CD Reviews - Caedmon’s Call, Tomlin, Redman
Caedmon’s Call - Share the Well
Favorite Tracks: Share the Well, There’s Only One (Holy One), Sarala, first hidden track after Dalit Hymn.
This was written as a sort of “awareness” concept album about reaching out to the Dalit caste in India. It is very effective in making one want to sell all their possessions and move to India to do missions work. A nice mix of tribal, earthy acoustic, and borderline emo (I think mostly because of Derek Webb’s voice and acoustic guitar), music. It is a fun listen. Derek Webb’s songwritting has honesty and passion that smacks of Rich Mullins. The first hidden track at the end is a little song written (probably to his wife) about how much he misses her whilst touring in India. Good stuff. The last hidden track is an interesting tribal chant thingy. Nice ending.
Chris Tomlin - Arriving
Favorite tracks: Indescribable, Holy is the Lord
This is a pretty typical Tomlin Album (read: solid) though it is no Not to Us (which is a great rock worship album, should be a part of everyone’s library). I think this one is a bit overproduced, and I think I will need to give it a few more listens before I settle on any of the songs to add to our band’s repretoire. Indescribable has all the makings of a well known worship anthem (and was probably written for that purpose). Holy is the Lord is already becoming a national favorite, and is appearing again on this album after being on several Passion compilations. All in all, this album is worth picking up.
Matt Redman - Facedown
Favorite tracks: Nothing But The Blood, Dancing Generation.
This live worship album is still growing on me. At first listen, I didn’t like it. Matt Redman is really good at writing worship music, and is probably just ahead of me here, and in a year or so I will understand, and start really liking the music. That’s what happened with “Where Angels Fear to Tread“. Justin Meyer encouraged me to keep listening to it, so I did. It takes awhile to “get it”. I have a feeling that I will just keep liking this one more and more as I listen to it. There is a book by the same title that Redman wrote to accompany the album. I like it better than the CD. Some great insight in to worship. More personal reflection from Redman than theological teaching, it is very encouraging and challenging.
Coming Soon…
I just ordered Tim Hughes - When Silence Falls, Eoghan Heaslip - Grace in the Wilderness, and United Live - More Than Life. I’ll have reviews of those up as soon as… I write them…
Also, I will have U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb shortly after it comes out in LESS THAN A MONTH, so I’ll probably rave about that on here too.
Peace.
dude, you hadn’t posted in so long that I was beginning to think you were dead….
Ya, sorry, it’s been a week since i last posted. I am definitely alive, so very alive.
Holy is the Lord = tired, overproduced retread of all of his other songs. I thought that he had an opportunity to do some pretty original stuff, but it appears that they’re settling nicely into a tie with Delirious for 3rd Best U2 cover band.