 |
  
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
|
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
| Home
Subscribe About Us Features News Album
Reviews
Top
10
|
Love
Songs for My Enemies
Artist: Not Called Common Label: Very-Very Records Time: 19 tracks/71:12 min. First thing I noticed about Not Called Common’s debut Love Songs for My Enemies was that there were 19 tracks on the CD. Wow, I thought, that’s a lot of music. Second thing I noticed was that five of them were less than a minute long, and four of those were under 15 seconds. Wow, I thought, that’s kinda weird. Not Called Common strives to be just that (uncommonnot weird) in the Christian music world. While committed to being “lyrically glorifying” to Jesus Christ, the quintet refuses to produce the music typical of the Nashville machine. Instead, art and creativity pervades everything they do. Whether it’s in the fantastic photography of the CD jacket (or backer cards, in this case), scattering non-musical audio tracks throughout the album, or producing authentic, creative music, Not Called Common offers an album worth checking out. On Love Songs, straight rock is tinged with soulful sounds to create a rich sound with various layers and textures. Front man Ezra Boggs, a vocal doppelganger of eLi (Second Hand Clothing, Now the News) and reminiscent of REM’s Michael Stipe, does a good job of giving an expressive delivery of contemplative lyrics that smoothes out some of his nasal tightness, making his voice easy to listen to. However, the creativity is occasionally compromised in lyrics that betray too much exposure to Christian subculturalism. “Where Is Boasting Then” declares, “The grave has no victory/Atonement is mine/Indeed I am free” and, “Oh, Abba Father/Mighty One of Israel/Everlasting to Everlasting/Oh, Holy Lamb/If Your desire is one to do Your will/Here I am.” But this certainly doesn’t spoil the project, and there are plenty of well developed, intelligent lyrics: “On a clear and sunny, 3rd of June/I went from staring into my newborn baby’s eyes/To holding my Daddy’s hand and saying my goodbyes/ The things I can’t forget I learned at the mercy of pain/I know even the sunshine needs a little rain” (“Even the Sunshine Needs a Little Rain”). Not a masterpiece but artfully done and a solid debut project, Love Songs for My Enemies does a good job of bridging explicit Christian lyrics with well-crafted, soulful songsmithing. This is a band worth trying out. Hang it on the wall and see how well it goes with your couch. Ben Cauldwerse (10/3/04)
|
||
|
|
