Pros: Challenging and worshipful songs
Cons: Sameness to the tracks
The Bottom Line:
Some similar sounds
On songs that are challenging
Well worth a listen
This CD Will Cause All That Is Within You to Praise God
Pop/rock band Mercy Me literally exploded onto the Christian music scene in 2001. Their debut release included the hit single "I Can Only Imagine" which took Christian music by storm for a long time before finally becoming a mainstream hit as well.
From that very first release, the band has had a focus on
worship. That focus is never more pronounced then it is on their newest
release, All That Is Within Me. In fact, the second track on the disc is
"Time has Come." And just what time has come? The time to worship
God, of course. It's an upbeat rocker with an infectious beat and catchy
melody.
But what about the first track? Well, I'm glad you asked.
Unlike most releases that bury the challenge songs later in the disc, this
release opens with a challenge. "Goodbye Ordinary" calls for
Christians to live extraordinary lives because there is so much more to life.
It's a solid pop/rock opener with a syncopated beat that will definitely stick
in your head.
There is a focus here on praising God because of what He has
done for us. That theme first comes up on "God with Us," the first
radio single. This rock anthem starts softly with lead singer Bart Millard's
voice and electric guitar. It quickly builds until it is proudly proclaiming
praise to God. The song wonders at God's gift of salvation to undeserving
humans like us. The praise just flows from those observations.
Along similar lines is "Sanctified." It's slightly
slower and quieter then the last song, but it also revels in God's work to change
us.
"Grace Tells Another Story" is a reminder that no
human is beyond God's power to change a life. Its driving base line is
deceptive. The song is actually on the slower end of things, but it feels like
a faster, rockier song because of the pounding drums and base line.
The disc also explores the pain of life. "I Know"
has a chorus that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. That's not bad since
it is a good reminder that, no matter what we are facing, God still reigns and
is able to help us. It's nice and bouncy with a strong piano backing over the
guitar and strings.
The band goes slightly country/pop for "Alright."
There's nothing deep to this song. It just reminds us that, even when life
rains on our parade, we are to count it all joy.
"My Heart will Fly" is the first to two slower
songs that close out the disc. It looks forward to the day we fly away from the
pain on earth and reach Heaven where we will understand our pain and the tears
will be dried from our eyes. The driving beat of the verses vanishes for the
chorus, and Bart's voice echoes itself, which creates a very haunting effect.
Bart lost his father during high school. That helps put the
final song into perspective. "Finally Home" ponders on the reunion
the two will have in Heaven. But the second verse goes beyond all that and
thinks about the glory of seeing God for the first time and all the wonders He
has for us.
Mercy Me's first release was very solid pop/rock. They
leaned to the pop side for a while before moving in the rock direction for
their last release. This one follows in that vein with a rockier sound, but it
isn't as rocky as that last release.
Their constant downfall has been the sameness of their
music. They tend to find a style they want for a release and stick to it. As a
result, every song can sound the same after a while. That's the only flaw here.
While many of the songs blend into each other on purpose, they are hard to
distinguish from their neighbors. While all the songs are great, my ear tends
to tune them out after awhile because it isn't hearing anything new. More
variety would have helped.
Yes, this was enough to knock a point of the rating. But
this is still a very solid release. While it won't win the band any new fans,
All That Is Within Me will please their many faithful followers and leave them
begging for more.
CD Length: 44:00
Tracks:
1. Goodbye Ordinary
2. Time Has Come
3. I Know
4. God with Us
5. Sanctified
6. You Reign
7. Grace Tells Another Story
8. Alright
9. My Heart Will Fly
10. Finally Home
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for stopping by. In order to combat spam, I moderate most comments. I'll get to your comment as soon as I can.