruin, and Julius ‘Logic’ Diaz.  It’s a song about being disappointed in a guy: “You treat me like a queen when we go out/Wanna show everyone what our love’s about/All wrapped up in me whenever there is a crowd/But when no one’s around/There’s no kindness in your eyes/The way you look at me, it’s just not right/I can tell what’s going on this time/There’s a stranger in my life”.  The title track, ‘Dignity’, follows.  It takes aim at celebrity: “Where’s your dignity?.../Can’t buy respect, but you can pick up the bill.../You’d show up to the opening of an envelope!/Why?/Does everybody care about where you go?”

‘With Love’ was penned by Hilary, Kara DioGuardi, Vada Nobles, and Julius ‘Logic’ Diaz.  It was the album’s second single and also a #1 hit on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.  It hit #24 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  Hilary speaks directly with her guy: “Slow me down, slow me down/I know you will always be around/Baby, you can be tough/Say enough is enough/I’m wrong/That I’m coming on way too strong/Don’t think I’ll be crushed/Just do it with love, love, love, love”.  ‘Danger’ finds Hilary falling for a guy she knows she shouldn’t: “I’m smarter than this and know better than this/Cause there’s something really missin’ in your kiss/I’m smarter than this and know better than this/But there’s something that you got that is tough to resist/It’s tough to resist/Cause I see danger, danger, danger in your eyes/Cause danger, danger, danger, you disguise/So, baby lift your head up to the light/There’s danger in those eyes”.

‘Gypsy Woman’ was written by Hilary and Haylie Duff, and OneRepublic’s lead singer Ryan Tedder.  It’s a terrific pop song that is mesmerizing.  It, like Proverbs, warns of a dangerous woman: “She can swallow knives, she can swallow lives/Gold and black stare/Brought the night of your demise.../She can rob you blind with just one look from those eyes/Out of all the thieves that trained her/None of them could tame her”.  ‘Never Stop’ begins with these words of encouragement: “Sometimes you feel your world is breaking down/Baby, don’t stop/There’s trouble everywhere, it’s all around/Baby, don’t stop/Cause I’m here to turn the corner with you/And when we’re together, there’s nothing that we can’t do”.

‘No Work, All Play’ is a smooth flowing pop ballad that offers good advice: “Sometimes it’s hard looking at yourself/You’d rather place the blame than point it your own way/I still do hide from my feelings myself/But I’m trying hard these days not to procrastinate/And face my fate/Stay on my case.../You gotta know yourself to be yourself/It’s a struggle everyday”.  ‘Between You and Me’ finds Hilary being upfront with a guy: “My love is not up for negotiation/’Hello’ doesn’t mean an open invitation/Don’t take it personally/Cause you and me, we’re wrong/So move on/Move on (2X)/Now, I’m not saying you’re not nice/Let me give you some advice/There’s a girl across the room who’d kill to be with you tonight”.

‘Dreamer’ is a pop/dance track directed at an obsessed fan it seems: “I’m at the grocery store and there you are just watchin’ me/Pick up my clothes from the cleaners and look who I see/I try to lose you in my car, but you won’t go away/Come on buddy/Don’t you think you’ve overstayed your stay?/Don’t you have better things to do with your life than hang around and stare at me and complicate mine?”  The next song, ‘Happy’, is about a girl who has moved on: “I understand why you’re looking for tears in my eyes/Trust me, they were there but now the well has run dry/I was in so deep but couldn’t get out/I sat on feelings that I buried deep down/I knew there’d come a day when our paths would cross/And glad it’s today cause now I am strong/I’m happy and I can thank myself/If it were up to you I’d be in my bed crying”.

‘Burned’ has lyrics many of us who’ve been hurt before will relate to: “When somebody’s knockin’/When somebody wants me/When somebody’s trying to love me completely/I get scared/Don’t know how it works/Will somebody save me?/Or will I get burned?”  Alecia Moore (Pink), Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida wrote ‘Outside of You’, a pop/rock song that pines for a guy: “I’m outside of you and I can’t get through/Overlooking the beauty that’s dying inside me/Can’t you see?/I’m outside of you and I’m so confused/You keep missing the small things/The safety that love brings/Can’t you see?/I’m outside of you”.

‘I Wish’ is a pop song that’s catchy and includes a great electric guitar solo.  It’s also one of honesty: “You always hurt the people closest to ya/Guess I blamed you for everything wrong/And I don’t know why it’s so hard to tell ya/I guess that’s why I’m writing you this song!/Yeah/You wanna know why I look so sad and lonely/You wanna know why I can barely talk/Well, it’s not your fault, so let me say I’m sorry/For makin’ you the reason for my fall”.  Last up, ironically, is the album’s lead single.  ‘Play With Fire’ was written by Hilary, Kara DioGuardi, Rhett Lawrence, and will.i.am.  This pop/dance number minces no words: “You never know just what you got till it’s gone/You freak out/But I’m not falling for that game/Boys like you never change/You made me feel I wasn’t enough, wasn’t enough/For your love/But it was insecurity that made you run/It wasn’t me/So, don’t you sit there trying to give me more excuses/I don’t have time for this/I’m off to play in Houston!”

Style-wise DIGNITY is a bubblegum pop/dance album that musically reminds me of Britney Spears, but with cleaner lyrics.  It’d be a good album to work out to.  Lyrically, the songs deal with a wide variety of topics.  Hilary sings about relationship problems, gives men advice, speaks of dangerous women, and moving on when there’s no potential for a romantic relationship.  Hilary warns against getting an inflated ego and people following celebrities too closely.  She encourages introspection and self improvement.  This album shows great growth from her previous efforts.  Hilary was 19 when DIGNITY came out.  I’m rating it 93%.  For more info visit: www.hilaryduff.com.