Kingdom Come
Artist: Charlie Peacock
Label: Re:think/Sparrow
Length: 10 tracks/46:44 minutes
Trying to understand the things of God is difficult for human minds, which are finite--especially when compared with the mind of the Creator. If inquiring minds want to know, then looking into God's way is often frustrating--yet it can also be fulfilling. That's the main pulse of Charlie Peacock's new album, Kingdom Come.
Musically, Kingdom Come has the Charlie feel to it: that funky, jazzy thing he does so well. But what's truly outstanding are the lyrics and delivery. Opening with a song about the body of Christ coming together, Peacock delves right into the dichotomy faced by those who search for Truth ("Wouldn't it Be Strange"). Although we've often heard such spiritual truths as: the first will be last, we gain power by seeming weak, our greatest hope is in Jesus and in his return, the human way of thinking doesn't make sense, these are truths upon which we must continually dwell.
Beside the recurrent theme that we face a dichotomy when seeking to walk closely with God, Charlie sings of the hope within everyone's reach. "The Night Won't Last Forever" comforts with the knowledge that things won't always be bad because, like the sunrise, redemption comes to awaken us from sleep. Building upon these words of hope, the album's first ballad, "Cheer Up Church," awakens us to what our minds may see as contradictions: God raising a hero from a sinner, and the church ought to cheer up because it's worse than we think. Despite this last bit of reality, we shouldn't despair, we shouldn't fear, because grace is near.
After singing about I Corinthians--losing that first love, then questioning ourselves and becoming complacent in our faith--"Don't Be Afraid" is a fun ditty that encourages us to not fear failure. This 60's style song speaks of how actions will overcome that fear; Just Do It is the command he sings.
Christian love songs are refreshing because their message often touches on the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of love, and "Sacrifice of Love" does indeed look at romance holistically. It's built on the refrain:
Finishing the album with the most important relationship of all is "Only You." Here Charlie sings about our relationship with Jesus, and how it's each person's responsibility to surrender to Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Yet even here another dualism comes across. As Christians, it's our responsibility to love others, but as we try to love them by sharing the greatest gift of all, salvation, we often feel frustrated when they can't taste and see for themselves what God has done to--and for--our hearts.
I believe one of the valuable gifts of Christian artists is to be able to take listeners on a journey and show them spiritual reality in a physical world. The Charlie Peacock sound, the solid songwriting, and a theme of God's multi-dimensional truths make Kingdom Come a winner on all levels.
Sam Hagedorn (6/25/99)
Moving back into slightly the safer territory of a funky-jazz sound from the broader experiments of his last outing, Charlie Peacock's latest album also avoids most of strangelanguage's occasional production excesses. Peacock is producing adult-pop music without falling into the terrible mire of most adult-contemporary music. His voice is certainly on form. The soft, husky vocals are gently passionate and also suggest a hint of intimacy.
Lyrically, Peacock seeks to remind us that there is more to spiritual truths than handy slogans. In "Genius In the Details" Peacock warns of the danger to our comfort zones which comes of digging beneath the surface wording of God's call to us:
There are no obvious singles here for any radio format, but the album contains a remarkably strong selection of songs. At times, a slightly more dynamic approach might draw the listener in more quickly, but for those who take the time to peel away the layers, the progressive revelation of the album's meanings will probably result in a more profound impact.
James Stewart (8/6/99)
