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Album Reviews
What's the deal with all the hymns albums lately?
Everywhere you look, everyone's doing an album full of
hymns. Ashley Cleveland, Margaret Becker, Out of
Eden, Amy Grant, the list goes on...
But you can bet on Jars of Clay doing anything
refreshingly different with wonder-filled vitality, so
I'm willing
to offer the benefit of the doubt. And it's well-earned;
instead of merely re-recording the same old hymns, the
Jars
guys have picked a selection of great classics that for
the most part, aren't among the best-known, but are every
bit as great.
The added twist is that instead of merely rejuvinating
these standards, they perform each song as if it were an
original of their own. Sometimes this results in
rewritten music; sometimes it's a whole new spin that's
familiar,
yet strikingly faithful to Jars of Clay's signature
sound.
The guys get some impressive help from the likes of Sarah
Kelly (who harmonizes extremely well with Dan
Haseltine on the fantastic "I'll Fly Away"), Blind Boys
of Alabama (a killer blues/funk "Nothing But the
Blood"), and Martin Smith (on the U2-like "Let Us Love
and Sing and Wonder"). But some of the very best
moments are the least assuming; the simplistic rendition
of "I Need Thee Every Hour" is honed to acoustic/folk
perfection, and "It Is Well With My Soul," which somehow
manages to combine a vocal arrangement reminiscent
of the Beach Boys with a groove that evokes the Beatles.
Even though the group is painting on a predefined canvas,
Redemption Songs finds Jars of Clay at possibly its
highest creative peak to-date. There's such an outpouring
of creative fire at work, you can practically feel the
band experimenting, feeding off of each other's energy,
following their artistic instincts to their best possible
conclusions.
It's an experience like no other and a trip down memory
lane all wrapped up into one, and it's a ride I highly
recommend.
~Robin Parrish
The
liner notes for Redemption Songs state, "You have
in your hands a collection of VERY OLD WORDS set to
almost completely MODERN MUSIC. The music comes for a
place of TRUE REVERENCE and appreciation for the RICHNESS
OF OUR PAST and an attempt to leap across YEARS and
articulate that past in a language that could be EMBRACED
by us as 21st century people of faith."
That pretty much sums up this Jars of Clay project. Dan
Haseltine's familiar voice reverently shares classic
songs of the past, many of them familiar to those of us
who grew up with hardcover church hymnals in the days
before projectors took over. I liked this CD the first
time I listened to it, and I think I've grown to like it
more each time I hear it again. The music is sometimes
quite true to the original tune, and sometimes quite new,
but the message stays the same. From classic hymns like
I Need Thee Every Hour, Nothing But The Blood
and It is Well With My Soul to more chorus-style
songs like They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,
the music is tasteful and the lyrics make a clear
statement.
One of the standouts is I'll Fly Away. Rather than
the usual fast-paced bluegrass sound, Haseltine performs
in a contemplative style accompanied by Sarah Kelly,
whose bluesy vocals add the perfect touch. Other guest
artists include The Blind Boys of Alabama, Martin Smith
of Delirious and Andy Osenga of Caedmon's Call.
My only complaint is that the bird on the cover art
reminds me of the Partridge Family, which in no way
portends the style of music found on this excellent CD.
Still, it did make me happy (if you understood
that allusion you're either old, or you watch too much
Nikelodeon).
~Randy Brandt
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