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This album is a CCM classic and I won’t fault anyone for including it in a Top However-Many List instead of The Ride. Arguably, it is the best track list and it’s certainly a step forward production (and fashion)-wise. No skips here. In fact, there are only two week tracks and they do a good…
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The band went through a lot to get to this album, recorded and released during the height of Covid. It’s the sound of being completely wiped out and searching for hope in the midst of turmoil.
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This album had a different vibe from the original and it may have been more about timing than anything. Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys had hit earlier in the year. Woodstock ’99 had hearlded something of an end to mainstream rock. Bands were either going softer (Matchbox 20) or harder (Bush) there wasn’t really a…
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These guys have overcome so much in their career and continue to put out solid music 25 years on since their major label debut. They continue to write, record, and release music and they still tour extensively. They probably aren’t growing their fan base very much any more, but the fans they have are massively…
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I don’t know that any artist has had as great an impact on me as Caedmon’s Call. They captured my imagination immediately upon introduction. While the band has spent a number of years on hiatus, original member and songwriter Derek Webb has maintained a place in my listening rotation for over 25 years now.
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I discovered Garth Brooks in 1993 when I saw his Live from Texas Stadium special on TV. I made my mom take me to Walmart the next day to buy In Pieces on cassette. I rode strong with Garth for a number of years, but I jumped ship around 2000. I stayed aware of his…
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Perhaps the most interesting thing to me is that some of my favorite artists have a really wide range with multiple 5s AND 1s, while other favorites are more congregated in the 2s and 3s. I get two thoughts from this: 1) sometimes consistent quality in the long-term trumps greatness in the short-term, and 2)…
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Once upon a time (Feb. 5, 2013 – Aug. 12, 2015) I ran a website that started off as album reviews and music finds. Over time, I conducted interviews with some of my favorite artists – and some who just happened to be available at the time. I even expanded to books and film. Then…
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“I didn’t put a lot of thought into the sound when I went into making the record, but I had been listening to Ray Charles almost exclusively for like a year. I had discovered Ray Charles – of course, I knew who he was – and I had never really realized how brilliant he was.…
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The album-opener “Black Diamond” sets the stage well by leaning on classic instrumentation – keys, violins, and John Mayer-esque guitar riffs give way to a verse carried simply by the drum and bass. The composition of “Turning Pages”, juxtaposing major/minor chords against one another, makes it perhaps the most reminiscent of the artist’s previous ballads.
in review 