Audio Adrenaline released their self-titled debut in
1992. BLOOM (1996, ForeFront Records)
was their third album. It was certified
gold in 1999 and nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rock Gospel Album
category. On this record Audio
Adrenaline is: Mark Stuart (vocals), Will McGinniss (bass, vocals), Bob Herdman
(guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Barry Blair (guitar, vocals).
‘Secret’ starts the album off with an energetic rock song of
testimony: “I once was lost in a foaming, roaming, rabid sea/Then blooms blossomed, changed my
outlook/Now I’ve been set free/I once was sinking in a quarry of
quicksand/Somebody noticed and they offered me a hand.../I’ve got a secret and
I cannot keep it/I’ve got a secret and I cannot, cannot keep it/There is a God
and He’s alive and He keeps me well/That is the secret Mrs. Mademoiselle”. ‘Never Gonna Be as Big as Jesus’ is one of
seven singles from the album! It was
written in response to a now famous John Lennon quote. Here are some of the lyrics to this pop/rock
gem: “I could build a tower to heaven, get on top and touch the sky/I could
write a million songs all designed to glorify/I could be about as good, good as
any human could/But that won’t get me by/I could do anything I wanted to/I
could do anything, but one thing’s true/Never gonna be as big as Jesus/Never
gonna hold the world in my hands/Never gonna be as big as Jesus/Never gonna
build a promised land/But that, that’s alright, okay with me”. ‘Good People’ is a song that decidedly
focuses on the positive elements of society: “I grew up impressed by the people
I knew in the buckle of the Bible belt.../Met a soldier from Seattle and a
lawyer from the East/A Texas oil baron and a Roman Catholic priest.../Good
people/Good, good people/Everywhere, everywhere it’s God’s people”.
‘I’m Not the King’ is a refreshing guitar rock song of
humility: “I’m not the King/I just sing, yeah/I’m just a fraction of a thing,
yeah/I am not anything without the King of kings, oh yeah.../A King’s someone
to trust and love/Like Jesus Christ whom I sing of”. ‘Walk on Water’ is a light pop number that
draws on a New Testament story for inspiration: “Simon Peter, won’t you put
those nets down?/Follow me, I’ll lead you out of this town to a place where no
boat has ever been/I will make you a fisher of men”/Jesus walked out on the
water/Said “Take courage, it is Me”/Peter trusted and he wanted to go
farther/So he stepped out on the sea, yeah he stepped out on to the sea/If I
keep my eyes on Jesus I can walk on water, oh yeah/If I keep my eyes on Him I
can walk on water”.
‘See Through’ courageously admits that even Christian rock
stars have shortcomings: “I’m unstable and extreme/Good to bad, I’ve been burnt
in between/The smoke from the fire in my soul makes a transparent haze/There
are things that I can’t hide that would make some people think I’ve lied/I try
to do right but I fail/Don’t set your eyes on me”. Daniel Hartman wrote ‘Free Ride’. The Edgar Winter Group reached #14 with it in
1973. It is an upbeat rock and roll
party song: “The mountains are high, the valleys are low/You are confused by
which way to go/I know there’s someone who’ll give you a hand/Lead you on to
the promised land, yeah/Come on and take a free ride (free ride)/Come on and
get by my side/Come on and take a free ride”.
‘Man of God’ is a ballad of great vulnerability that many of
us can relate to: “Sometimes I’m a liar, sometimes I’m a fake/Sometimes I’m a
hypocrite everybody hates/Sometimes I’m a poet, sometimes I’m a
preacher/Sometimes I watch life go by sitting on the bleacher.../Sometimes I’m
a man of God, sometimes I’m alright/Sometimes I lay down, close my eyes and
pray to God”. ‘Gloryland’ tells of
Jesus’ wonderful offer of salvation in a creative way: “Met the man with the
beard halfway through Kentucky/He walked with me and he talked with me/Some people
say I’m lucky/For that day the man I met paid the full price/Now I ride the
train for free/The train to Paradise/If you want to come with me there’s room,
there are no legal limits/There’s always room for one more soul/So why not come
and get it?”
Next up is ‘Jazz Odyssey’, a short, cheesy, playful track.
It is followed by ‘Bag Lady’, a strong rock song that asks God to intervene in
the lives of the homeless and teenage mothers: “Friend and Father repair their
souls/Make them feel wanted, make them feel whole”.
‘I Hear Jesus Calling’ is a demo that includes these simple
lyrics: “I hear words that were said over 2000 years ago/I hear the Spirit when
it’s near/Reminds me who I belong to.../Softly and tenderly my Jesus is
calling/Calling, calling for you and for me”.
‘Memoir’ ends the album on a cheerful note: “I’m a season past
springtime and my life has gone boom/Keep my eyes on the Father/Everything is in bloom/Everything will just get better/Through the seasons I’ll
roam/And all of the music’s over/I will get to go home”.
BLOOM should be studied by any young band as a tutorial on
how to make a relevant Christian rock album geared towards youth and young
adults. Mark Stuart’s vocals are unique
and distinct on this 13 track album. The
four group members wrote 12 of the tracks.
Electric guitar and meaningful lyrics that encourage and detail a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ really drive this record to
greatness. This album has certainly aged
well! If you haven’t given it a spin in
quite some time, now is the time to do so!
It clocks in at 50 minutes and 27 seconds. I’m rating BLOOM 97%. For more info visit: www.audioa.com.