Robert Mason ‘Bob’ Carlisle was born on September 29,
1956. Early on he was part of the Jesus
music groups Good News and Psalm 150. I
first knew him as the lead singer of Christian rock band Allies who put out six
studio albums between 1985 and 1992. He
would go on to release a handful of solo albums beginning in 1993. In 1997 he took the music world by storm with
his crossover hit ‘Butterfly Kisses’, co-written with Randy Thomas. It won a Dove for ‘Inspirational Song of the
Year’ and was all over the airwaves.
With its father-daughter heart-tugging theme it became a wedding
favorite. Fast forward to 2000 and he
put out the album NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (Diadem).
Randy Thomas and Rick Crawford wrote the soulful pop song
‘Forgiveness’ on which Kim Keyes is a backing vocalist. It’s about not holding grudges: “Every time I
throw that stone/The fate I’m sealing is my own/Do you know how much I need
forgiveness, forgiveness?/I can’t live without forgiveness, forgiveness/That’s
what love’s about.../Nobody wins when the bridges start burning/Can’t you hear
my cry?” Darwin Hobbs and Tabitha Fair
are two of the backing vocalists on ‘Lay Your Hands on Me’, a gospel pop song
about ultimate healing: “So, I’ve come before the Great Physician/Where I know
the medicine is strong and free/Only You can cure this crossed up
condition/Yeah, You know the very thing I need.../Lay Your hands on me/I want
Your touch/Lay Your hands on me/You’ve got the power/Lord, You know I’ve got
the need”. Bob and Randy Thomas wrote
‘Heaven’, a sentimental ballad: “There are moments in this life when it’s hard
to carry on/When I think about my father and all the loved ones that are
gone/Friends and close relation/Somewhere on the other side/They’ve passed into
forever but the love has never died.../I want to see heaven where the faithful
carry on”.
‘First, Last & Always’ is a very slow song on which Kirk
‘Jellyroll’ Johnson plays harmonica. It
encourages us to focus on God: “So much that glitters and shines/In this world,
wild and wonderful/So much that captures my mind/Still all my thoughts turn to
You/You should know I think of You/First, last and always (2X)/You gave my life
back to me/And forever you’ll be/First, last and always”. ‘The Truth (La Verdad)’ is one of three songs
on the album penned by Bob and Regie Hamm.
It’s a fun, tropical sounding, autobiographical track: “I never really
listened much to rock-n-roll/Grew up on James Brown, Motown and Latin soul and
that’s the truth/See all my homies were of serious Latino persuasion/They
taught me how to find the groove despite my sole lack of pigmentation/They took
a little white boy with shiny shoes/And they anointed me with salsa and rhythm
and blues”.
‘River of Peace’ is an adult contemporary ballad featuring
The Nashville String Machine. It admits
to having times of doubt: “You said we’re all Your precious children/But I must
admit sometimes we feel so small/We wonder if You’re there or if You really
care at all/Ours is not to question why/Ours is just to live and try/To settle
for the answer/Whatever it might be”.
Next up is a cover of the Todd Rundgren co-write ‘Love is the
Answer’. Here, Bryan Duncan is Bob’s
perfect duet partner. The chorus of the
upbeat song goes: “Light of the world shine on me/Love is the answer/Shine on us
all, set us free/Love is the answer”.
Bob and Tom Hemby wrote ‘Watched by an Angel’. It’s a bit of a sappy mid-tempo song: “I’ve
had it harder than some/But I was never one for sympathy/Even when it seemed
like my vision was gone/There was someone looking out for me/And when it’s all
been said and done/It’s so clear that I was not alone/I’ve got something to
say/And I know it might sound crazy/But I swear I’m being watched by an
angel/Somebody’s there/There’s no other way to say it”. Amy Grant had a massive hit with ‘Baby Baby’,
a co-write with Keith Thomas. It was on
top of the Billboard 100 for two straight weeks in April of 1991 and is from
her album HEART IN MOTION. The song was
inspired by her young daughter Millie.
Carlisle’s cover of the song here is slower, longer, and by far
inferior. At any rate, it’s still about
devotion: “My love for you is true and it will never/Stop for a minute/Baby,
you’re mine/And ever since that day you put my heart in motion/Baby I realize
that there just ain’t no getting over you”.
‘I Still Believe in You’ is a mellow R & B declaration
of faith: “I still believe in You/I still believe what You say is true, yes I
do/I still believe in You/My God is alive/I still believe in You/No matter what
they say or do/I still believe in You/Lord, I still believe in You”. CCM vet Randy Stonehill co-wrote ‘After All’,
an easy listening ballad about God’s love: “After all the heartache and the
pain/All the bridges I have crossed/And the ones I’ve left in flames/After all
the sorrow and regret/All the times I’ve turned away when You’d call/You still
love me after all”.
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH was produced by Regie Hamm and
executive produced by George King and Dean Diehl. Bob Carlisle’s soulful vocals will appeal to
fans of Michael English and Michael Bolton.
His voice is seasoned and mature.
Pop, adult contemporary, gospel, and R & B sounds can be heard on
this record. It is a very laid back
offering and doesn’t really have a central theme so I found it to be
disjointed. Certainly Bob is singing
about his Christian walk, but not in a cohesive manner. The album is all over the place
topically. Sonically, I also found it
somewhat boring. I’m rating this one
73%. For more info connect with Bob on
Facebook.