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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Simple Songs for Young and Old – CityAlight
****

CityAlight is a music ministry from St. Paul’s Castle Hill, a church in Castle Hill, Sydney. The vision of CityAlight is to write songs with biblically rich lyrics and simple melodies for the Christian church to sing.
Simple Songs for Young and Old is a new EP consisting of six songs. CityAlight has stated that these are not songs only for children or only for adults. They are written to resource adults and children, singing together. Their prayer is that these songs might be a blessing in churches, Sunday schools, morning breakfasts, car rides to school and work, by the bedside, and in private prayer.
Here are a few brief comments about each song on this excellent new collection:

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Fever/Sky – Wilder Woods
***

Bear Rinehart (lead singer/songwriter for NEEDTOBREATHE) brings his strong vocals to his second full-length solo album as Wilder Woods (the first names of his two older sons). Rinehart wrote or co-wrote all of the songs, most of them during the pandemic. The songs are generally about horizontal relationships. The album was produced by Cason Cooley, and features Tyler Burkum and Carl Broemel on guitars, Aaron Sterling on drums, Tony Lucido on bass, and background singers.

Below are a few comments about each song:

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ Everknown by NEEDTOBREATHE

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Live – Shane and Shane
****

The latest album from worship duo Shane and Shane (Shane Barnard and Shane Everett) was recorded live at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. The album was produced by Bryan Fowler with Shane Barnard, who also co-wrote each song. The album includes additional vocals from The Worship Initiative’s Davy Flowers, Aaron Williams, and John Marc Kohl, as well as Trenton Bell.
I really enjoyed this new live worship album, and it is one that I will revisit often. It is my favorite album of the first half of 2023.
Below are a few comments about each song:

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics~ Our God Will Go Before Us – Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Seven Psalms – Paul Simon

Seven Psalms by 81-year-old Paul Simon is unlike any album he’s released previously. The idea for the album, his fifteenth studio project, came to Simon in a series of dreams in 2019. Watch the trailer for the album here.
The album, which was released digitally as one long (33 minute) track, is meant to be listened to in its entirety, not as individual songs. The beautifully sounding album features Simon’s singing backed by his playing acoustic guitar, with other sounds (flutes, choral harmonies, bass harmonica, etc.) mixed in.
The album has a sense of a last testament from Simon, who is Jewish. It finds him preparing for death and hashing out belief and doubt. The opening song “The Lord” begins with:

I’ve been thinking about the great migration
Noon and night they leave the flock

And I imagine their destination
Meadow grass, jagged rock

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  • Song of the Week Lyrics:  “Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Lamb of God (Live) – Matt Redman
****

In his new album “Lamb of God,” his seventeenth, longtime respected worship leader Matt Redman – “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)”, “Blessed Be Your Name” – gives the church the gift of new songs written for congregational singing. The album, which was produced by Steve Marcia, was recorded live at the Mission in San Capistrano, California, a house of worship first established in 1776.
Among the themes on the album include Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, the goodness of Jesus’s heart, the grace of Jesus, the unconditional love, hope and joy of God, the holiness of God, praising God when the blessings flow and when it seems they don’t, and worshipping God no matter what comes.
The album features three versions of the song “Son of Suffering” and a new version of Redman’s classic “Heart of Worship.”
Below are a few comments about each song on this excellent new album:

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) – Switchfoot
****

Although Switchfoot has long been one of my favorite bands, I haven’t really enjoyed their past three releases (Covers (EP), interrobang, and this is our Christmas album). To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their breakthrough album The Beautiful Letdown, the band has completely re-recorded the album and released it as The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version). The band’s fourth studio album was released February 25, 2003 and has sold over three million copies. It features the popular songs “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move”.
This is not like U2 reimagining their songs on their recent Songs of Surrender album. There are not major changes to the songs here. There are a few minor lyric changes on “Gone”: “Al Pacino’s cash” is now “Al Capone’s cash“, “Lexus cages” is now “Tesla cages“, and “my high school sweets” is now “my high school sweethearts.”
This re-recording sounds great with a clean mix, and these songs remind me of why Switchfoot became one of my favorite bands in the first place.
The celebrate the anniversary of the album the band will be playing the album in its entirety for the first time on their current tour. For more information go here.

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  • A Review of Fragments ~ Time Out of Mind Sessions 1996-1997 The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 Deluxe Edition by Bob Dylan
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  • Song of the Week Lyrics ~ “Dare You to Move” by Switchfoot

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

HOPE – NF
****

HOPE is thirty-one-year-old NF’s (Nathan Feuerstein) fifth album, and first since 2021’s CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE). NF has built a loyal following that has earned him over 30 billion global streams on music platforms.
Themes on the excellent new album include taking the reins of his life, staying true to himself, faith, overcoming odds, relationships (his mother, wife, child, and a failed relationship), being a lonely soul, being at the top of his game, and running from darkness and depression. There are two guest artists on the album – Cordae and Julie Michaels.
Here are a few brief comments about each song:

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  • More of this review and a review of Sing! Christ Our Hope in Life and Death. Live at the Getty Worship Music Conference by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Friends
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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Songs of Surrender – U2 
***

U2’s first album since 2017’s Songs of Experience reimagines forty songs from the band’s catalog (only 1981’s October and 2009’s No Line on the Horizon have no songs represented here). The album, which runs nearly three hours, is connected to Bono’s excellent 2022 memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (read my review of that book here), whose forty chapters are titled after U2 songs. The new album has a different selection of songs, curated by The Edge, with twelve of the songs differing from the Bono book chapters.
The album was The Edge’s COVID lockdown project. He is the album’s primary producer, with a few others, notably Bob Ezrin, assisting. The Edge compiled the songs and the project is arranged into individual band member volumes. The Edge, who also handles lead vocals on four songs, has stated that Songs of Surrender was made with the awareness that most people listen to their music through earbuds now.
The songs really are reimagined, they are not just unplugged versions. In the liner notes, The Edge writes “Once we surrendered our reverence for the original version, each song started to open up to a new authentic voice of this time. Some of the songs feature rewritten lyrics. For example, “Walk On” is written in light of the Ukraine war. “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, replaces “One man betrayed by a kiss”, with “One boy never will be kissed”. The song arrangements are mostly intimate and acoustic, frequently replacing Edge’s electric guitars with quiet keyboards. The Edge, playing numerous instruments, Bono’s voice and the lyrics are in the forefront here. Many of the tracks feature no rhythm section at all, leaving bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. to apparently sit them out.

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Only The Strong Survive – Bruce Springsteen
***

Only the Strong Survive is Bruce Springsteen’s 21st studio album and second covers album, following 2006’s We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. The 15-song album was made during the COVID lockdown during “off hours” (Springsteen, co-producer Ron Aniello and engineer Rob Lebret called themselves “The Night Shift” due to their working hours). On the album, the 73-year-old Springsteen covers a selection of his favorite – many of them obscure – soul songs. Springsteen actually tossed out the first album he completed, and ended up with Only The Strong Survive, which is listed as Covers Vol. 1, giving the impression we’ll hear more songs at a later date.

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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS


Bellsburg: The Songs of Rich Mullins – Various Artists
****

Rich Mullins went home to be with the Lord following an accident near Lostant, Illinois on I-39 on September 19, 1997, on the way to a benefit concert in Wichita, Kansas, where he lived. Mitch McVicker was also in the vehicle, and though badly injured, he would survive. To commemorate the 25th year of Mullins’ homegoing, a new double-length album of his songs has been released. The album (and future documentary) was recorded in the living room of Mullins’ old house in Bellsburg, Tennessee, where he often crafted songs on the same piano that his parents acquired by trading for a cow from the family farm. Each of the 16 new folk/acoustic interpretations of recordings are by artists who were greatly impacted by the original versions. Each of the artists featured in the project has a personal connection with Mullins or has been deeply influenced by his music. Each side of the project ends with an original, never commercially released demo from Mullins.

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