Since 1996
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective
Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
Subscribe
About Us
Features
News
Album
Reviews
Movie
Reviews
Concert
Reviews
Top
10
Resources
Time
Wasters
Contact
Us
Artist: Brian Littrell
Label: Reunion Records (2006)
Just as there are those who will question the integrity of any Christian artist fortunate enough to place a song on the Billboard Hot 100, Christian-themed recordings from mega-successful mainstream artists seem destined to draw a corresponding measure of skepticism. Given the fact that Brian Littrell began singing in church at age 5 and honed his musical skills in the youth choir at Lexington, Kentucky’s Port Memorial Baptist Church though, one could argue that his foray into Contemporary Christian Music is more a return to roots than any sort of opportunistically-inspired endeavor.
Whatever the motive, the opening strains of Welcome Home find the moonlighting Backstreet Boy, who co-wrote six of its eleven cut, in A1 form. For a project being touted as an ode to the classic pop form, the spirited leadoff track, “My Answer Is You,” stakes its claim firmly in what most would consider pop/rock territory. The likewise winning “Wish” combines the shimmering acoustic pop textures of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” with the half-spoken, slightly off-balance vocals of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 folk-rock classic, “Fast Car,” doing both of its inspirations proud in the process. And the superbly hook-laden anthem, “Welcome Home (You),” shows that the country-pop and modern worship genres aren’t nearly as far removed as some might have originally imagined.
Elsewhere, Littrell turns in a stirring block of modern pop/rock with the infectious Vertical Horizon-inclined “I’m Alive.” The sparkling guitar work, organic percussion and orchestral flourishes of “Grace of My Life,” by comparison, place the wonderfully straightforward ode to Littrell’s wife somewhere between the contemporary country of Rascal Flatts and the minimalist modern folk of the City on a Hill worship albums. The sparse pop-country aesthetic of “Gone Without Goodbye” works in perfect service to its poignant account of loved ones lost to tragedy. And the shimmering a cappella gem, “Jesus Loves You,” is buoyed by a loose, off-the-cuff approach that stations it among Home’s most endearing additions.
Longtime Backstreet Boys devotees hoping for a dance-pop release with Christian lyrics are likely to be disappointed by Home. Those perennially opposed to anything bearing the Backstreet logo, on the other hand, may well find the record far less off-putting than they would have originally guessed, thanks to Littrell’s willingness to paint from such a broad musical palette. The occasional duff track does pop up here and there and none of the cuts are surefire singles on the order of, say, “Larger than Life” or “I Want It That Way.” That said, the album’s sparkling, full-bodied production aesthetic and Littrell’s ostensible enthusiasm and sincerity go a long way towards salvaging even the weakest material. Well short of ground-breaking, Welcome Home nonetheless offers up engaging, and surprisingly cohesive, testimony to its owner’s admirable vocal and songwriting talents.
Bert Gangl,08.17.06
