Carstairs Considers....: Music Review: Remember This - The Out of the Grey Collection by Out of the Grey

Friday, July 5, 2013

Music Review: Remember This - The Out of the Grey Collection by Out of the Grey

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good songs that are still fun to listen to

Cons: Dated 80's and 90's production values

The Bottom Line:

Flash back to Nineties

For Out of the Grey classics

In this collection

Remember This and You Will Remember the Best of Out of the Grey

I started listening to Christian music radio during the early 90's, just about the time that Out of the Grey first hit the scene. All though high school and college, they were a popular group with many of my friends. While I bought several of this discs, I just never managed to really get into them. But I've found that I do enjoy listening to Remember This: The Out of the Grey Collection.

As you would expect from the title, this is their best of, and, as most of them are, it's filled with their radio hits. Those are the songs this casual fan knows and likes the best, so naturally, it's going to appeal to me.

For those new to the duo, Out of the Grey was made up of husband and wife Scott and Christine Dente. Scott played guitar and provided some of the vocals, but Christine was the lead vocalist. They were right at the cusp between alternative, pop, and rock, which is probably one reason why I never quite connected with them. It's just not my mix.

Of course, the disc does have some new music to get the long time fans to buy it. The first of those is actually a remix. "Wishes '98" is a new version of their first hit single. It's adds a bit more alternative to their pop, which has always been on the border of alternative anyway. As with most remixes, I find it a bit too weird and different. Fortunately, for those like me who resist change, the original version, "Wishes '91," finishes out the disc.

Three of the tracks are brand new recordings. Okay, okay, the instrumental track "Way Late" was recorded in 1993, but it was first released here. It gives Scott a chance to really show off his guitar playing skills and is a lot of fun.

Of the other two new tracks, my favorite is "Walk by Faith." A nice mid tempo number that is such a powerful expression of faith. I wish I always lived up to this. "This is What it is" is still mid tempo but with a bit more rock flair. It also takes a look at faith, but in this case is encouraging someone to put their faith in God because He keeps His promises.

The rest of the disc is made up of songs that anyone who listened to Christian radio during the 90's will recognize. "Nothing's Gonna Keep Me From You" is a reminder that God will keep His promises to us no matter what we face. It's got that late 80's/early 90's product that dates it with some mixing gimmicks, but the message still resonates.

Over the course of these songs, they remind us that "All We Need" is to show God's love to those in need, that God will "Steady Me" when we start to fall, and God will pull us through the dark days in "If I Know You." While most of the songs fall into the mid-tempo to upbeat spectrum, they are all different enough to keep us from feeling like we've already heard this song. Of course, they also suffer from the dated production that seemed modern and current during the 90's but now isn't.

I have to highlight my truly favorite song on here. "So We Never Got to Paris" incorporates some strings into the normal guitar based rock sound, but I just love the thought behind it. It looks at the fact that life doesn't always happen like we dream it will. In this case, they're looking at their dreams to take a romantic trip to Europe and how that's been put on hold by kids and the rest of life. And yet it's an upbeat song. The chorus ends with "But we built our worlds together/And got the best of both." It's a great thought, and I even though I'm single, I get it.

Die hard fans of Out of the Grey will probably already have Remember This in their collection. But if you only remember these songs from their radio days, you should track this down. It's dated, but the songs are still good.

CD Length: 1:04:22

Tracks:

1. Wishes '98

2. Nothing's Gonna Keep Me From You

3. All We Need

4. Steady Me

5. Disappear

6. This is What It Is

7. The One I've Been Waiting For

8. If I Know You

9. So We Never Got to Paris

10. Walk by Faith