The first song to grab me when I put this album on for an initial
listen was the hidden track at the end of the disc. An amusing song imagining
cartoon characters singing (the word) "hallelujah," it may have been the
idea of "Beavis and that ugly guy" singing praise or perhaps the Smurfs's
high pitched addition which caused me to perk up my ears and pay closer
attention on further listens.
A few more songs became focused in my mind. The opening track, "Smellin'
Coffee," about waking up in the knowledge that God is present, has a nicely
edgy guitar sound and is a good opener. The fourth track, "Big Enough,"
was the first whose lyrics appealed to me: "I hope you don't mind me asking
the questions/ but I figure that you’re big enough." This song developed
my respect for Chris Rice as a lyricist because questioning is the only
way we can break out of our comfort zones, and we're unlikely to grow unless
we do that.
Several songs show that were he to move away from the fairly predictable middle-of-the-road feel of this highly produced release, Rice would have a lot of potential to develop. One drawback is that his voice doesn't particularly stand out among the many other adult contemporary artists.
This is an above average adult contemporary album, but it doesn't
quite cut loose enough to really be exceptional.
By James Stewart (11/4/98)
