UPDATE: Re-published today for the re-release

I’ve been listening to The Medicine for a couple weeks solid. I don’t like doing first impression reviews because most of the time my favorite songs end up being those that took a while to grow on me. My ears start hearing things on the 10th listen that I didn’t hear the 9 times previous. So what did I hear?

The album starts off with Reckoning Day and I’m blown away by John Mark’s vocals. His voice sounds better than I’ve ever heard it, not only in presence but tonally I think his voice is just spot on. You can also hear exactly what John Mark was talking about in the natural reverb recording techniques they were experimenting with. The warmth of the verb is a tone carried throughout the album and really ties each song together and I think creates a great atmosphere for the heart of the album which is a story resurrection.

John Mark tells the story of Christ’ resurrection with intense language and vivid imagery, fitting for the story that’s told. This is demonstrated in songs like Skeleton Bones,

Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity on the lips of the found
Graves stones roll to the rhythm of the sound of you
Skeleton bones stand at the sound of eternity on the lips of the found
Yeah so separate those doors and let the sun of resurrection in

One of the greatest songs on the album, and one I can’t wait to do on Easter, is Death In His Grave. The imagery and phrasing used in that song is so incredibly moving, the chorus says:

On Friday a thief, on Sunday a King, laid down in grief
But awoke with the keys, of hell on that day
The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ laid death in his grave

The resurrection theme not only deals with the historic moment but also addresses our own personal death to sin and resurrection in Christ as shown in songs like Carbon Ribs, Dress Us Up, Out of the Ground and Ten Thousand. In our previous interview I asked John Mark if there were any he could see being used in corporate worship, and I think there are quite a few here that will be used. Dress Us Up is one that jumps out as something an entire congregation could get behind and sing without trouble. The song proclaims the power of God’s love over death.

Dress us up in the blood of a son
Who opened up His veins so that we would overcome
Hell and the grave and the power of his love
After 3 dark days he showed us how it’s done
and he still does

I don’t think there can be any question this is John Mark’s finest work. This is certainly a step forward musically, lyrically and in his songwriting. The songwriting still has the exposed emotions John Mark is known for but this record comes across as a more matured presentation, not quite as raw as before. It’s truly a storyteller album and the story is captivating and beautiful. Go buy this album now!

originally posted 10/7/08

I don’t often get excited for instrumental/ambient records, but then again I don’t often(ever) hear those records made by guys with this kind of creative rock sensibility. This southern ambi-rock band dubbed All The Bright Lights consists of James Duke, Jon Duke and Jacob Arnold, two brothers and a good friend.

The self titled album opens with a short track called I saw You Running which threw me into the tumbler of what to expect with the rest of the record, a good teaser. But the next track, The Chest of Drawers, really made me come to attention by somehow beautifully combining dark, rich guitars and church bells with this alt-country riff. The song is really an incredible sonic journey and gets you really excited about what’s possible with the rest of the tracks by letting you know loud and clear, this isn’t going to be a let down.

To say it’s a completely instrumental or ambient album is not entirely correct, there are some beautifully haunting vocals in The Door which leaves you hanging onto the line “you came and made a way.” That line introduces the core concept of the album, redemption, that is echoed by some other tracks with vocals, The One That Gave It All, Walls and Shadow of the King. These are simple songs of redemption woven through and exposed through the rich sounds of redemption.

Each song sets the plate emotionally, they are each moving and beautiful, not incomplete but yet allow room for the listener to reinterpret. I find myself singing new songs over each listen and that makes for an incredibly enjoyable album. One that I suspect will remain so for quite some time.

Close Your Eyes is a perfect closing crescendo for the album, the longest song, full of surprises and twists that introduce some new elements but also wrap up what was really a sonic journey. All the Bright Lights combines remarkably rich textures with a driving tension and soaring guitar melodies that resonate just right. If you’re looking for a soundtrack to life, then buy All the Bright Lights. or Amazon.

Also make sure to checkout my interview with James Duke from All the Bright Lights.

All the Bright Lights on myspace.

Wow. I’ve been to a lot of shows, but for many reasons this show was one of the best I’ve seen. First off we should talk about the venue. Mesa Arts Center is absolutely beautiful and the room sounds incredible…no I mean it, incredible! Not to mention the fact that we were right in front, as in our seats, then the stage, then Bon Iver. The room had all wood floors, wood paneling on the walls, it was just a musician’s dream of a venue. Both bands were extremely grateful for the chance to play there which was cool to hear as they mentioned it several times throughout their respective sets.

I had never heard of Megafaun previous to the show but as soon as they hit the first line of the verse on song 1 I knew I was gonna dig em. 3 piece band which usually stuck to a lineup of drums/percussion, guitar and banjo, but each member played multiple instruments so you had a mix of bass, electric, synths, piano and other goodies. Their 3 part harmonies were rich, on point and almost as majestic as their beards. Their sound is very eclectic, always containing a strong front porch folk element reminiscent of The Avett Brothers, their harmonies would remind you of the Fleet Foxes but then there’s also a subtle rock/experimental element that comes across very Wilco‘ish at times. I don’t think they are confused as much as excited about music and they seem to follow their inspiration no matter what musical alley it leads them. Kudos for that, it was thoroughly enjoyable listening to them take those journeys. Their latest record is “Gather, Form & Fly” and I’m giving it a spin now and loving it.

Then out comes Bon Iver and opens up with Flume, one of my favorites. The band is killing the harmonies, and I mean killing as in nailing them. The textures they create with the keys, guitars and percussion are really incredible. I was afraid they’d come off disorganized and lazy in a live environment but the arrangements are complex and the instrumentation and vocals are layered so richly. I can’t say enough about the quality of the vocals, especially Justin Vernon’s voice. I didn’t know how his falsetto would hold up for an entire show, but wow, I was blown away. He was singing his guts out and sounded incredible all night.

Now for my favorite moments of the night, first was his electrified version of Blood Bank. They rocked that song out and I really hope they consider releasing a live album cause that arrangement was incredible. Second was the insane epic ending, again with an electrified version of The Wolves. Justin had the entire crowd singing “what might have been lost” at the top of their lungs and then all hell broke loose as then entire place just started yelling as they washed out the ending in a giant indie, feedback filled rock fest. Certainly a concert memory I won’t soon forget.

Then as a sweet nightcap, Megafaun came out and joined Bon Iver for an acoustic, gather around the campfire(or a small condenser mic), family song. It was a great way to end the show.

Thank you Bon Iver and Megafaun for one of the best shows I’ve ever been to, you guys were amazing.

I was flipping through some music reviews of some worship albums and I just had to laugh because there’s no such thing as a bad review. Well actually there is, if the review is out of 10 stars, 10 is great and 9.5 is awful, they just don’t get any lower. This same attitude exists in worship bands and church leadership as a whole. Leaders many times have to walk on egg shells cause they feel if they critique the persons gifting or execution that person will get offended and leave.

As leaders we can’t be paralyzed by a fear to critique. The root of this fear is really idolatry in that our gifting is our value in the kingdom and when someone critiques it we feel devalued in the kingdom. I’m not trying to go Dr. Phil on you, but seriously why can’t I love my Christian brother and critique what he’s trying to sell me? How far does this go, am I offending someone because I didn’t buy their album?

On a twitter conversation I was having Fred McKinnon mentioned that many people’s policy is:

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”

I agree with his assessment and know that to be the case, but it’s way off in my estimation. What a bunch of babied, insecure in the gospel, little musicians we are if we have a policy of, “hey if you don’t like every single aspect of my music and aren’t prepared to just rave over it all, then don’t say anything“.

I’d like to point out an example of a honest review I did of a Sovereign Grace Christmas cd. I was worried how it would be received, but I thought it would be a disservice to Bob Kauflin if I didn’t review it honestly. I tried to give encouragement on what I thought was done well and honest, specific critique where I thought it was not done well. I was probably insensitive on some points and could have phrased things better. But even with that, Bob responded incredibly well, responded with grace. I don’t think Bob started questioning his value to the kingdom or thought I should live in eternal damnation. Bob correct me if I’m wrong

Do you feel like you’re sinning against God or injuring your brother if you critique their music/gifting? Are you afraid to do so? Do you think that’s healthy? Am I an insensitive jerk?

Record is Propellerhead’s latest software release that finally addresses the much requested feature of audio recording inside of Reason. But instead of adding it to Reason they created a new product. The price sounds right at $299 for all the features they’ve thrown in. Create Digital Music has a wonderful in depth review of Record and this video below gives a nice intro to the product as well. You can sign up for beta testing at www.record-you.com

Fresh out of the Valley of the Sun, comes Brandon Kagel a.k.a. “The Rep” with his sophomore project- Say No More courtesy of Blood Marked Entertainment. This album is a definite banger with beats by Mustafas Beats and guest appearances by lyrical monster Lee Green as well as vocals by Suzie K and L Sol.  This masterpiece contains incredible diversity, tracks that will make you bang ya head till ya neck hurts on tracks like Say No Names, as well as melodious heart hitting tearjerkers on Dear baby which is a letter to his son, and Unborn Child which is a rhyme from the inside of the womb of a pregnant woman.

The Rep is definitely a Phoenix Son and his music reflects the essence of the inner city and cries out for the redemption of our blackout generation. “He was age 5 when the movie Goonies came out, and put 5 on a doobie when the Looniz came out..” If you can relate to that, then this album is definitely for you.

I definitely admire and respect the boldness that is brought forth on this album with straight up no BS truth about struggles that our generation faces today. With hard knock punchlines and similes that you don’t catch until 8 bars later. The Rep is a BEAST on this one and it is a must. Go pick this one up,  you can thank me later.

This album has been out for a few months and I’m glad I’ve waited to review until I was really able to dig into it. I’ve known about Ryan for many years, we were both leading worship in the Vineyard in our youth, Ryan was about an hour north of me in the 5 Cities area on the coast of California. We shared many of the same friends but our paths never crossed until recently when I sat down to interview him upon the release of this album.

His music, voice, songwriting has all matured so much from The Burn days. I can’t tell you how blown away I am by this album. Songs like Jesus Name, Sing Like Mary Sang and The World Can’t Take It Away immediately grab you, you don’t need any more listens than 1 to love. Then songs like Sacred, True Religion and Love of God grow in your heart on each listen, the depth to these songs deserves and calls for repeated listens.

Ryan has all the sensibility of Tom Waits and Petty with the grit and country hooks of Ryan Adams. The absolute worst thing about much of the Christian contemporary music is the cheap, cheesy melody hooks. You won’t find any of those here. The richness and sincerity of these songs and production can’t help but make you feel like you just wandered into a basement worship session to hear Ryan’s love songs to Jesus.

If you’re wondering how many of these could be done in church, I pretty much plan on doing every one of them, I’ve never said or done that with any other album. This truly is one of the greatest worship albums I’ve heard. Period. If you don’t like alt-country-folk-rock and are looking for another Hillsong album, well move along, but if you love some twang and soul then by all means this is the album for you. You can and should buy the entire album at Vineyard Music or on iTunes.

If you want to hear Ryan in the flesh, he’s playing with my band at Anthropology Men’s Conference at Life Connection Church this weekend, starting tonight. Get there!

Ahhhh… Finally something so fresh and clean from the durty south. This album is by far Lecrae’s best work yet. Rebel is a fresh work of art painted with vicious beats mixed with theology and flat out gut checks. I love how he is capable of taking redeemable qualities of secular rap/hip hop and transferring them to a positive tip in Christian hip hop. He definitely has some feel good Friday night beats on this album with tracks like “Don’t Waste Your Life” feat. Dwayne Tryumf & Cam and “Live Free” feat. Sho Baraka and Jai. This track has received the biggest responses from listeners so far.

Lyrically, he is a beast on this album. The whole theme “Rebel” is lead with an Intro featuring Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, preaching about true rebellion in this sin-soaked society. He goes on to attest to Jesus being a true rebel in a society of religious law and sin. He also goes on ripping cigarette smoking, lustful drinkers on motorcycles, thinking that they are rebels, when in fact that has all been done before, and the only true rebellion left in this society is reading your Bible and following Jesus. AMEN! that sets the tone for this entire album

Notable tracks:

• Don’t Waste Your Life
• Identity feat. Da T.r.u.t.h.
• Breathin to Death
• Live Free