by Tyler Clair Smith

I discovered Johnny Cash all over again on September 12, 2003.

Though the grit and gruff of Cash’s baritone were not uncommon features in my childhood, I can’t say I understood his unique genius at the time—nor the nasal beauty of his compatriot Willie, for that matter. Through the years, though, I had grown to appreciate Johnny, if only as a nostalgic reminder of growing up in rural West Virginia. Eventually he was obscured by my high school fling with cheesy Christian rap-core. (Sighs). Read the rest of this entry »

by DAVID KERN
Carolina indie-rocker John Mark McMillan is a bit of an anomaly. You see, he’s a christian musician who creates quality, creative music that is not derivative or repetitive, that boasts well written lyrics that avoid sentimentality yet still are focused on the artist’s faith. Perhaps even more strange is the fact that McMillan has a strong following in both clubs and churches throughout North and South Carolina. But that’s the reward for quality.

Of course, I don’t mean to throw all christian musicians under the bus. For, indeed, there are many good christian musicians creating today; people like Derek Webb, his wife Sandra McCracken and Andrew Peterson - one could even include Over the Rhine, Sufjan Stevens, and The Arcade Fire in this list, though they likely would prefer they not be characterized as part of the christian music scene. But, unfortunately, truth is truth and the truth is that CCM today is far too replete with gregarious sentimentality, formulaic songwriting, and a general lack of direction that is often hidden by high quality production provided by labels banking on the fact that many Christians will listen to whatever their local radio station DJ says is hip in today’s churches.

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by ANDREW WEBB

Play>, the debut album of the band by the same name, has been on repeat on my iPod for the past few days. After listening to the album many times, I can’t help but be disappointed. This is a self-titled album claiming to be a tribute to rock’s history and future. Play’s history of rock is an unimaginative rendition filled with overused, cliché sounds and lazy writing.

Play> has potential to be a great band, but on their debut they fall short. For now. This record is all over the place musically: Play> cannot seem to decide where or what they want to be, leaving the listener confused. Play> did very little to make me want to keep listening.

The first song, “Today” starts off with a heavy rock guitar, followed by a series of lyrics, and high pitched vocal “ahhh’s” that make me want to skip to the next track, only to find more of the same thing. The lead singer, Triss Lass is pushing himself beyond his abilities throughout the entire album. Shaky vocals and an overall cheesy-rock-history style turn the record into a bland blend of boring, repetitive sounds.

The message of this record gets lost in the abject vocals and confusing musical changes. Going from heavy rock to acoustic Read the rest of this entry »

by ANDREW WEBB

If my house caught fire and I could only take one CD before I jumped out of the burning wreckage, it may very well be Andrew Peterson’s Resurrection Letters, Vol. II. Peterson, member of The Square Peg Alliance, (along with Derek Webb, Jill Phillips, Andrew Osenga, and many more) and author of a fantasy book entitled, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, has long been one of my favorite singer-songwriters. Needless to say, Andrew Peterson is a storyteller at heart, everything else simply falls into place.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Volume II? How did I miss Volume I?” Peterson decided to release Resurrection Letters, Volume II first, followed by Volume I (which will be an eight song record for the eight days from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday). This idea bloomed out of some writings Peterson posted on his blog during Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday) when someone commented on enjoying his “resurrection letters.” Volume I will be focused on Christ’s Passion and Resurrection, while Volume II is focused on “what that resurrection means for me and for us two thousand years later” (Andrew Peterson, andrew-peterson.blogspot.com).
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There are times when a good situation takes a bad turn, then turns again. Then again. Each turn bringing you to a new low and with each low you look to the sky and ask what could possibly come next. In the end, you learn — or should I say experience — that just around the corner from your seemingly dismal situation, a moment of beauty was to be born. You learn to step back, breath deep, shake your head, and with a slight smile on your face, acknowledge that the orchestration of such circumstantial extremes, ending as beautifully as it did, could only be the handy work of someone greater than you. Such was the case with IHT session #11 with Eric Nicolau. Read the rest of this entry »

Milwaukee’s Mike Mangione shuffles into the spotlight toting a finely crafted LP titled Tenebrae. Recorded over a two-week period in a Lexington warehouse, Mike and his hand-picked band ripped through twelve tight, honestly written, well produced tracks.

I gave Mike’s disc a spin for the first time while shuffling digital paperwork. It must have been the right combination of mellow and soulful, with a few punches in the mix, because I didn’t turn it off until I absolutely had to move on to the next official office procedure.

At a second listen, while doing the evening email thing, I put it in again and couldn’t quite fixate where I’d heard that voice before. It wasn’t necessarily Mike’s own voice. My wife suggested Ben Harper. There is some truth in that. My mind shifted to Beck’s Sea Change. Don’t get me wrong… there’s not a single fingerprint of Nigel Godrich on Tenebrae, but that moody, acoustic-centered songwriting triggered some reference in my brain.

Tonight, now that I’m a few days past deadline (my last review was months late!!) his voice aches with soul, like Martin Sexton, and I love Martin Sexton. And some of the dramatic inflections of Damien Rice, pre-9. Read the rest of this entry »