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If A Story to Cling To is any measure of their potential, Set On Edge are growing up to become gentle giants. Their mild, mollifying music and pleadingly prayerful lyrics go down nice and smooth without being too eager to please. The gentle giant's gentle giant, Glen Campbell, said it best when he sang, "Gentle On My Mind." 

I must warn those of my psychologist colleagues who specialize in patients who suffer from anxiety-related conditions.  If this EP ever reaches your neck of the woods, and your patients happen to get their hands on it, you may eventually lose them as steady customers.  This EP renews the mind as it smoothly soothes and restores the enervated soul. Give patients Set on Edge A Story to Cling To and they may no longer cling to you, forcing you to give up your day job as a shrink.  Personally, I'm losing patience and sleep over the doleful prospect of losing my patients to this pocket-sized, circular shrink.  It contains more cushion than a Freudian couch, and more healing power than seven shrinkin' Sigmunds. 

The question is, just who are these gentle giants who threaten to put us shrinks out of business, and where can we find them?  Well, to borrow a line from "The Weaker David," the EP's third track, they are a "work in progress." Early Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said "You cannot step in the same river twice, for other waters are ever flowing on."  This analogy not only applies to their continually evolving style, but also to the less-than-consistent line-up of band members.  Though finding the core band members may prove as elusive an undertaking as the quest to stop Glen Campbell's wanderlust in "My Elusive Dreams," one thing is clear ”songwriter/producer/vocalist/guitarist Shannon Lewis is the Magi in the magic.  He has the gifts of at least three wise men, and single-handedly possesses the reverence, wisdom, and humility of the original Magi, those three wise men who traveled so far from the far east to offer gifts before the baby king, Jesus Christ.  He freely lays down his gifts before the king, and they are abundant.  His voice is pristine, passionate, powerful and peaceful.  It is harnessed by a trained ear, but emancipated by a heart that pines to draw forever nearer to the fountain of God's grace. 

Now I'd like to discuss the remaining members, (or should I say the revolving members in a game of musical chairs)?-- the "c" that, when added to Magi, forms magic.  I wish it stood for continuity in band membership, but while it does not, it does stand for something good -- coordination.  Each added member's touch reflects protean capabilities. These are obviously extraordinarily talented,  hand-picked musicians.  Each arrangement is well executed and extraordinarily orchestrated.  The magic in A Story to Cling To is made complete by the deft drums of Andy Womack.  He doesn't miss a beat and he's got bursting bundles of energy to boot.  Andrew Thurston's 7 string bass on "Story" and "The Weaker David" show signs of Herculean strength.  Draw Lawson of Red Letter Blonde fills in with fecundity on his fretless bass on "Summertime," a live, bonus track.  Steve Rieske's backing vocals on "Story" smoothly and seamlessly ally with Lewis' lead vocals.  Together they are bound to win battle for the heart and soul of every listener. Every trace of Patrick Davis' lead electric and acoustic guitar arrangements puts a graceful face on this musically told story, and beckon the listener to cling tightly to each strum and run.  Emily Beam's cellos combine with Daniel Claason's violas to add a comforting, if hauntingly melancholic dimension to the EP's low-key story line. 

Lyrically speaking, "The Weaker David" is the strongest link -- thanks, in part, to its soul source of inspiration, Dr. Larry Crabb's book, The Silence of Adam.  The rest of the songs flow like prayerful poems, each telling stories of their own.  Each song reveals an abiding intimacy between a devoted, if spiritually depleted, disciple and God, the divine source and open-armed recipient of his devotion. 

It has been said that every picture tells a story.  Though this picture is still in the works, it foreshadows an auspicious, burgeoning tale of triumph.  I am eagerly anticipating Set On Edge's next chapter.  From what I hear, it will likely take the form of a full-length CD tentatively titled Falling On Deaf Ears.  A Story to Cling To has sharpened my hearing, ensuring that my ears will not be among those deaf to their message or to the ongoing story of these gentle giants. 

Bruce L. Thiessen, Ph.D., 
licensed psychologist 
a.k.a. Dr. B. L. T. , The Song Shrink/Rock Doc 

Set on Edge exudes the same impressions I often get from Phil Keaggy. That is, particular tracks assure the listener the band is talented, but one can't help but wishing Set on Edge would go to that well more often. Like Keaggy, Set on Edge, or at least this album, A Story to Cling To, offers a little too much straight-ahead modern folk blues for artists capable of so much more. The band whets our appetite with the brilliant opening track, "Passing Into Life," which easily dominates the album in terms of superiority of arrangement. But the simpler tracks provide that emotional buffer that makes the great songs work best in live settings.

Even with some songs that don't get much more complicated than Counting Crows, Set on Edge would definitely be a band worth seeing in person at a local coffee shop or blues bar (especially in the Athens, Ga., area). The band's thick sound utilizes the instrumental diversity of a Caedmon's Call and a vocalist, Shannon Lewis, who controls his intensity for the perfect moments. (I suspect the former is often sacrificed precisely to emphasize the latter.) Progressive punctuated bass is also a highlight of several tracks, making all the difference between these and similar contemporary Christian songs.

Fans should note that A Story to Cling To is a pre-release, and that some of these tracks are likely to appear on Set on Edge's third full-length CD tentatively dubbed Falling on Deaf Ears.

Dan Singleton 3/2/2002

The brainchild of Shannon Lewis, Set on Edge returns with its cast of thousands on the EP A Story to Cling To.  At times folky and acoustic, at others laid back and almost jazzy, Set on Edge gives eight songs this time out with themes or maturity, fear, love, and loss.

“Passing Into Life” recalls other indie artists such as Mary’s Den or First Water, and deals with individual growth, stating that “If there’s anything that I’ve learned it’s that don’t remember all that much I’ve learned”.  

At other points, SOE reminds us they are from the South, adopting the jam/blues/folk method that evoke Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, or Ben Folds.  This is especially evident in “A Story to Cling To” and “The Weaker David”.  Lewis reminds me of Bill Mallonee here, in that whatever he reads or hears inspires his lyrics.  C.S. Lewis, Larry Crabb, George Gershwin, and several hymns are cited as contributors to this album.

Three bonus tracks are included.  “Summertime” is a reworking of the old Gershwin tune, with credit given to Karin Bergquist (Over the Rhine) for the arrangement.  “4 A.M.” is a plea to Christ, admitting that “I don’t know if I can trust you…but I know that if there’s honesty it’s found in only thee.”  “Pneumatology” is a spoken word piece by Lewis that takes on a free form poetry/sermon style, reminiscent of “Driving to Midnight Mass”, an old U2 outtake. 

A Story to Cling To at times feels disjointed, as if the songs here were written at different times, and compiled later.  There are some sublime moments here, and some that are less satisfying.  Lewis’ talents as a songwriter, however, cannot be questioned.

Brian A. Smith 11 July 2002