Grace Hotel
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Album Reviews

MercyMe returns from the platinum and Dove Award buzz of Almost There and Spoken For with Undone. It's a melody-rich album that mixes soaring balladry with a little fizzy rock pizzazz, tying everything together with Bart Millard's easygoing vocal and faith-based lyrics. "Where You Lead Me" kicks off the album, building from a spare acoustic guitar and vocal to an outsized crescendo of keening synthesizers and the cleansed racket of the band's two guitarists (Barry Graul was added to the lineup in 2003). That formula also guides "Everything Possible," though it opts for a more propulsive beat, and also features a cool instrumental breakdown full of chunky power chords. Lyrically, it's the usual devotion to the Big JC — the lush "Here With Me" might be a Robbie Williams pop gem were it not for its devotional bent. At the same time, Millard also spends time on Undone dealing with the relationship between his faith and his earthly worries and responsibilities. "How can I further Your kingdom/When I'm so wrapped up in mine?" he asks in "In the Blink of an Eye." "Though I'm living the good life/Can my life be something great?" The lines reference Millard and MercyMe's still-fresh ascendancy to CCM's upper crust, where more pressure and bigger tours probably put a premium on praise & worship time. "Homesick" is a delicate ballad about being apart, while the atmospheric title track is full of quiet resignation. With its slick production and MercyMe's full lineup of guitars, percussion, and keys, Undone suggests the tangent of Nashville contemporary country that favors straightforward pop melody over any sort of hard twang. Likewise, the album's more upbeat moments reflect the trend in secular adult alternative toward earnest vocals over whitewashed rock (à la Vertical Horizon). Both sounds work well for MercyMe on Undone, doubtless giving fans of the band's music and devotion plenty more to believe in.

~ Johnny Loftus

When I listened to this album for the first time, I was alarmed by the change in Big Daddy Weaves musical style. For example, on the opening track, "Set Me Free", there is no saxophone, and the electric guitar is more prominent. This is in sharp contrast with "In Christ," the opening track of One and Only. I also heard this change in "Fields of Grace", "Heart Cries Holy", "Everything You Are", and "Be Your Everything". Its not that I dont like rock, but I wondered what brought about the change. However, the saxophone isnt completely gone. You can hear it in "Why", "New Every Morning", "Pharisee", and "You in Me". I especially like the use of the baritone saxophone in "New Every Morning" and the sax part in the middle of "You in Me". So while the style has changed somewhat, its not entirely different. But the message of the songs is whats most important. For example, the title track talks about a personal relationship with God which is much more than just religion. "Everything You Are" is a great worship chorus, which I hope well eventually start singing in church, though Im sure most people will want to sing it in a lower key. "Be Your Everything" expresses Gods desire that we bring all of our concerns to Him. "Pharisee" talks about hypocrisy and the freedom that we find in Christ. And "Completely Free" is a simple, beautiful presentation of the Gospel. I highly recommend this album. The style has changed, but I still like it, and the message is great!