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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Just to bring you up to speed, here is Refresher Course 101. Do you remember the Dime Store Prophets? They had two underrated, underappreciated albums on Five Minute Walk/Sarabellum Records, 1995's Love Is Against the Grain and 1997's Fantastic Distraction. How about Justin Stevens, whose Mello Dramatica EP was honored in 1998 as one of Phantom Tollbooth's Indie Albums of the Year? If either rings a bell with you, than Justin Dillon, AKA Justin Dillon Stevens, is already a familiar name. If not, suffice it to say that Justin Dillon was the creative force, principal lyricist, and frontman on guitar and vocals for these three previous aforementioned projects. The sort-of self-titled album Justin Dillon & The Brilliantines marks his fourth release and the subject of this review. Of course, if you are anything like me and file your CDs and tapes alphabetically, it's now time to move the Justin Dillon Stevens EP up into the D's next to Dillon and Dime Store where it appropriately belongs. For the purpose of this review, the new album shall henceforth be referred to as Mode Selector, a shorter name taken from the picture on the album's cover. Class dismissed. Like Lenny Kravitz, Justin Dillon has an uncanny knack for revisiting the past and reinterpreting older musical styles into something fresh and exciting for contemporary audiences. Mode Selector sounds 100% like an album appropriate to usher in the 21st Century, yet an impressive diversity of musical styles recall bands and sounds beyond the obvious comparison to Dillon's previous work with the Dime Store Prophets. Listen carefully, and you'll hear a bit of Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Chris Isaac, The Wallflowers--even a slice of the Bay City Rollers and a whole lot of what makes Justin Dillon a unique artist in his own right. Justin Dillon has an impressive band backing him up for this outing. Fans of the now defunct band Dryve will appreciating hearing Keith Andrew on drums and Steve Pratschner on guitar, as well as former Prophet Sam Hernandez on bass and keyboards. Dillon himself contributes his guitar work (ranging from jangly to funky), and his distinct, pleasant and passionate vocal delivery. Dillon's particular ability to convincingly mine the past for present musical inspiration is only one part of what makes Mode Selector so refreshingly welcome to any CD collection. In the official JDS Newsletter #1, Dillon confesses "My desire to communicate has always been the half brother of my desire to write and play music. I found that I wanted more synergy between the two and less chasing after the magic rabbit that is Rock and Roll." This introspection lead to an increased focus in his songwriting on grace, mercy, forgiveness, hope and all the beauty and mystery that they possess, which according to Dillon is found in "the broken and bloodied soil at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ." The direct result of this new focus is a largely worship-oriented album that sounds and feels unlike any other worship album you've ever heard or experienced. Mode Selector is not a mere pretty patch of thrown together praise songs. Yet, with a clear yearning to lift up the Lord, Dillon has created a singular work that is thoroughly and ingeniously crafted. If Mello Dramatica was most succinctly called "acid folk," Mode Selector is "acid folk rock with a worship focus and an R&B edge," or better, "R&B-acid-folk-rock-worship music." Consider the subjects of these current batch of songs: "Invade My Scene" is a heartfelt invitation for the Lord to come in and know the author deeply. "Brilliantine" is a song of thanksgiving for the twin gifts of salvation and sanctification. "Louder than Trees" is a humble and poetic testimony to the presence of God throughout creation. "Begin Again," the only track that appeared in an altered version on Mello Dramatica, recounts the appealing power of redemption. Lyrically, "All I Needed" is a more typical worship song rendered here in an unorthodox, fetching fashion: You
have held the power of sunshine
Every song on Mode Selector not only brims with a spirit of true worship, but one funneled appropriately through considerable creative talents submitted to the Creator. The outcome is both Justin Dillon's best, most important work to date and an album worth your time and attention. Steven Stuart Baldwin 9/16/2000
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