Thursday, January 31, 2008
In The Deep Freeze
The five day forecast for Grande Prairie does not have the mercury rising as high as -20C, all the expected highs are lower than this. We hit -40 this past week once.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Man Trying To Find Himself
This was the title of a sermon that aired on the local Christian radio station last night. I was hoping he would get the right man, but I was disappointed once again.
It is both disappointing and amusing to me to watch evangelical commentators and preachers trying to deal with the life of the patriarch Jacob. Almost without fail they identify Jacob as the scoundrel and Esau as the hard-done-by honest guy. They identify with Esau when he complains about Jacob.
Now, we are told in Psalm 1 not to walk in the way of the wicked, stand in the way of sinner, or sit in the seat of the scoffer. But it seems to me that we do all these things at once when we prefer Esau to Jacob, who is spoken of in the text as a "perfect" man. Esau is the one out quadding all the time, not looking after his responsibilities, while Jacob is looking after the farm.
Jacob, in the sermon, was a fellow trying to find himself, which seemed to be a code word for finding God. He still has not found himself, and he is almost back to meeting up with Esau again after 20 years with Laban (who is bad, but not as bad as Jacob, of course!)...
I wish these guys would take the Bible more seriously. There is only one man in the Bible who ever "found himself", and that is Philip, who found himself at Azotus after talking to the Ethiopian Eunuch.
It is both disappointing and amusing to me to watch evangelical commentators and preachers trying to deal with the life of the patriarch Jacob. Almost without fail they identify Jacob as the scoundrel and Esau as the hard-done-by honest guy. They identify with Esau when he complains about Jacob.
Now, we are told in Psalm 1 not to walk in the way of the wicked, stand in the way of sinner, or sit in the seat of the scoffer. But it seems to me that we do all these things at once when we prefer Esau to Jacob, who is spoken of in the text as a "perfect" man. Esau is the one out quadding all the time, not looking after his responsibilities, while Jacob is looking after the farm.
Jacob, in the sermon, was a fellow trying to find himself, which seemed to be a code word for finding God. He still has not found himself, and he is almost back to meeting up with Esau again after 20 years with Laban (who is bad, but not as bad as Jacob, of course!)...
I wish these guys would take the Bible more seriously. There is only one man in the Bible who ever "found himself", and that is Philip, who found himself at Azotus after talking to the Ethiopian Eunuch.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Christ Covenant Church of Grande Prairie
Our church is an excellent place.
The Lord has blessed us in many ways. Hospitality is operating, love of the brethren is strong. We are outward focusing, considering and learning how to love our neighbors in such a way that they will come to worship Jesus. We have a liturgically-oriented service which even the little children can take part in and understand, we all joyfully come to the Lord's Supper every week. We delight in pregnant mothers and baby baptisms. Our little children dominate our church prayer times with their requests and offers to pray for this or that. And we sing like we mean it.
And the Lord has blessed us with quite a few of the next generation. I'm sure that half our church population is 16 or under, and many of them are very useful evangelists for the kingdom of God. We also have a growing number of young men who are serious about knowing God and seeking Him, and who are busying themselves with the building up of His kingdom.
We have a faithful group of men shepherding this flock. It is a great delight to me to work with such godly men, who have endured many trials for Jesus sake and have emerged with a better sense of humor than before. These men are serious about looking out for the souls of those entrusted to them by the Great Shepherd. They weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. And three of them are very good preachers!
And our wives and mothers are glorious! We have several large families in our midst, and many fruitful and faithful ladies running them, whose creativity and willingness to help others seems almost boundless. As the head of a family of ten, I have been in churches where we would NEVER be invited out. But here it happens all the time. And if a mom needs to be gone for a few days, one of these homes will be ready and willing to take in the mom's kids for awhile.
The Lord has granted us at least the basic outlines of a vision that goes beyond ourselves. We pray regularly for the other churches in our town that name the Name of Jesus, that their efforts for the sake of the kingdom of God would be fruitful, and that because of the labors of God's people many, many more of the currently-unbelieving folk in Grande Prairie would become true worshippers of the Tri-une God.
We meet currently at the Grande Prairie Christian School, but starting in the first week of February we will be meeting at the Golden Age Center, on 101 St and just north of 102 Ave in downtown Grande Prairie. Worship will be at 10AM. Come and worship!
Our church is an excellent place.
The Lord has blessed us in many ways. Hospitality is operating, love of the brethren is strong. We are outward focusing, considering and learning how to love our neighbors in such a way that they will come to worship Jesus. We have a liturgically-oriented service which even the little children can take part in and understand, we all joyfully come to the Lord's Supper every week. We delight in pregnant mothers and baby baptisms. Our little children dominate our church prayer times with their requests and offers to pray for this or that. And we sing like we mean it.
And the Lord has blessed us with quite a few of the next generation. I'm sure that half our church population is 16 or under, and many of them are very useful evangelists for the kingdom of God. We also have a growing number of young men who are serious about knowing God and seeking Him, and who are busying themselves with the building up of His kingdom.
We have a faithful group of men shepherding this flock. It is a great delight to me to work with such godly men, who have endured many trials for Jesus sake and have emerged with a better sense of humor than before. These men are serious about looking out for the souls of those entrusted to them by the Great Shepherd. They weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. And three of them are very good preachers!
And our wives and mothers are glorious! We have several large families in our midst, and many fruitful and faithful ladies running them, whose creativity and willingness to help others seems almost boundless. As the head of a family of ten, I have been in churches where we would NEVER be invited out. But here it happens all the time. And if a mom needs to be gone for a few days, one of these homes will be ready and willing to take in the mom's kids for awhile.
The Lord has granted us at least the basic outlines of a vision that goes beyond ourselves. We pray regularly for the other churches in our town that name the Name of Jesus, that their efforts for the sake of the kingdom of God would be fruitful, and that because of the labors of God's people many, many more of the currently-unbelieving folk in Grande Prairie would become true worshippers of the Tri-une God.
We meet currently at the Grande Prairie Christian School, but starting in the first week of February we will be meeting at the Golden Age Center, on 101 St and just north of 102 Ave in downtown Grande Prairie. Worship will be at 10AM. Come and worship!
Our church is an excellent place.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Weight Of Glory is now available!
Weight Of Glory is now available for download or purchase from my website
www.solmusic.caI think you will enjoy it.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
It seems to be working....
I came home yesterday in -20C weather, in which the snow had fallen all day, to find the driveway and sidewalks shovelled. I stepped into the clean entryway, and proceeded down the hallway to the tidy bathroom.
I like this!
I like this!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Job Schedule for a busy house
We have a busy house. Which, I believe, is better than having an idle house... The Bible says somewhere that where there are no oxen the manger is clean. Better oxen and a dirty manger than no oxen and a clean one. Better a house full of kids and mess than an empty one and spotless walls. And I agree.
However, we are hoping to raise kids who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who love their neighbors as themselves, and I am quite sure that keeping the house running smoothly and in a reasonable state of decor is covered somewhere under one of those two headings.
So we are having a house meeting tonight of all those big enough to still be up at 8:45 PM. We are planning to sit down and put names to a job list which rotates on a monthly schedule. We have been operating on a weekly schedule, and there is no end to the work for Val in searching out whose job is whose, because of course the kids can't remember THAT...
I figure that if it is one persons responsibility to do the laundry for a month, they may be able to last for a week and still be able to play dumb, but the problem will soon be choking everyone. By the time everyone in the house knows who is supposed to be on the job, the slacker will still have three weeks of labors in that particular field before it falls to someone else. This will give them an opportunity to become proficient at the task as well, which only bodes well for the future.
I am hoping for great things.
However, we are hoping to raise kids who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and who love their neighbors as themselves, and I am quite sure that keeping the house running smoothly and in a reasonable state of decor is covered somewhere under one of those two headings.
So we are having a house meeting tonight of all those big enough to still be up at 8:45 PM. We are planning to sit down and put names to a job list which rotates on a monthly schedule. We have been operating on a weekly schedule, and there is no end to the work for Val in searching out whose job is whose, because of course the kids can't remember THAT...
I figure that if it is one persons responsibility to do the laundry for a month, they may be able to last for a week and still be able to play dumb, but the problem will soon be choking everyone. By the time everyone in the house knows who is supposed to be on the job, the slacker will still have three weeks of labors in that particular field before it falls to someone else. This will give them an opportunity to become proficient at the task as well, which only bodes well for the future.
I am hoping for great things.
Pricing adjustments & WOG
Hello, everybody!
Just a brief note to those of you inclined to purchase my CDs from me, there has been some minor adjustments to the pricing structure. CDs are now $16 each from my website www.solmusic.ca , and shipping costs have generally gone up. All in all, it should serve to be a price reduction for you, which is good news for you Christmas shoppers.
Speaking of which, be reminded that if you want CDs to arrive BEFORE Christmas, you would be well advised to order them a month or so in advance. The postal people are going postal that time of year...
If you wish to buy 10 or more CDs at once, I'll make you a good deal!
And one more note of (relative, limited) importance. It seems to me that Weight Of Glory is about 3 weeks away from being in hand. I am really hoping to get this one out to you folks by Christmas, since there are a couple of Nativity songs on the album that I would like for you to hear. It is not up on my website yet, but I am now beginning to take orders for it ...*IF*... you order it by itself. If you order it with a group of other CDs you may expect that the whole works will not reach you till after Christmas, for there is a possibility that WOG will be delayed.
It doesn't always seem this way to me, but this time... WOG will be my favorite so far. You can paypal $20 ($21.20 if you are in Canada) directly to my email address jamie@solmusic.ca and ask for it, and I will ship it to you. Or you could ask for multiple copies if you like, just to make me happy, and I would charge you accordingly...
May the Lord bless you all with faith, hope, and love; with excellent churches, and families to match, and fill your bones with thanksgiving to Him for sending Jesus!
Just a brief note to those of you inclined to purchase my CDs from me, there has been some minor adjustments to the pricing structure. CDs are now $16 each from my website www.solmusic.ca , and shipping costs have generally gone up. All in all, it should serve to be a price reduction for you, which is good news for you Christmas shoppers.
Speaking of which, be reminded that if you want CDs to arrive BEFORE Christmas, you would be well advised to order them a month or so in advance. The postal people are going postal that time of year...
If you wish to buy 10 or more CDs at once, I'll make you a good deal!
And one more note of (relative, limited) importance. It seems to me that Weight Of Glory is about 3 weeks away from being in hand. I am really hoping to get this one out to you folks by Christmas, since there are a couple of Nativity songs on the album that I would like for you to hear. It is not up on my website yet, but I am now beginning to take orders for it ...*IF*... you order it by itself. If you order it with a group of other CDs you may expect that the whole works will not reach you till after Christmas, for there is a possibility that WOG will be delayed.
It doesn't always seem this way to me, but this time... WOG will be my favorite so far. You can paypal $20 ($21.20 if you are in Canada) directly to my email address jamie@solmusic.ca and ask for it, and I will ship it to you. Or you could ask for multiple copies if you like, just to make me happy, and I would charge you accordingly...
May the Lord bless you all with faith, hope, and love; with excellent churches, and families to match, and fill your bones with thanksgiving to Him for sending Jesus!
Monday, October 08, 2007
life...
I was downstairs the other day when I heard Joseph (3) start to cry as if in pain. I met Eden at the top of the stairs telling me that Joseph was bleeding all over the place. He was in the bathroom, up on a stool and leaning over the sink when I found him, with blood pouring out his nose. Big splats of blood were all over the counter. "Joseph, what did you do?!?" He couldn't tell me for quite awhile, he was too busy sobbing. I looked around the counter for some clues, and I found one... a long thin plastic paintbrush with blood on the handle.
He told me that he had been up on the counter and had slipped. "Did you have that paintbrush in your nose?" "Yes."
That must have hurt.
As I was mopping up the blood on the counter Joseph asked me if I was cleaning up his life. I was not sure I understood and asked about this. He told me that he had life in his nose and that it was coming out... has this kid been reading Leviticus behind my back?
He told me that he had been up on the counter and had slipped. "Did you have that paintbrush in your nose?" "Yes."
That must have hurt.
As I was mopping up the blood on the counter Joseph asked me if I was cleaning up his life. I was not sure I understood and asked about this. He told me that he had life in his nose and that it was coming out... has this kid been reading Leviticus behind my back?
Texas & Louisiana concerts
To all my listeners in north-east Texas and northern Louisiana, and the surrounding areas, there has been a concert tour arranged for me through these areas, and I would be delighted to meet some of you at the concerts! Here are the dates and places;
This appears to be the schedule, with some changes possible;
October 31, Wednesday night, beginning at 6 pm, a Reformation Day church party.
Colleyville Presbyterian Church
715 Cheek Sparger Road
Colleyville, TX 76034
(817) 498-2626
November 1, Thursday morning, beginning at 8:30 am,
Covenant Classical School
126 North Judd Street
Fort Worth, TX 76108
817-820-0884
Todd Harris is the fellow to contact about these two concerts for more information toddandlisaharris@sbcglobal.net
November 2, Friday night, 7pm, at
Hope Fellowship
300 Hollybrook Dr
Longview, TX 75605
Sponsered by: Christ The King Presbyterian Church
www.ChristTheKingLongview.org
For information call: 903.238.6830 Phil Hodson is the contact person. premodern1@yahoo.com
Here's a link for a map:
http://tinyurl.com/yw2z48
Nov.3 Saturday, a concert in Nacagdoches at the fall conference gathering of Texas CREC churches. Contact person is Tom Brainerd,
Grace Covenant Church, Nacogdoches, TX 936 622 6050 tom.brainerd@sbcglobal.net
Nov.4 Sunday, 6PM Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church
224 Auburn Avenue - Monroe, LA
318-323-3061 Contact person is Duane Garner dgarner@auburnavenue.org
www.auburnavenue.org
Nov.5 Monday, an open day, as of yet. I couldn't get a cheap flight home on Monday. If there is any group in the Dallas area who could make use of me early on Monday eve, let me know.
Nov.6 Tuesday, I fly out of DFW at 6:30 AM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, Weight Of Glory is in the final stages of preparations before going to the manufacturers. Here is the blurb for a description;
Weight Of Glory
Stories. The Bible is full of them. Characters. Great doers of deeds both noble and foul; minor actors of whom we catch only glimpses. Men and women whose faith (and whose lack of faith) bleeds through their actions. Our fathers and mothers in the faith are there, spurring us on to love and good works, and we learn what that means as we study them and their examples.
There are hundreds of stories in the Scriptures, each with a multitude of different ways to approach them, to open them up for others to see. And yet there is truly only one story, of God’s plan in Jesus to bring His world from immaturity to maturity, from childhood to adulthood. All the many and varied stories of Scripture form the shape of this plan, and you and I are a part of it, like David, and Cain, and Joseph. And though we face many afflictions along the way, we are assured by Jesus that they are light ones, and are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension.
Weight Of Glory is an album of stories. It often takes you inside the action, as you remember standing on the bank of the Red Sea when the Pharoah’s soldiers were washing ashore; or as Naomi is about to leave, but you are determined to go with her; or as you reflect with David on the serious damage you did to a formerly good relationship. There are stories surrounding the birth of Jesus, word pictures with which to fill your imagination. There are affirmations of faith everywhere, and much rejoicing in God’s good gifts. From crying aloud in the streets to sitting alone on a mountainside waiting for God to speak, the Weight Of Glory builds.
If you enjoy Jamie’s kids albums, and you were once a kid yourself, you will be delighted with Weight Of Glory.
---------------------------------------------
These songs which I did at a concert in St. Louis this past summer have recently been uploaded to youtube. http://www.youtube.com/cfmmk
Blessings to you all! Thanks for listening!
Jamie Soles
This appears to be the schedule, with some changes possible;
October 31, Wednesday night, beginning at 6 pm, a Reformation Day church party.
Colleyville Presbyterian Church
715 Cheek Sparger Road
Colleyville, TX 76034
(817) 498-2626
November 1, Thursday morning, beginning at 8:30 am,
Covenant Classical School
126 North Judd Street
Fort Worth, TX 76108
817-820-0884
Todd Harris is the fellow to contact about these two concerts for more information toddandlisaharris@sbcglobal.net
November 2, Friday night, 7pm, at
Hope Fellowship
300 Hollybrook Dr
Longview, TX 75605
Sponsered by: Christ The King Presbyterian Church
www.ChristTheKingLongview.org
For information call: 903.238.6830 Phil Hodson is the contact person. premodern1@yahoo.com
Here's a link for a map:
http://tinyurl.com/yw2z48
Nov.3 Saturday, a concert in Nacagdoches at the fall conference gathering of Texas CREC churches. Contact person is Tom Brainerd,
Grace Covenant Church, Nacogdoches, TX 936 622 6050 tom.brainerd@sbcglobal.net
Nov.4 Sunday, 6PM Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church
224 Auburn Avenue - Monroe, LA
318-323-3061 Contact person is Duane Garner dgarner@auburnavenue.org
www.auburnavenue.org
Nov.5 Monday, an open day, as of yet. I couldn't get a cheap flight home on Monday. If there is any group in the Dallas area who could make use of me early on Monday eve, let me know.
Nov.6 Tuesday, I fly out of DFW at 6:30 AM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, Weight Of Glory is in the final stages of preparations before going to the manufacturers. Here is the blurb for a description;
Weight Of Glory
Stories. The Bible is full of them. Characters. Great doers of deeds both noble and foul; minor actors of whom we catch only glimpses. Men and women whose faith (and whose lack of faith) bleeds through their actions. Our fathers and mothers in the faith are there, spurring us on to love and good works, and we learn what that means as we study them and their examples.
There are hundreds of stories in the Scriptures, each with a multitude of different ways to approach them, to open them up for others to see. And yet there is truly only one story, of God’s plan in Jesus to bring His world from immaturity to maturity, from childhood to adulthood. All the many and varied stories of Scripture form the shape of this plan, and you and I are a part of it, like David, and Cain, and Joseph. And though we face many afflictions along the way, we are assured by Jesus that they are light ones, and are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension.
Weight Of Glory is an album of stories. It often takes you inside the action, as you remember standing on the bank of the Red Sea when the Pharoah’s soldiers were washing ashore; or as Naomi is about to leave, but you are determined to go with her; or as you reflect with David on the serious damage you did to a formerly good relationship. There are stories surrounding the birth of Jesus, word pictures with which to fill your imagination. There are affirmations of faith everywhere, and much rejoicing in God’s good gifts. From crying aloud in the streets to sitting alone on a mountainside waiting for God to speak, the Weight Of Glory builds.
If you enjoy Jamie’s kids albums, and you were once a kid yourself, you will be delighted with Weight Of Glory.
---------------------------------------------
These songs which I did at a concert in St. Louis this past summer have recently been uploaded to youtube. http://www.youtube.com/cfmmk
Blessings to you all! Thanks for listening!
Jamie Soles
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Babies in the afterlife
I just heard a new theory. When people die and go to heaven they become babies again. I was rather suprised by this nugget, since it came out of the mouth of my five year old, Chloe. She had been thinking about this for awhile, and when she spoke about it, it was with settled conviction in her voice.
Sting has a song that says "Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one." As much as I like Sting, he has this exactly backwards. We are all crazy to start with, and we get better by our involvement in Christ's Church. Worshipping our way toward sanity. Chloe needs to worship more...
Sting has a song that says "Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one." As much as I like Sting, he has this exactly backwards. We are all crazy to start with, and we get better by our involvement in Christ's Church. Worshipping our way toward sanity. Chloe needs to worship more...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Kyriosity song reviews
Valerie (Kyriosity) Song Reviews
Confession Song (1985) http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/ConfessionSong.mp3
Chorus
Because of Your love, Lord, show mercy to me
Wash from me the things that you don't want to see
And show me the life that You want me to lead
Only through Your forgiveness can I be set free
Verse 1
I know what my faults are, I see I've been wrong
I see I've been sinful all my life long
Awaiting Your judgment I stand in this plight:
For You to condemn me would be just and right, but...(Chorus)
Verse 2
Wisdom and truth are what You require
But I've been a fool and I've been a liar
Yet though I'm crushed I will be glad again
For by Your forgiveness I'm freed from my sin...(Chorus)
Verse 3
Give me a pure heart and spirit today
Don't leave me alone, and don't turn me away
Restore unto me the joy of salvation
And then let me share it with all of earth's nations...(Chorus)
Valerie informed me up front when she asked me to review her songs that her playing was lame and her singing was weak, but would I please pay attention to the songs themselves… I would say she somewhat overstated the case about her playing and singing. It is pleasant listening. And when someone is filling their song with Scripture, and putting themselves inside the song as she did above, it is all good.
About the song;
The structure seems odd to me in this way, that the chorus begins in the key of C, transitions to the key of D in line 3, and ends on a G chord, seemingly in the key of C again, but flowing immediately into the key of G in the verses. The verses are consistent in the key of G, and they work well enough considered by themselves, but to transition back to the key change festival in the chorus throws me off.
Here are some points to consider:
In order to resolve your song well it is important to end in the same key in which you started.
The word “things” in the 2nd line of the chorus has a D chord all to itself, and it seems out of place to me.
The contents of the verses seem to be a good bit darker than the music said they were. You need to try to match your music to the mood of the text. If the psalmist is growling, find a way to make your tune growl. If he is penitent, you need to make your music say what the lyrics are saying.
In the last line of verse three, instead of “all of earth’s nations” (which is hard to say), how about “every nation”? It flows better.
In song writing you want to avoid writing things that are phonetically difficult for a singer to sing. If I write a song and discover that one line has six prominent “s” sounds in it, I’ll probably try to rewrite that line. The smoother your music falls on the listeners ears, the better your reception.
Great Physician (February 12-14, 1997)
http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/GreatPhysician.mp3
Intro
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul
Verse 1
O Great Physician, I am wounded, I am broken,
I am needy for a token of Your love for me.
O Great Physician, with a word so sweetly spoken,
You have my soul awoken from its sin-sick sleep.
Chorus 1
When I --- see the sickness of my sin,
I --- turn to You for grace and then
I --- find that I've already been forgiven.
So I --- lift my voice to You and sing
Thanks --- giving for the love You bring
You --- come with mercy in Your wings
To heal my sin-sick soul
Verse 2
O Great Physician, when I fall before You, kneeling
Hoping that my depth of feeling's
Equal to my shame
O Great Physician, there's no need for all my dealing
All I need to get Your healing
Is to speak Your name (Chorus 1)
Verse 3
O Great Physician, when I look at my surroundings
At the sickness that's abounding
In my fallen race
O Great Physician, I can hear Your voice resounding
With a love that is astounding:
"Come receive My grace!"
Chorus 2
When You --- see the sickness of our sin,
You --- come to us with grace and then
We --- find find how freely we have been forgiven.
With our --- voices raised to You we sing
Thanks --- giving for the love You bring
You've --- come with mercy in Your wings
To heal our sin-sick souls
There is a balm --- in Gilead....
This song is pleasant to listen to, good lady folk music. I heard one chord out of place, but I suspect you fix that problem when you play it for people. The only part that bothered me at all was the “Thanks---giving for the love You bring”, where the break comes in the middle of the word. Maybe hold the word “tha---nksgiving” and don’t take a breath there. The lyrics are going by quick enough that you shouldn’t run out of breath.
His Unfailing Love (Psalm 107) June 28-July 5, 1997
http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/HisUnfailingLove.mp3
Verse 1
Some of us wandered in deserts and wastelands,
Finding no way to a city of rest.
Our lives ebbed away as we hungered and thirsted,
Then we cried out to God in distress.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
By a straight way to a city He’s led us.
From deep, living springs He has quenched all our thirsting.
With the bread of His flesh He has fed us.
Chorus:
So let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love,
We whom He has redeemed from the hand of the foe.
Let us sing songs of the wonderful deeds of our God.
Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love.
Verse 2
Some of us languished in chains of our forging,
In prisons that we ourselves had devised.
We sat in deep darkness, the blackest of midnights,
’Til we begged just to see the sun rise.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
And cut through the fetters of iron that bound us.
He’s broken the gates of our sin-sustained prisons.
Now the bright light of His grace surrounds us. (Repeat Chorus)
Verse 3
Some of us sailed out in pride on the ocean,
Thinking that in our own wisdom we’d stand,
But the storm winds arose and the tempest blew ’round us,
And we prayed once again for dry land.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
Out on the sea of our self-will He’s sought us.
He’s hushed the wild waves and He’s made the winds whisper,
And to a safe haven He’s brought us. (Repeat chorus
Heh, heh, heh… I see you have already taken my advice from the first review about making the music fit…
This is an excellent song. I have not tried yet to write from that passage, I am still intimidated by these long Psalms. If you don’t mind, I’d like to learn it better and then see if I can make any suggestions.
Confession Song (1985) http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/ConfessionSong.mp3
Chorus
Because of Your love, Lord, show mercy to me
Wash from me the things that you don't want to see
And show me the life that You want me to lead
Only through Your forgiveness can I be set free
Verse 1
I know what my faults are, I see I've been wrong
I see I've been sinful all my life long
Awaiting Your judgment I stand in this plight:
For You to condemn me would be just and right, but...(Chorus)
Verse 2
Wisdom and truth are what You require
But I've been a fool and I've been a liar
Yet though I'm crushed I will be glad again
For by Your forgiveness I'm freed from my sin...(Chorus)
Verse 3
Give me a pure heart and spirit today
Don't leave me alone, and don't turn me away
Restore unto me the joy of salvation
And then let me share it with all of earth's nations...(Chorus)
Valerie informed me up front when she asked me to review her songs that her playing was lame and her singing was weak, but would I please pay attention to the songs themselves… I would say she somewhat overstated the case about her playing and singing. It is pleasant listening. And when someone is filling their song with Scripture, and putting themselves inside the song as she did above, it is all good.
About the song;
The structure seems odd to me in this way, that the chorus begins in the key of C, transitions to the key of D in line 3, and ends on a G chord, seemingly in the key of C again, but flowing immediately into the key of G in the verses. The verses are consistent in the key of G, and they work well enough considered by themselves, but to transition back to the key change festival in the chorus throws me off.
Here are some points to consider:
In order to resolve your song well it is important to end in the same key in which you started.
The word “things” in the 2nd line of the chorus has a D chord all to itself, and it seems out of place to me.
The contents of the verses seem to be a good bit darker than the music said they were. You need to try to match your music to the mood of the text. If the psalmist is growling, find a way to make your tune growl. If he is penitent, you need to make your music say what the lyrics are saying.
In the last line of verse three, instead of “all of earth’s nations” (which is hard to say), how about “every nation”? It flows better.
In song writing you want to avoid writing things that are phonetically difficult for a singer to sing. If I write a song and discover that one line has six prominent “s” sounds in it, I’ll probably try to rewrite that line. The smoother your music falls on the listeners ears, the better your reception.
Great Physician (February 12-14, 1997)
http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/GreatPhysician.mp3
Intro
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul
Verse 1
O Great Physician, I am wounded, I am broken,
I am needy for a token of Your love for me.
O Great Physician, with a word so sweetly spoken,
You have my soul awoken from its sin-sick sleep.
Chorus 1
When I --- see the sickness of my sin,
I --- turn to You for grace and then
I --- find that I've already been forgiven.
So I --- lift my voice to You and sing
Thanks --- giving for the love You bring
You --- come with mercy in Your wings
To heal my sin-sick soul
Verse 2
O Great Physician, when I fall before You, kneeling
Hoping that my depth of feeling's
Equal to my shame
O Great Physician, there's no need for all my dealing
All I need to get Your healing
Is to speak Your name (Chorus 1)
Verse 3
O Great Physician, when I look at my surroundings
At the sickness that's abounding
In my fallen race
O Great Physician, I can hear Your voice resounding
With a love that is astounding:
"Come receive My grace!"
Chorus 2
When You --- see the sickness of our sin,
You --- come to us with grace and then
We --- find find how freely we have been forgiven.
With our --- voices raised to You we sing
Thanks --- giving for the love You bring
You've --- come with mercy in Your wings
To heal our sin-sick souls
There is a balm --- in Gilead....
This song is pleasant to listen to, good lady folk music. I heard one chord out of place, but I suspect you fix that problem when you play it for people. The only part that bothered me at all was the “Thanks---giving for the love You bring”, where the break comes in the middle of the word. Maybe hold the word “tha---nksgiving” and don’t take a breath there. The lyrics are going by quick enough that you shouldn’t run out of breath.
His Unfailing Love (Psalm 107) June 28-July 5, 1997
http://www.kyriosity.com/songs/HisUnfailingLove.mp3
Verse 1
Some of us wandered in deserts and wastelands,
Finding no way to a city of rest.
Our lives ebbed away as we hungered and thirsted,
Then we cried out to God in distress.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
By a straight way to a city He’s led us.
From deep, living springs He has quenched all our thirsting.
With the bread of His flesh He has fed us.
Chorus:
So let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love,
We whom He has redeemed from the hand of the foe.
Let us sing songs of the wonderful deeds of our God.
Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love.
Verse 2
Some of us languished in chains of our forging,
In prisons that we ourselves had devised.
We sat in deep darkness, the blackest of midnights,
’Til we begged just to see the sun rise.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
And cut through the fetters of iron that bound us.
He’s broken the gates of our sin-sustained prisons.
Now the bright light of His grace surrounds us. (Repeat Chorus)
Verse 3
Some of us sailed out in pride on the ocean,
Thinking that in our own wisdom we’d stand,
But the storm winds arose and the tempest blew ’round us,
And we prayed once again for dry land.
And from out of our troubles our God has delivered us.
Out on the sea of our self-will He’s sought us.
He’s hushed the wild waves and He’s made the winds whisper,
And to a safe haven He’s brought us. (Repeat chorus
Heh, heh, heh… I see you have already taken my advice from the first review about making the music fit…
This is an excellent song. I have not tried yet to write from that passage, I am still intimidated by these long Psalms. If you don’t mind, I’d like to learn it better and then see if I can make any suggestions.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The view from Eden
Eden is my 7 year old daughter, and she is given to things dramatic.
She was standing on the front step beside my wife when I gave Val a kiss goodbye, since I was leaving for the day.
"Oooooo!" says Eden with a twinkle in her eye. "A love scene!"
She keeps me laughing.
She was standing on the front step beside my wife when I gave Val a kiss goodbye, since I was leaving for the day.
"Oooooo!" says Eden with a twinkle in her eye. "A love scene!"
She keeps me laughing.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Album Reviews
Album Reviews
The following albums were included in the packet for “Best Rock & Alternative Album of the Year 2006” for the 2006 SHAI Music Awards;
That Place - Set Me Free
Drew Brown - Whisper To A Roar
Bobby Wall - The Prayer I Pray
Thousand Foot Krutch - The Art Of Breaking
Manic Drive - Reason For Motion
Q-Town - Breakthrough
Resolute - What Have You Been Waiting For?
Blue Veil - Leap Of Faith
Elektrik Prophet - When The Towers Fall
Seven Devil Fix - Soundtrack to a Place Unseen
Rule Of Nines - Another Space And Time
OWB - Case Closed
Lambs Among Wolves - Great Big God
Jodi Faith - Second Chance
Isaiah’s Answer - Here Am I
Traced Image - Traced Image
I was selected to be a judge for the rock/alternative category, so I diligently set out to listen to the latest and greatest in Canadian Christian rock music. Since modern rock is not a thing which falls easily on my ears, I knew going in that I would hear some things that would grate on my nerves, that would savage my sense of musicality; I expected the audible assaults to come from a different place than they ultimately arrived. But I tried to give an honest, musically discerning, theologically attentive listen to every entry. I asked the following questions of each entry;
Are the instruments well played?
Can the vocals be understood?
Do the words and music say the same thing? Do they match?
Does the band play well together as a band?
Is the song writing creative? Are they well written?
Is the song writing doctrinally true? Is it true to Scripture?
Does the album represent Christ (or Christ’s teaching) well?
Do I want to listen to it again?
I offer up here my reviews of the above albums. Some received more attention than others, because some were better than others. Overall, I think there were 4 albums that made me want to listen again. Out of 16, that isn’t a very good average… I put them down in the order in which I reviewed them, for your edification.
1. Drew Brown - Whisper to a Roar
Overall;
Drew is a smooth musician, with nice melodies. He often seemed a little to breathy for my liking, but was overall quite pleasant to listen to. He has his moments of song writing skill, but needs to be consistently more creative. He should write about a much wider range of stuff.
1. Fear Before The Fall - good song, well written
2. Collide -
3. Whisper To A Roar -
4. We Belong - could be a good radio pop song
5. Give - Why the lame voice when addressing God? A shallow worship song…
6. Dark Hills - easy going, good use of symbolism, catchy, nice counterpoint voices
7. Shine - Too repetitive for my liking…
8. Reach Out - same as above, but a cooler song…
9. Come Back Down - Seems to have an odd view of God… “ Come back down, God, let me show You how I feel”, as if God can’t tell…
10. Deep Water - I like this song
11. This Human Fire - This is a good song. Well crafted, patient, building, well written.
As an album, B+
2. Bobby Wall - The Prayer I Pray
Bobby Wall is a preacher, not an artist. A preacher should have a pulpit, but keep his hands off the guitar. The guitars all sound exactly the same, all the way through. It seems to me that an artist would recognise this and do something about it…
Also, this is the first of a number of entries which did not belong in this category, since it is neither rock nor alternative in it’s orientation.
1. Jesus Loves You Anyway - preachy
2. Dependant - anti-earning-your-salvation song, indirectly preachy
3. Freheit - in German, nice harmonies
4. Jesus - shallow Jesus chant, preachy, “how I love you” in minor tones…
5. The Prayer I Pray - has a bad case of that very narrow evangelical imagination…
6. Halal - no thanks…
7. I Love You - six minutes of song #5s problem.
I did not finish listening to this album, since I had had enough by this point. There was no indication to me that the rest of it would be any better.
For future reference to the reader; when I say “Preachy”, I mean that the singer of the song is telling you what to do, how you should act, how you should believe. He is more concerned about you than he is about himself. This is all right and good when one is expounding the Scriptures from the pulpit, but the guitar is not a pulpit. I have heard it said, and I believe it, that directness belongs to the preacher, subtlety belongs to the artist. If he were an artist he would learn how to express those things from the inside out, to use other words to say the same thing. When I listen to music, I don’t want to be told what to think, say, or do; I want to be inspired. I want to be made to think in fresh ways.
As for “…that very narrow evangelical imagination”, imagine that the only thing you can talk about in song is that Jesus died for you, and won’t you please come and trust Him. If this is the theme of every song on your album I am suggesting that you need a bigger imagination. Now; the need for Jesus is a broad topic, and it can be approached in any number of ways, but it requires an artist to absorb this truth so that he actually can approach it from different ways.
3. Blue Veil - Leap Of Faith
This seems to me to be a decent rock band, who would benefit greatly by having a bigger imagination and a better education.
1. Leap Of Faith - listenable rock, melodic, with a rock vocalist
2. Breathe In - Be careful, O Artist, about putting the first two songs in the same key…
3. Take The Flight - funky chords, progressions like old Keaggy stuff (that’s a GOOD thing!). Preachy.
4. Taking It Hard - piano song
5. Searching - good harmonies
6. Jabez - mostly cool
7. Finally - good rock guitars
8. Shadow Of Your Wings - piano, good quiet song, is it really true that “I will hurt no more”?
9. Lost - preachy
10. Stay - If this is a song to the girlfriend, the lyrics are inappropriate. If it is a song to the wife, is she leaving? I couldn’t tell.
11. Guide My Way -
As an album I give it a C.
4. Elektrik Prophet - When The Towers Fall
This is a thematic album, which is a good thing to shoot for. If he can develop his musicianship he may be onto something. The overall production is pretty low-level. The first 4 songs are Act 1; the Dark. Songs 5-7 are Act 2; The Struggle. Songs 8-11 are Act 3; The Light. Songs 12-14 are Act 4; The Stuff
1. Introlude - creative!
2. Land Of Confusion - a Phil Collins song
3. Come To Your Senses - God is preaching to the lost, but I wish He were a better poet… The song is musically subdued, and is too low for the vocalist. The long, ethereal part in the middle of the song is a good idea, but it could be executed better.
4. When The Towers Fall - creative instrumentation and interesting song writing. The fellow needs to develop his voice, it is the weak link in this song.
5. Unborn Persecution - not very creative, fits thematically with the album.
6. Get Ready - he likes ethereal beginnings J 80s or late 70s techno/funk/disco
7. Looking For A Place - preachy. This song seemed weird to me and I couldn’t get over it.
8. Fall On Me - This song is 6:44 too long…
9. You Found Me - a Mike Stand number. This song switches without warning from first person to third person to second person…
10. Your Love Is The Answer - His lack of poetry in this song is made up for by his ability to put himself inside all the language of redemption. Something about the chorus reminds me of a poor man’s Dire Straits.
11. Bow To The Wind - an “I surrender all” song. Could use some better poetry in the verses. Creative musically. ProTools could have fixed some of the stuff slightly out of time…
12. How Can I Deny - A better poet could fix this song.
13. Another Day In Paradise - another Phil Collins song
14. Kevin’s Song - an instrumental ending.
This album seems to be chiastically arranged. Cool! It was better on the second listen than on the first. Not a lot of preachyness, which seems to be a common failure among these bands.
Overall, a C+
5. Manic Drive - Reason For Motion
Manic Drive was much better on the second listen through. These guys are capable songwriters, and are able to make ugly themes ugly. They are not as consistent at this as they need to be, though, and I would hold up the song that garnered the most airplay, “Luckiest” as exhibit A. It has a much brighter theme than the music lets on.
There was consistently static, fuzz, and skipping in virtually every song, which is annoying until you discover that it was done purposely, to point out that the connection between what God says and what we do is not always clear and open. Clever, but still annoying. Good thematic development in the album.
1. Intro - an old piano recording, fuzzy and crackly
2. Something More - dissonant chord structures… “crying out for something more”. Lyrics and music fit quite well.
3. Luckiest - Dissonant chord structures. “You were meant for me, I am the luckiest”, the vocalist roars so as to wreck his voice. Lyrics and music don’t seem to fit at all. Also, I could understand probably 60% of the lyrics when listening closely, and that is NOT enough.
4. Nebulous - Exhortation that you can’t live in two worlds. Good lyrics! I could understand probably 80% of them without consulting the jacket, and they were creative. Worth listening to again. Fuzz and static at the end, like the others.
5. Memories - starts quiet, grows. These guys have a good sense of melody and harmony, which comes out once in awhile. A good strong statement of faith, demonstrating a true knowledge of God.
6. Middle Of It All - a reasonably quiet song, with an acoustic section in the middle. “Ease my mind, make it clear, cause I’m stranded”. Again with fuzz at the end.
7. Only One - This song is full of dissonance and dropouts. A “woe is me” song, not very pleasant to listen to.
8. Aimlessly - Dissonant and ugly, it matches the words. Singer is crying out to be brought back to repentance.
9. Wasting Away - “and I like it!” A picture of a seriously perverse man, who knows he is in trouble and is going to come to a bad end. He knows he needs to be saved from the sin he loves so dearly.
10. Tragedy - “love’s a tragedy”… a letter written to a lover after having made some serious mistake, I think.
11. Crying - Panned guitars at the start. An ugly song. Very dissonant and strange.
12. God singing “I’m alive, I’m still here” in ugly tones. “Just seek and you’ll know”. Seek for God in the ugliness of life and you will find Him? Perhaps. It ends with a piano fadeout, chiastically!
I was a bit bothered by the vision statement of Whiplash Records on their album cover. It sounded to me too much like “We are great and humble, unlike anyone else, so get with us and get with the program, buddy!” Just self-promotion using a curious mix of religious-speak and revolution, which, if they understood it, they should avoid like the plague.
6. Lambs Among Wolves - Great Big God
I don’t think this album should have been in this category. Maybe a couple songs fit, the rest don’t.
1. You Are Love - This woman’s voice reminds me of somebody I heard on the radio in the 80s, I can’t place them. (“Back on the chain gang” is ringing in my ears…) This song works musically, though it’s understanding of God and his relationship to men is questionable. “They need not nail you there, You would have hung there just for me” . “You ask for nothing in return for love”. Yes He does. He wants everything. Also, the lyricist needs to learn how to speak in one direction and not several at once.
2. Deliver Me - This is a good song for the most part. Again, a choice of words that does not make sense, when the word “restoreth” is used in place of “restore”.
3. In Clouds Of Glory - Not a very good song musically.
4. Time - has a bad case of Last Days Madness
5. I Miss You - God sings a quiet love song… hmmm
6. Your Presence Is All I Need - A personal worship song
7. It’s All About You - This is a decent song theologically, if not poetically.
8. Faith - Wow! A Bible story song! This needs to be done more often.
9. Thank You Lord - A quiet song of consecration, nice.
10. Holy Spirit - I thought for a minute there I was listening to Judy Rogers… Another worship song, quite simple.
11. Rainstorm & Thunder - “Don’t you know we are near the end? So trust in Jesus!” There are better motivations, and they need to be explored by these ladies.
12. Separated - This song is 11 minutes long. Clever lyrics… nothing can separate me from the love of God, I am separated by the love of God.
It was hard to like this album on first pass, easier on the second. They seem to have a heart towards God, and God always honors that. The song writing needs to be more refined, it has many rough edges. I was pleased to discover that these girls interact with Bible content in their songs. One would wish that this trait were not a rarity among Christian artists, but unfortunately it is. Good for them!
7. Jodi Faith - Second Chance
No lyrics in the jacket, and the girl on the front certainly doesn’t LOOK like she should be in rock/alternative, but here she is. I plugged it in, and I got thru 4 songs when the thought occurred to me that this may well be the worst album I have ever heard, and I have heard many. Can you spell “Cheesy”?
I could not bear to go on listening. The folks who have encouraged this girl to do music need to be rebuked strongly.
Songwriting, singing, and theology lessons are in order for everyone involved in this project. If Jodi gets a “Third Chance”, which could happen in this strange world of ours, she really needs them all.
And here I was expecting to have my song writing, singing, and theology sensibilities assaulted by some screaming teenager with feed-backing guitars…
8. Isaiah’s Answer - Here Am I
1. Your Beauty - a worship song, not very well written
2. Lord Of Everything - another worship song, also not very well written.
3. Here Am I - sort of Isaiah, but needs a better musical imagination and to stop lapsing into the singers thoughts. If it’s Isaiah, I’d rather hear from Isaiah.
4. Holy Presence - see number two above…
5. Other Than We - This song was cool. It used a different sort of rhythm (9/8) and had a nice melody. A decently written song.
6. If Only - The guitarist is not very proficient. There are several good musical ideas, but the song is not very well composed.
7. Folly - More memorable than some of the others, but the lead guitarist didn’t help the cause.
8. All Around Me - I find it hard to stand this breathy “I-want-to-be-a-star vocal styling to be mentioned in the same sentence as the word “worship”. It screams of falsity.
9. Dear Father - simplistic lyrics, this songwriter needs a much bigger imagination.
10. Come Down - The last 4 songs have been the same acoustic rhythm. Break it up, boys, and learn some new rhythms. This song is a decent one considered by itself.
11. Satisfied - I thought it was going to be a communion song, but I was disappointed to find that the bread and wine were only “spiritual”. Faulty religion, but very common indeed. Repetitive.
12. Call To Worship - I’m glad these guys are worshipping the Lord, but I don’t think I could stand to be in their presence if they are offering this as a call to worship. God calls us to worship, these fellows call us to a rockin’ good time. Please…
I found that a number of the bands whose albums are up for consideration in this rock/alternative category are really “worship bands” in disguise. If you are going to be a rock band, be one. Start using your music for it’s God-designed purpose, which is to glorify His Name, and use it in the place for which it was made; out in the world. Stop thinking that it needs to take place in a worship service. You are only hurting the church in the long run by making her music sound like everything else you listen to. Make Church music sound Churchly.
9. OWB - Case Closed
1. Case Closed - A trial. Is he a Christian or not? Is there enough evidence? Kind of corny…
2. Truth - used the word “there’s” about fifty times. The songwriter needs MUCH more creativity. The timing changes worked. Very preachy.
3. I Surrender - Use your imagination, O songwriter! Religious cliché city… A great long interlude to lengthen an already-too-long song. This guy needs to sing more rock stuff that makes use of his soaring vocals.
4. Come Follow Me - Good that he went to the Scriptures, bad that he doesn’t have a poetic bone in his body. “If you’re having doubts, you’re not worthy to answer his call…” This is false doctrine, made to discourage those weak in faith.
I did not finish listening to this trash, and I do not intend to do so. There are enough bad preachers in the world who browbeat the people of God, and woe is us when they pick up instruments…
10. Q-Town - Breakthrough
1. Smile On Your Face - Happy-clappy reggae, don’t worry, be happy. Jesus loves you and everybody, blah, blah, blah. Preachy.
2. Your Looking At Me - A happy-clappy call to compassion. Preachy.
3. I’m So Happy - Deliberately stupid, because the authors think their campers are stupid, which they probably are if they sing along… Creative, but insulting to the intelligence… happily insulted.
4. Do You Wanna - Somebody loves me, doot do doot do doot… could be that girl, could be Jesus, who knows…
5. Got This Life - happy-clappy thanks for being alive
6. World That You Made - happy-clappy thanks for creation
7. Light Of The World - the best song so far… weird telephone reverb on voices, I don’t know why.
8. Yeah Yeah Yeah - sort of a catchy title, eh? The first words are at 53 seconds, and they are as stupid as can be.
9. Special - “all of us are oh, so special”. Didn’t these guys pay attention when they were watching the Incredibles? When everybody is special, then nobody is. This is a stupid song.
10. Come Change My Life -
11. Breakthrough -
This is a camp band from Q-Town camp in B.C. It seems to me that these folks seriously lack Christian vision, or they wouldn’t be foisting such schlock on their campers. Open your bibles, O songwriters!
11. Resolute - What Have You Been Waiting For?
1. Story For Two - not a very good singer, creative guitars and bass.
2. Lost And Found - I’m not sure if this man has ever played in front of anyone. This song is full of timing changes and tempo changes, which is very difficult to accomplish effectively live.
3. Higher Place - the fellow is a decent songwriter.
4. Be The One - Blah blah blah…
5. Away From You - A straight forward rock and roll song which needs a better title. This one doesn’t capture the mood or essence of the song.
6. Tale Of E Minor - musicating on Em. No Keaggy here…
7. Scars - some better song writing here. The use of high notes to emphasize the high points in the lyrics is lacking, however.
8. Confessions - an eleven-minute epic, which includes 2:11 of dead space in the middle. The guitarist needs to be more proficient.
They left the studio tape running. When they came back and started singing their fine little muzak piece at the end, it became clear to me that these guys are missing their calling. They are WAY better when they are not preaching or aching.
This was not an album that compelled me to listen again, except for the tail end of the last song. Do more muzak, boys!
12. Rule Of Nines - Another Space And Time
This is another album that does not belong in this category on two levels; it is more country than anything else, and it is only nominally Christian. Decent band, though.
1. Coming Home - A very country entry, with a good vocalist and great harmonies. A decent song.
2. Nexus - a classical guitar lead over a strange-timing bass riff and one violin with strings, leading into…
3. Another Space And Time - song writing and lyrics done fairly well, could have been more imaginative musically.
4. Bobby Song - a beautiful country song. A tear-jerker, but Daddy came back…
5. Forever You And I - a creative start with drums and vocals. “I’ll always be there” sort of song, nice sax solo, powerful vocal lead. A pop love song.
6. Listen - counsel to a friend to listen to his wife. Good counsel, but kind of preachy.
7. It’s Time To Dance - This did not seem like a very good song to me.
8. Stand - A preachy exhortation to stop doing nothing.
9. I Won’t Let You Down - another pop love song. See number 5.
10. Reprise… more of the same…
11. Lost In Silence - “I don’t want to live if all I have to give is lost in silence”
12. The Calling - a reprise of number 11...
13. California - “Going to California”… whoopee!
The musicians on this album are generally good, especially the vocalist. It sort of lacks anything distinctly Christian, and just seems to be living in a Christian ethos. No sense of the depth of faith, pretty shallow.
13. Seven Devil Fix - Soundtrack To A Place Unseen
First big no-no; there are no lyrics in the CD jacket, and of all the albums in this lot that needed them it was this entry.
1. Welcome To The Show - Big rock and roll. It seems to be an exhortation to rid concert-goers of inhibitions. Wrong exhortation. Sounds to me like a recipe for how to fix yourself up with seven devils… Guitarist tries to be Hendrix.
2. Brighter - “Something’s brighter than the noonday sun”. It is hard to understand their lyrics. The musicians seem to be quite capable, but lacking musical sense. There is a big scream at the end.
3. Temperance - Is this a wedding song?!? These fellows do not seem to understand that music has meaning, and that not every sort of music is appropriate for every sort of occasion. A screaming noisy wedding song is not appropriate, even if your friends think that’s what they want.
4. Magi - It is hard to understand the words, even in the earphones. The music sounded fine, I think, but if the vocals are not higher in the mix so that they can be heard, the singer may as well shut up. This is supposed to be an adaptation of a Bible story, but how can we tell?
5. Ghostwood - Why the whispering? I can’t hear you when you are singing out loud…”A feeling O so wrong is haunting me” “Haunted by perfection”… If I could hear the words I might be compelled to probe deeper into the meaning of the song.
6. Seed - This song is musically constructed, but again, it is hard to hear the lyrics.
7. Tremendum -
8. The Burden -
9. Song on my Radio -
10. Tent Meeting -
I tried harder to hear carefully with this album than with any of the others, but I was not rewarded accordingly. I am unable to hear what is being sung at least half the time. This is a BIG problem for a band in ANY Christian music category. Don’t set yourself out as a Christian band and then start mumbling. I figure that if you have words in a song, they probably should be heard, and if not heard, removed.
I cannot recommend this album for this reason.
14. That Place - Set Me Free
1. Take Me Back -
2. My Heart Burns - A worship song, cf Ps.84:1 Heart burn for Jesus! Why the telephone reverb? Not too bad…
3. I Am Found - first singing to someone, then to God, without letting the hearer know of the impending switch… Reverb is obscuring the words.
4. Free - cool song, more folk than rock. It is too long, though.
5. The River - There was lots of opportunity to be more creative in the lyrics. Poetic imagination needs to develop.
6. Learning To Fly - cliché city…
7. Colourful - “Free Falling” lick, not sure what it means
8. This Crown - a worship tune, blasé
9. Lend Me Your Hope - some creativity, could be greater
10. 6000 Years - static weird guitars and vocals to start. Sort of a Bob Dylan meets Henry Morris thing. A much more creative song than the others. Bonus song pretty but preachy.
Seemed pretty ho-hum to me as an album, and did not inspire me to listen again.
15. Thousand Foot Krutch - The Art Of Breaking
This is probably the heaviest music band of the bunch, but light years ahead of the rest.
1. Absolute - This guy is a songwriter. Good song construction, I can hear almost all the words. I get the point, and it is a good one.
2. Slow Bleed - verses not very musical. It has a fast vocal, but it can be understood. Music fits the words. Interesting music and timing changes.
3. The Art Of Breaking - This is a good band, they work together really well.
4. Stranger - Music is very fitting. Good band! And good vocalist too.
5. Hurt - a heavy rock song in three quarter time, how about that! Very different from the other songs, with a cool lead vocal.
6. Hand Grenade - An angry song, a person ready to explode. Chaos music, but orchestrated chaos with a driving beat.
7. Move - This fellow has a very emotive voice. The songwriter knows how to mix the music of chaos and order. There are often strong melodies in the midst of weird chords.
8. Hit The Floor -
9. Go - does not match music and message.
10. Make Me A Believer -
11. Breathe You In - starts mellow, in three quarter time. A call for Gods presence.
Overall, a well-made album. Craftsmen at work.
16. Traced Image - Traced Image
1. Introduction - an electronic thing for a few seconds
2. All Is Vanity - Not too pretty, but it does what a rock song should do.
3. Direction - This is a well-written song.
4. Exaltation - I counted it as being in 4/4 time and tried to discern how the lyrics were fitting it (in the first section of the song) but I could not do it. It made no sense to me.
5. Be Like Jesus - a good quiet piano song that builds, with some cool chords in the chorus. This was a decent song.
6. Glory - needs a better lyrical and musical imagination
7. For You - Also short on imagination in every important way.
8. Falter - an instrumental based on Psalm 69. I wonder how you do that…
9. Searching - I think there are other instruments in here but the guitars keep masking them. This song is droning in my ears… time to move on.
10. Loss Of Touch - Lyrically I could not make head nor tail of this song. Loss of touch is an accurate description…
11. Worthy Is Your Name - I wonder if the word “holy” means anything more if you stretch it way out a whole bunch of times. Or “Name”, or “worthy”. I think not. You could have effectively sung the entire message of this song in less than 20 seconds, but it took you 4:48. I think you could use your time more effectively, and at the same time to discontinue stunting the spiritual growth of those who regard this as worship music. Like any good editor, just say no to songs like this.
12. Commotion - It is good to be against the troubles raised by the “commotion” of jealousy, slander, and back-biting, but commotion is raised in many ways, and this kind of music in the worship service has been raising this kind of commotion for years now. If you want to stop the commotion by entering the place of worship, a very effective way is to kick the rock band out.
This album started out as a rock effort, but it devalued into a “worship” effort after about three songs and stayed there the whole rest of the way. I say “devalued” because the destination for this rock music wound up in the sanctuary again when it should be out there confronting the world.
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If I could plead with Canadian songwriters, I would ask them to please start making music for the church that is full of Scripture and that sounds completely distinct from what you hear on the radio. The Church is the great alternative to the kingdoms of this world, and she needs her own language, her own prayers, her own songs. She needs to have different songs, and better songs.
And if you are a rock band who is trying to engage the world, you need to become better poets. And that means learning the Scriptures inside out, internalizing it, then learning how to say things from God in such a way that people will listen to you. Start seeing things thru different eyes than your neighbor does. Then perhaps you will be able to show him things that he has seen a million times in a new light, the light of Christ.
The following albums were included in the packet for “Best Rock & Alternative Album of the Year 2006” for the 2006 SHAI Music Awards;
That Place - Set Me Free
Drew Brown - Whisper To A Roar
Bobby Wall - The Prayer I Pray
Thousand Foot Krutch - The Art Of Breaking
Manic Drive - Reason For Motion
Q-Town - Breakthrough
Resolute - What Have You Been Waiting For?
Blue Veil - Leap Of Faith
Elektrik Prophet - When The Towers Fall
Seven Devil Fix - Soundtrack to a Place Unseen
Rule Of Nines - Another Space And Time
OWB - Case Closed
Lambs Among Wolves - Great Big God
Jodi Faith - Second Chance
Isaiah’s Answer - Here Am I
Traced Image - Traced Image
I was selected to be a judge for the rock/alternative category, so I diligently set out to listen to the latest and greatest in Canadian Christian rock music. Since modern rock is not a thing which falls easily on my ears, I knew going in that I would hear some things that would grate on my nerves, that would savage my sense of musicality; I expected the audible assaults to come from a different place than they ultimately arrived. But I tried to give an honest, musically discerning, theologically attentive listen to every entry. I asked the following questions of each entry;
Are the instruments well played?
Can the vocals be understood?
Do the words and music say the same thing? Do they match?
Does the band play well together as a band?
Is the song writing creative? Are they well written?
Is the song writing doctrinally true? Is it true to Scripture?
Does the album represent Christ (or Christ’s teaching) well?
Do I want to listen to it again?
I offer up here my reviews of the above albums. Some received more attention than others, because some were better than others. Overall, I think there were 4 albums that made me want to listen again. Out of 16, that isn’t a very good average… I put them down in the order in which I reviewed them, for your edification.
1. Drew Brown - Whisper to a Roar
Overall;
Drew is a smooth musician, with nice melodies. He often seemed a little to breathy for my liking, but was overall quite pleasant to listen to. He has his moments of song writing skill, but needs to be consistently more creative. He should write about a much wider range of stuff.
1. Fear Before The Fall - good song, well written
2. Collide -
3. Whisper To A Roar -
4. We Belong - could be a good radio pop song
5. Give - Why the lame voice when addressing God? A shallow worship song…
6. Dark Hills - easy going, good use of symbolism, catchy, nice counterpoint voices
7. Shine - Too repetitive for my liking…
8. Reach Out - same as above, but a cooler song…
9. Come Back Down - Seems to have an odd view of God… “ Come back down, God, let me show You how I feel”, as if God can’t tell…
10. Deep Water - I like this song
11. This Human Fire - This is a good song. Well crafted, patient, building, well written.
As an album, B+
2. Bobby Wall - The Prayer I Pray
Bobby Wall is a preacher, not an artist. A preacher should have a pulpit, but keep his hands off the guitar. The guitars all sound exactly the same, all the way through. It seems to me that an artist would recognise this and do something about it…
Also, this is the first of a number of entries which did not belong in this category, since it is neither rock nor alternative in it’s orientation.
1. Jesus Loves You Anyway - preachy
2. Dependant - anti-earning-your-salvation song, indirectly preachy
3. Freheit - in German, nice harmonies
4. Jesus - shallow Jesus chant, preachy, “how I love you” in minor tones…
5. The Prayer I Pray - has a bad case of that very narrow evangelical imagination…
6. Halal - no thanks…
7. I Love You - six minutes of song #5s problem.
I did not finish listening to this album, since I had had enough by this point. There was no indication to me that the rest of it would be any better.
For future reference to the reader; when I say “Preachy”, I mean that the singer of the song is telling you what to do, how you should act, how you should believe. He is more concerned about you than he is about himself. This is all right and good when one is expounding the Scriptures from the pulpit, but the guitar is not a pulpit. I have heard it said, and I believe it, that directness belongs to the preacher, subtlety belongs to the artist. If he were an artist he would learn how to express those things from the inside out, to use other words to say the same thing. When I listen to music, I don’t want to be told what to think, say, or do; I want to be inspired. I want to be made to think in fresh ways.
As for “…that very narrow evangelical imagination”, imagine that the only thing you can talk about in song is that Jesus died for you, and won’t you please come and trust Him. If this is the theme of every song on your album I am suggesting that you need a bigger imagination. Now; the need for Jesus is a broad topic, and it can be approached in any number of ways, but it requires an artist to absorb this truth so that he actually can approach it from different ways.
3. Blue Veil - Leap Of Faith
This seems to me to be a decent rock band, who would benefit greatly by having a bigger imagination and a better education.
1. Leap Of Faith - listenable rock, melodic, with a rock vocalist
2. Breathe In - Be careful, O Artist, about putting the first two songs in the same key…
3. Take The Flight - funky chords, progressions like old Keaggy stuff (that’s a GOOD thing!). Preachy.
4. Taking It Hard - piano song
5. Searching - good harmonies
6. Jabez - mostly cool
7. Finally - good rock guitars
8. Shadow Of Your Wings - piano, good quiet song, is it really true that “I will hurt no more”?
9. Lost - preachy
10. Stay - If this is a song to the girlfriend, the lyrics are inappropriate. If it is a song to the wife, is she leaving? I couldn’t tell.
11. Guide My Way -
As an album I give it a C.
4. Elektrik Prophet - When The Towers Fall
This is a thematic album, which is a good thing to shoot for. If he can develop his musicianship he may be onto something. The overall production is pretty low-level. The first 4 songs are Act 1; the Dark. Songs 5-7 are Act 2; The Struggle. Songs 8-11 are Act 3; The Light. Songs 12-14 are Act 4; The Stuff
1. Introlude - creative!
2. Land Of Confusion - a Phil Collins song
3. Come To Your Senses - God is preaching to the lost, but I wish He were a better poet… The song is musically subdued, and is too low for the vocalist. The long, ethereal part in the middle of the song is a good idea, but it could be executed better.
4. When The Towers Fall - creative instrumentation and interesting song writing. The fellow needs to develop his voice, it is the weak link in this song.
5. Unborn Persecution - not very creative, fits thematically with the album.
6. Get Ready - he likes ethereal beginnings J 80s or late 70s techno/funk/disco
7. Looking For A Place - preachy. This song seemed weird to me and I couldn’t get over it.
8. Fall On Me - This song is 6:44 too long…
9. You Found Me - a Mike Stand number. This song switches without warning from first person to third person to second person…
10. Your Love Is The Answer - His lack of poetry in this song is made up for by his ability to put himself inside all the language of redemption. Something about the chorus reminds me of a poor man’s Dire Straits.
11. Bow To The Wind - an “I surrender all” song. Could use some better poetry in the verses. Creative musically. ProTools could have fixed some of the stuff slightly out of time…
12. How Can I Deny - A better poet could fix this song.
13. Another Day In Paradise - another Phil Collins song
14. Kevin’s Song - an instrumental ending.
This album seems to be chiastically arranged. Cool! It was better on the second listen than on the first. Not a lot of preachyness, which seems to be a common failure among these bands.
Overall, a C+
5. Manic Drive - Reason For Motion
Manic Drive was much better on the second listen through. These guys are capable songwriters, and are able to make ugly themes ugly. They are not as consistent at this as they need to be, though, and I would hold up the song that garnered the most airplay, “Luckiest” as exhibit A. It has a much brighter theme than the music lets on.
There was consistently static, fuzz, and skipping in virtually every song, which is annoying until you discover that it was done purposely, to point out that the connection between what God says and what we do is not always clear and open. Clever, but still annoying. Good thematic development in the album.
1. Intro - an old piano recording, fuzzy and crackly
2. Something More - dissonant chord structures… “crying out for something more”. Lyrics and music fit quite well.
3. Luckiest - Dissonant chord structures. “You were meant for me, I am the luckiest”, the vocalist roars so as to wreck his voice. Lyrics and music don’t seem to fit at all. Also, I could understand probably 60% of the lyrics when listening closely, and that is NOT enough.
4. Nebulous - Exhortation that you can’t live in two worlds. Good lyrics! I could understand probably 80% of them without consulting the jacket, and they were creative. Worth listening to again. Fuzz and static at the end, like the others.
5. Memories - starts quiet, grows. These guys have a good sense of melody and harmony, which comes out once in awhile. A good strong statement of faith, demonstrating a true knowledge of God.
6. Middle Of It All - a reasonably quiet song, with an acoustic section in the middle. “Ease my mind, make it clear, cause I’m stranded”. Again with fuzz at the end.
7. Only One - This song is full of dissonance and dropouts. A “woe is me” song, not very pleasant to listen to.
8. Aimlessly - Dissonant and ugly, it matches the words. Singer is crying out to be brought back to repentance.
9. Wasting Away - “and I like it!” A picture of a seriously perverse man, who knows he is in trouble and is going to come to a bad end. He knows he needs to be saved from the sin he loves so dearly.
10. Tragedy - “love’s a tragedy”… a letter written to a lover after having made some serious mistake, I think.
11. Crying - Panned guitars at the start. An ugly song. Very dissonant and strange.
12. God singing “I’m alive, I’m still here” in ugly tones. “Just seek and you’ll know”. Seek for God in the ugliness of life and you will find Him? Perhaps. It ends with a piano fadeout, chiastically!
I was a bit bothered by the vision statement of Whiplash Records on their album cover. It sounded to me too much like “We are great and humble, unlike anyone else, so get with us and get with the program, buddy!” Just self-promotion using a curious mix of religious-speak and revolution, which, if they understood it, they should avoid like the plague.
6. Lambs Among Wolves - Great Big God
I don’t think this album should have been in this category. Maybe a couple songs fit, the rest don’t.
1. You Are Love - This woman’s voice reminds me of somebody I heard on the radio in the 80s, I can’t place them. (“Back on the chain gang” is ringing in my ears…) This song works musically, though it’s understanding of God and his relationship to men is questionable. “They need not nail you there, You would have hung there just for me” . “You ask for nothing in return for love”. Yes He does. He wants everything. Also, the lyricist needs to learn how to speak in one direction and not several at once.
2. Deliver Me - This is a good song for the most part. Again, a choice of words that does not make sense, when the word “restoreth” is used in place of “restore”.
3. In Clouds Of Glory - Not a very good song musically.
4. Time - has a bad case of Last Days Madness
5. I Miss You - God sings a quiet love song… hmmm
6. Your Presence Is All I Need - A personal worship song
7. It’s All About You - This is a decent song theologically, if not poetically.
8. Faith - Wow! A Bible story song! This needs to be done more often.
9. Thank You Lord - A quiet song of consecration, nice.
10. Holy Spirit - I thought for a minute there I was listening to Judy Rogers… Another worship song, quite simple.
11. Rainstorm & Thunder - “Don’t you know we are near the end? So trust in Jesus!” There are better motivations, and they need to be explored by these ladies.
12. Separated - This song is 11 minutes long. Clever lyrics… nothing can separate me from the love of God, I am separated by the love of God.
It was hard to like this album on first pass, easier on the second. They seem to have a heart towards God, and God always honors that. The song writing needs to be more refined, it has many rough edges. I was pleased to discover that these girls interact with Bible content in their songs. One would wish that this trait were not a rarity among Christian artists, but unfortunately it is. Good for them!
7. Jodi Faith - Second Chance
No lyrics in the jacket, and the girl on the front certainly doesn’t LOOK like she should be in rock/alternative, but here she is. I plugged it in, and I got thru 4 songs when the thought occurred to me that this may well be the worst album I have ever heard, and I have heard many. Can you spell “Cheesy”?
I could not bear to go on listening. The folks who have encouraged this girl to do music need to be rebuked strongly.
Songwriting, singing, and theology lessons are in order for everyone involved in this project. If Jodi gets a “Third Chance”, which could happen in this strange world of ours, she really needs them all.
And here I was expecting to have my song writing, singing, and theology sensibilities assaulted by some screaming teenager with feed-backing guitars…
8. Isaiah’s Answer - Here Am I
1. Your Beauty - a worship song, not very well written
2. Lord Of Everything - another worship song, also not very well written.
3. Here Am I - sort of Isaiah, but needs a better musical imagination and to stop lapsing into the singers thoughts. If it’s Isaiah, I’d rather hear from Isaiah.
4. Holy Presence - see number two above…
5. Other Than We - This song was cool. It used a different sort of rhythm (9/8) and had a nice melody. A decently written song.
6. If Only - The guitarist is not very proficient. There are several good musical ideas, but the song is not very well composed.
7. Folly - More memorable than some of the others, but the lead guitarist didn’t help the cause.
8. All Around Me - I find it hard to stand this breathy “I-want-to-be-a-star vocal styling to be mentioned in the same sentence as the word “worship”. It screams of falsity.
9. Dear Father - simplistic lyrics, this songwriter needs a much bigger imagination.
10. Come Down - The last 4 songs have been the same acoustic rhythm. Break it up, boys, and learn some new rhythms. This song is a decent one considered by itself.
11. Satisfied - I thought it was going to be a communion song, but I was disappointed to find that the bread and wine were only “spiritual”. Faulty religion, but very common indeed. Repetitive.
12. Call To Worship - I’m glad these guys are worshipping the Lord, but I don’t think I could stand to be in their presence if they are offering this as a call to worship. God calls us to worship, these fellows call us to a rockin’ good time. Please…
I found that a number of the bands whose albums are up for consideration in this rock/alternative category are really “worship bands” in disguise. If you are going to be a rock band, be one. Start using your music for it’s God-designed purpose, which is to glorify His Name, and use it in the place for which it was made; out in the world. Stop thinking that it needs to take place in a worship service. You are only hurting the church in the long run by making her music sound like everything else you listen to. Make Church music sound Churchly.
9. OWB - Case Closed
1. Case Closed - A trial. Is he a Christian or not? Is there enough evidence? Kind of corny…
2. Truth - used the word “there’s” about fifty times. The songwriter needs MUCH more creativity. The timing changes worked. Very preachy.
3. I Surrender - Use your imagination, O songwriter! Religious cliché city… A great long interlude to lengthen an already-too-long song. This guy needs to sing more rock stuff that makes use of his soaring vocals.
4. Come Follow Me - Good that he went to the Scriptures, bad that he doesn’t have a poetic bone in his body. “If you’re having doubts, you’re not worthy to answer his call…” This is false doctrine, made to discourage those weak in faith.
I did not finish listening to this trash, and I do not intend to do so. There are enough bad preachers in the world who browbeat the people of God, and woe is us when they pick up instruments…
10. Q-Town - Breakthrough
1. Smile On Your Face - Happy-clappy reggae, don’t worry, be happy. Jesus loves you and everybody, blah, blah, blah. Preachy.
2. Your Looking At Me - A happy-clappy call to compassion. Preachy.
3. I’m So Happy - Deliberately stupid, because the authors think their campers are stupid, which they probably are if they sing along… Creative, but insulting to the intelligence… happily insulted.
4. Do You Wanna - Somebody loves me, doot do doot do doot… could be that girl, could be Jesus, who knows…
5. Got This Life - happy-clappy thanks for being alive
6. World That You Made - happy-clappy thanks for creation
7. Light Of The World - the best song so far… weird telephone reverb on voices, I don’t know why.
8. Yeah Yeah Yeah - sort of a catchy title, eh? The first words are at 53 seconds, and they are as stupid as can be.
9. Special - “all of us are oh, so special”. Didn’t these guys pay attention when they were watching the Incredibles? When everybody is special, then nobody is. This is a stupid song.
10. Come Change My Life -
11. Breakthrough -
This is a camp band from Q-Town camp in B.C. It seems to me that these folks seriously lack Christian vision, or they wouldn’t be foisting such schlock on their campers. Open your bibles, O songwriters!
11. Resolute - What Have You Been Waiting For?
1. Story For Two - not a very good singer, creative guitars and bass.
2. Lost And Found - I’m not sure if this man has ever played in front of anyone. This song is full of timing changes and tempo changes, which is very difficult to accomplish effectively live.
3. Higher Place - the fellow is a decent songwriter.
4. Be The One - Blah blah blah…
5. Away From You - A straight forward rock and roll song which needs a better title. This one doesn’t capture the mood or essence of the song.
6. Tale Of E Minor - musicating on Em. No Keaggy here…
7. Scars - some better song writing here. The use of high notes to emphasize the high points in the lyrics is lacking, however.
8. Confessions - an eleven-minute epic, which includes 2:11 of dead space in the middle. The guitarist needs to be more proficient.
They left the studio tape running. When they came back and started singing their fine little muzak piece at the end, it became clear to me that these guys are missing their calling. They are WAY better when they are not preaching or aching.
This was not an album that compelled me to listen again, except for the tail end of the last song. Do more muzak, boys!
12. Rule Of Nines - Another Space And Time
This is another album that does not belong in this category on two levels; it is more country than anything else, and it is only nominally Christian. Decent band, though.
1. Coming Home - A very country entry, with a good vocalist and great harmonies. A decent song.
2. Nexus - a classical guitar lead over a strange-timing bass riff and one violin with strings, leading into…
3. Another Space And Time - song writing and lyrics done fairly well, could have been more imaginative musically.
4. Bobby Song - a beautiful country song. A tear-jerker, but Daddy came back…
5. Forever You And I - a creative start with drums and vocals. “I’ll always be there” sort of song, nice sax solo, powerful vocal lead. A pop love song.
6. Listen - counsel to a friend to listen to his wife. Good counsel, but kind of preachy.
7. It’s Time To Dance - This did not seem like a very good song to me.
8. Stand - A preachy exhortation to stop doing nothing.
9. I Won’t Let You Down - another pop love song. See number 5.
10. Reprise… more of the same…
11. Lost In Silence - “I don’t want to live if all I have to give is lost in silence”
12. The Calling - a reprise of number 11...
13. California - “Going to California”… whoopee!
The musicians on this album are generally good, especially the vocalist. It sort of lacks anything distinctly Christian, and just seems to be living in a Christian ethos. No sense of the depth of faith, pretty shallow.
13. Seven Devil Fix - Soundtrack To A Place Unseen
First big no-no; there are no lyrics in the CD jacket, and of all the albums in this lot that needed them it was this entry.
1. Welcome To The Show - Big rock and roll. It seems to be an exhortation to rid concert-goers of inhibitions. Wrong exhortation. Sounds to me like a recipe for how to fix yourself up with seven devils… Guitarist tries to be Hendrix.
2. Brighter - “Something’s brighter than the noonday sun”. It is hard to understand their lyrics. The musicians seem to be quite capable, but lacking musical sense. There is a big scream at the end.
3. Temperance - Is this a wedding song?!? These fellows do not seem to understand that music has meaning, and that not every sort of music is appropriate for every sort of occasion. A screaming noisy wedding song is not appropriate, even if your friends think that’s what they want.
4. Magi - It is hard to understand the words, even in the earphones. The music sounded fine, I think, but if the vocals are not higher in the mix so that they can be heard, the singer may as well shut up. This is supposed to be an adaptation of a Bible story, but how can we tell?
5. Ghostwood - Why the whispering? I can’t hear you when you are singing out loud…”A feeling O so wrong is haunting me” “Haunted by perfection”… If I could hear the words I might be compelled to probe deeper into the meaning of the song.
6. Seed - This song is musically constructed, but again, it is hard to hear the lyrics.
7. Tremendum -
8. The Burden -
9. Song on my Radio -
10. Tent Meeting -
I tried harder to hear carefully with this album than with any of the others, but I was not rewarded accordingly. I am unable to hear what is being sung at least half the time. This is a BIG problem for a band in ANY Christian music category. Don’t set yourself out as a Christian band and then start mumbling. I figure that if you have words in a song, they probably should be heard, and if not heard, removed.
I cannot recommend this album for this reason.
14. That Place - Set Me Free
1. Take Me Back -
2. My Heart Burns - A worship song, cf Ps.84:1 Heart burn for Jesus! Why the telephone reverb? Not too bad…
3. I Am Found - first singing to someone, then to God, without letting the hearer know of the impending switch… Reverb is obscuring the words.
4. Free - cool song, more folk than rock. It is too long, though.
5. The River - There was lots of opportunity to be more creative in the lyrics. Poetic imagination needs to develop.
6. Learning To Fly - cliché city…
7. Colourful - “Free Falling” lick, not sure what it means
8. This Crown - a worship tune, blasé
9. Lend Me Your Hope - some creativity, could be greater
10. 6000 Years - static weird guitars and vocals to start. Sort of a Bob Dylan meets Henry Morris thing. A much more creative song than the others. Bonus song pretty but preachy.
Seemed pretty ho-hum to me as an album, and did not inspire me to listen again.
15. Thousand Foot Krutch - The Art Of Breaking
This is probably the heaviest music band of the bunch, but light years ahead of the rest.
1. Absolute - This guy is a songwriter. Good song construction, I can hear almost all the words. I get the point, and it is a good one.
2. Slow Bleed - verses not very musical. It has a fast vocal, but it can be understood. Music fits the words. Interesting music and timing changes.
3. The Art Of Breaking - This is a good band, they work together really well.
4. Stranger - Music is very fitting. Good band! And good vocalist too.
5. Hurt - a heavy rock song in three quarter time, how about that! Very different from the other songs, with a cool lead vocal.
6. Hand Grenade - An angry song, a person ready to explode. Chaos music, but orchestrated chaos with a driving beat.
7. Move - This fellow has a very emotive voice. The songwriter knows how to mix the music of chaos and order. There are often strong melodies in the midst of weird chords.
8. Hit The Floor -
9. Go - does not match music and message.
10. Make Me A Believer -
11. Breathe You In - starts mellow, in three quarter time. A call for Gods presence.
Overall, a well-made album. Craftsmen at work.
16. Traced Image - Traced Image
1. Introduction - an electronic thing for a few seconds
2. All Is Vanity - Not too pretty, but it does what a rock song should do.
3. Direction - This is a well-written song.
4. Exaltation - I counted it as being in 4/4 time and tried to discern how the lyrics were fitting it (in the first section of the song) but I could not do it. It made no sense to me.
5. Be Like Jesus - a good quiet piano song that builds, with some cool chords in the chorus. This was a decent song.
6. Glory - needs a better lyrical and musical imagination
7. For You - Also short on imagination in every important way.
8. Falter - an instrumental based on Psalm 69. I wonder how you do that…
9. Searching - I think there are other instruments in here but the guitars keep masking them. This song is droning in my ears… time to move on.
10. Loss Of Touch - Lyrically I could not make head nor tail of this song. Loss of touch is an accurate description…
11. Worthy Is Your Name - I wonder if the word “holy” means anything more if you stretch it way out a whole bunch of times. Or “Name”, or “worthy”. I think not. You could have effectively sung the entire message of this song in less than 20 seconds, but it took you 4:48. I think you could use your time more effectively, and at the same time to discontinue stunting the spiritual growth of those who regard this as worship music. Like any good editor, just say no to songs like this.
12. Commotion - It is good to be against the troubles raised by the “commotion” of jealousy, slander, and back-biting, but commotion is raised in many ways, and this kind of music in the worship service has been raising this kind of commotion for years now. If you want to stop the commotion by entering the place of worship, a very effective way is to kick the rock band out.
This album started out as a rock effort, but it devalued into a “worship” effort after about three songs and stayed there the whole rest of the way. I say “devalued” because the destination for this rock music wound up in the sanctuary again when it should be out there confronting the world.
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If I could plead with Canadian songwriters, I would ask them to please start making music for the church that is full of Scripture and that sounds completely distinct from what you hear on the radio. The Church is the great alternative to the kingdoms of this world, and she needs her own language, her own prayers, her own songs. She needs to have different songs, and better songs.
And if you are a rock band who is trying to engage the world, you need to become better poets. And that means learning the Scriptures inside out, internalizing it, then learning how to say things from God in such a way that people will listen to you. Start seeing things thru different eyes than your neighbor does. Then perhaps you will be able to show him things that he has seen a million times in a new light, the light of Christ.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
WOG contents
I have been in the studio for the last week laying down tracks for the next CD, Weight Of Glory. Craig Learmont (my engineer and co-musician) and I have been having a great time building these songs.
WOG will be more of an adult oriented album, though still kid friendly, I suppose. It will consist mostly of songs that started out being written as kids songs but didn't end up being kids songs. I am employing the same fashion of order, sweeping thru the Bible chronologically. Here is a brief description of what will be covered...
1. Cain - a lament over Cain
2. Waiting For Me - the patriarch Joseph rejoices over his wife
3. I've Got A Day - a recently delivered, faithful Israelite reflects on God's gracious gift of the Sabbath
4. Shiloh - Joshua is troubled by the Israelites at the midpoint of the conquest of the land
5. Under His Wings - Ruth's passionate plea to Naomi
6. Ahithophel - David regrets a broken relationship
7. Confession Of A Fool - Psalm 14 with a plea for God to move
8. Crying - Lady Wisdom cries aloud in the streets
9. What Are You Doing Here - The Lord confronts Elijah in the wilderness
10. Who Knows - Mordecai's plea to Esther
11. Jesus Is Here - Prophets, priests and kings rejoice at Jesus coming
12. Still Awake In Nazareth - Joseph prays before going to sleep
13. Son - a Christmas hymn in word pictures
14. Blessed - the beatitudes
15. Soul - an internal conversation with oneself
16. Weight Of Glory - rejoicing in God's promises
17. This Confidence In Me - Paul's Lord, John's Lord, my Lord
Back again this coming week to finish.
WOG will be more of an adult oriented album, though still kid friendly, I suppose. It will consist mostly of songs that started out being written as kids songs but didn't end up being kids songs. I am employing the same fashion of order, sweeping thru the Bible chronologically. Here is a brief description of what will be covered...
1. Cain - a lament over Cain
2. Waiting For Me - the patriarch Joseph rejoices over his wife
3. I've Got A Day - a recently delivered, faithful Israelite reflects on God's gracious gift of the Sabbath
4. Shiloh - Joshua is troubled by the Israelites at the midpoint of the conquest of the land
5. Under His Wings - Ruth's passionate plea to Naomi
6. Ahithophel - David regrets a broken relationship
7. Confession Of A Fool - Psalm 14 with a plea for God to move
8. Crying - Lady Wisdom cries aloud in the streets
9. What Are You Doing Here - The Lord confronts Elijah in the wilderness
10. Who Knows - Mordecai's plea to Esther
11. Jesus Is Here - Prophets, priests and kings rejoice at Jesus coming
12. Still Awake In Nazareth - Joseph prays before going to sleep
13. Son - a Christmas hymn in word pictures
14. Blessed - the beatitudes
15. Soul - an internal conversation with oneself
16. Weight Of Glory - rejoicing in God's promises
17. This Confidence In Me - Paul's Lord, John's Lord, my Lord
Back again this coming week to finish.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Trinity Fest
It is a packing day for Trinity Fest. The whole family is coming along, and we are doing a concert in Moscow at the Nuart Theater at 4 PM on Tuesday, Aug. 7. Should be fun!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
...and the Deathly Hallows
The previous books have been good, very good indeed. But this one is a masterpiece. If there was any doubt before about what story J.K. Rowling is telling, there is none anymore. A Christian fantasyist, indeed. And a very good one. Way to go, J.K. Rowling!
Harry Potter
I was, once upon a time, quite unwilling to read Harry Potter books. The great buzz arising because of them seemed to me to be coming from the public schools, which was proof positive that they must be pretty bad... What I kept hearing about them was that they were all about witchcraft, and were getting kids interested in seances and so forth. "Why bother?", thought I. "That is not what I want for my kids."
In Red Deer our family lived across the street from an excellent young lady who had become a good friend to Timbrel and Zion. Tasha was a very bright 10 year old, and she would tell them about the Harry Potter books she had been reading. Much to her suprise, T & Z told her that their Dad didn't want them reading those books... "Why not?" she said. "Go ask him." they said, and so she did.
"They're really good books, Mr. Soles. Why don't you want your kids to read them?" "I'm not very interested in having them grow up wanting to be witches." "Well I don't want to do that either, but they don't do that at all anyway, Mr Soles, they are just good stories. I'll tell you what; I will lend you my copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and you can read it yourself. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it to your kids."
What could I say? She was our friend, and you don't just dismiss your friends ideas for nothing, not if you want to keep them... I agreed to read the book. I felt that it would be wise if I started with the first book instead of the third, so I started looking around for it at garage sales, so I didn't have to spend too much money on this foolishness. It took me almost three weeks of humming and hawing before I could bring myself to get at it, but when I did, I was hooked.
I had understood them to be gateways into occultism; what I discovered in the book was a world in which you didn't study to become a wizard, you were born a wizard, and no amount of study could make you one if you were not born one. No gateways there. Instead, I found a world where the things that were prized were friendship, and bravery, and loyalty, and creativity, and self-sacrifice.
I went garage-saleing for more that weekend, and found books 2 & 3 for cheap, then book 4, which had just come out, at a house where (as the lady explained to me) the daughter had been given two hardcover copies. And I went home and read them to my kids. And gave Tasha back her copy.
Ever since getting over my initial reluctance to read them, I have found them to be delightful, with very Christian themes dominating the stories. She pokes fun at all the right sorts of people, and deals with issues that seriously afflict the modern world, always giving the good answers. Learning to do what is right over doing what is easy, for instance. If one wanted to encapsulate the theme of each book in a sentence, book two would have to be "Watch out for what is in your children's school textbooks, it could be harmful!"
Christian, J.K. Rowling is your friend. Read her books. They are among the best Christian literature that has been made in the last 60 years.
In Red Deer our family lived across the street from an excellent young lady who had become a good friend to Timbrel and Zion. Tasha was a very bright 10 year old, and she would tell them about the Harry Potter books she had been reading. Much to her suprise, T & Z told her that their Dad didn't want them reading those books... "Why not?" she said. "Go ask him." they said, and so she did.
"They're really good books, Mr. Soles. Why don't you want your kids to read them?" "I'm not very interested in having them grow up wanting to be witches." "Well I don't want to do that either, but they don't do that at all anyway, Mr Soles, they are just good stories. I'll tell you what; I will lend you my copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and you can read it yourself. If you don't like it, then you don't have to read it to your kids."
What could I say? She was our friend, and you don't just dismiss your friends ideas for nothing, not if you want to keep them... I agreed to read the book. I felt that it would be wise if I started with the first book instead of the third, so I started looking around for it at garage sales, so I didn't have to spend too much money on this foolishness. It took me almost three weeks of humming and hawing before I could bring myself to get at it, but when I did, I was hooked.
I had understood them to be gateways into occultism; what I discovered in the book was a world in which you didn't study to become a wizard, you were born a wizard, and no amount of study could make you one if you were not born one. No gateways there. Instead, I found a world where the things that were prized were friendship, and bravery, and loyalty, and creativity, and self-sacrifice.
I went garage-saleing for more that weekend, and found books 2 & 3 for cheap, then book 4, which had just come out, at a house where (as the lady explained to me) the daughter had been given two hardcover copies. And I went home and read them to my kids. And gave Tasha back her copy.
Ever since getting over my initial reluctance to read them, I have found them to be delightful, with very Christian themes dominating the stories. She pokes fun at all the right sorts of people, and deals with issues that seriously afflict the modern world, always giving the good answers. Learning to do what is right over doing what is easy, for instance. If one wanted to encapsulate the theme of each book in a sentence, book two would have to be "Watch out for what is in your children's school textbooks, it could be harmful!"
Christian, J.K. Rowling is your friend. Read her books. They are among the best Christian literature that has been made in the last 60 years.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
What next?
I am pretty sure I will be recording Weight Of Glory when I go down to the studio in August.
I counted up, and I have 50 songs to record from the Psalms, and no good sense yet of what order in which to record them. That is at least 3 albums worth of Psalm material, which would be difficult indeed to record all at once. Most of them, I think, are fairly decent songs, some of them really good, and some of them useful for congregations, but...
These Weight Of Glory songs are ones that for one reason or another did not wind up on my kids CDs; either they were too grown-up, or they didn't quite fit thematically, or they were not written as kids songs. They have been collecting on the periphery of my work for years, and if they keep collecting I'm going to have another Psalm problem on my hands... :-) (I suppose I already do. I have a bunch of old worship songs that were pretty good too.) I just played again thru the list of songs for WOG, and they are almost all really good songs. I think it would be a great album.
I have been torn of late between doing what I know is useful (Psalm albums) and what is also useful (WOG) but in ways not quite so evident as the Psalms.
But when I played them again I said 'This has got to get done soon!" and August is soon. So, Weight Of Glory it is.
Blessings!
Jamie
I counted up, and I have 50 songs to record from the Psalms, and no good sense yet of what order in which to record them. That is at least 3 albums worth of Psalm material, which would be difficult indeed to record all at once. Most of them, I think, are fairly decent songs, some of them really good, and some of them useful for congregations, but...
These Weight Of Glory songs are ones that for one reason or another did not wind up on my kids CDs; either they were too grown-up, or they didn't quite fit thematically, or they were not written as kids songs. They have been collecting on the periphery of my work for years, and if they keep collecting I'm going to have another Psalm problem on my hands... :-) (I suppose I already do. I have a bunch of old worship songs that were pretty good too.) I just played again thru the list of songs for WOG, and they are almost all really good songs. I think it would be a great album.
I have been torn of late between doing what I know is useful (Psalm albums) and what is also useful (WOG) but in ways not quite so evident as the Psalms.
But when I played them again I said 'This has got to get done soon!" and August is soon. So, Weight Of Glory it is.
Blessings!
Jamie
Friday, June 29, 2007
St. Louis trip
I feel like I had a successful trip to St. Louis. It was a pleasure to meet face to face several ladies and gentlemen that I had only known via email. It seems that God's people were encouraged and blessed by the music I made.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places indeed. I love writing and performing my music, and it seems to do people a great deal of good to hear and assimilate it. I make CDs, people buy them and are blessed, and we have food on the table and more. Who could ask for anything better?
So thanks first of all to the Lord Jesus, for whom I sing. And then thanks is also due to the many who worked at organising concerts in St. Louis, Carbondale, and Birmingham. Thanks also to the many folks who bought my CDs at the homeschool conference and at the concerts. May you be blessed over and over. And may your children have Bible stories down in their bones!
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places indeed. I love writing and performing my music, and it seems to do people a great deal of good to hear and assimilate it. I make CDs, people buy them and are blessed, and we have food on the table and more. Who could ask for anything better?
So thanks first of all to the Lord Jesus, for whom I sing. And then thanks is also due to the many who worked at organising concerts in St. Louis, Carbondale, and Birmingham. Thanks also to the many folks who bought my CDs at the homeschool conference and at the concerts. May you be blessed over and over. And may your children have Bible stories down in their bones!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
F&P Songs
1) These Are The Prophets - a brief overview
2) Shall I Hide - God approaching Abraham to tell him about Sodom & Gommorah
3) What Prophets Do - Abimelech and Abraham
4) Golden Calf - Moses pleads with God on Israel's behalf
5) Dust Of Jacob - Balaam's first two prophecies over Israel
6) You Are The Man - Nathan the prophet confronts David about Bathsheba
7) Micaiah - The prophet Micaiah's jailer offers him some counsel
8) Chariots - Elisha tells the story of Elijah's last day
9) Bethel - a consideration of the bears and the boys at Bethel
10) Reeling In Jonah - God counsels Jonah
11) Run! - a young prophet anoints Jehu as king over Israel
12) Man Next Door - the girl next door to the prophet Hosea is dubious
13) Sign And A Wonder - a boy in Ezekiel's village tells his friends what he has seen.
14) Second Year - Daniel tells the story of his ascension to power.
15) Buy A Field - Jeremiah puzzles over God's command
16) Down Jerusalem - Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem, but is also relieved.
17) Gates Of Nain - the widow of Nain watches Jesus raise her son back to life.
18) Repent - Jesus is the Prophet who comes from the Lord
2) Shall I Hide - God approaching Abraham to tell him about Sodom & Gommorah
3) What Prophets Do - Abimelech and Abraham
4) Golden Calf - Moses pleads with God on Israel's behalf
5) Dust Of Jacob - Balaam's first two prophecies over Israel
6) You Are The Man - Nathan the prophet confronts David about Bathsheba
7) Micaiah - The prophet Micaiah's jailer offers him some counsel
8) Chariots - Elisha tells the story of Elijah's last day
9) Bethel - a consideration of the bears and the boys at Bethel
10) Reeling In Jonah - God counsels Jonah
11) Run! - a young prophet anoints Jehu as king over Israel
12) Man Next Door - the girl next door to the prophet Hosea is dubious
13) Sign And A Wonder - a boy in Ezekiel's village tells his friends what he has seen.
14) Second Year - Daniel tells the story of his ascension to power.
15) Buy A Field - Jeremiah puzzles over God's command
16) Down Jerusalem - Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem, but is also relieved.
17) Gates Of Nain - the widow of Nain watches Jesus raise her son back to life.
18) Repent - Jesus is the Prophet who comes from the Lord
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