REVIEW | Heather Williams – This Time Around

I’ll admit, these days, I’ve all but left Top 40 music behind. I’ve turned to the local Gen-X station, plunged into Country music, and—in the midst of a lot of soul searching in 2012—rediscovered Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). The last time I listened this heavily to CCM was during my stint writing radio commercials at a local station 16 years ago.
The recent CCM hit “God Is Still God” struck a chord with me this winter, in particular during a one-day road trip to the Ozarks. Last week, I finally looked up the artist and, a few days ago, purchased the CD: This Time Around by Heather Williams.
And I haven’t stopped playing it since.
Williams’s major-label debut is excellent. Kudos belong as much to the production team as to the artist herself.
The primary reason I’d avoided CCM in recent years was because I’d felt it struggled to hit the mark in terms of quality. The songwriting—both melodies and lyrics—seemed to operate at lower standards of quality than its mainstream counterpart, as if some (not all) artists had written the songs on the fly and thrown them onto a CD. The only CCM artist I truly enjoyed on a consistent basis was Casting Crowns. Now Heather Williams has joined that short list.
The quality that sets Williams apart isn’t just her awareness of current trends in pop music. Rather, Williams actually knows how to make it work and make it her own.
Fans of Top 40’s Katy Perry will feel at home with Williams. And to the credit of Williams, who also co-pens many of her own songs, she didn’t require a stable of veteran industry talent to get the job done. Aside from a songwriting contribution by CCM’s Cindy Morgan on “God Is Still God,” I didn’t recognize the other names.
“Beautiful Thing,” the opening track on This Time Around, is a game of sonic and melodic hopscotch in the vein of Maroon 5. It grows infectious with repeated listens. I can relate to its “Fix me, fix me” lyrical line as a frequent prayer of my own.
Three of the tracks that shine best for me are “God Is Still God,” “You are Loved,” and “I’ll Take it from You,” all heartfelt, energy-infused songs that speak to different times of need in the journey of life. Each has ministered to me in a unique way.
But above all, my favorite track is “Hallelujah,” a gorgeous ballad. It follows a pattern we find in the biblical Psalm 119, where the psalmist comes to God, fully aware of the messes he has made in life and the struggles through which he wades. Then his heart turns in a yet-I-will-praise-Him direction. Williams captures this pattern and wraps it up in the simplicity of one word—“hallelujah”—wrapping it in a melodic sway that melts your heart with its candor. This track touches my heart in such a deep way, I keep getting reduced to tears as I listen to it in my car. God uses Williams’s “Hallelujah” track to lead me into the joy, wonder and security of knowing I’m not perfect, but I’m also not alone. How many times in my own life have I thanked God for not giving up on me!
But what captures me most about This Time Around is its flat-out honesty. My understanding is that Williams’s music is fueled in part by her backstory of childhood challenges. The lyrics have a genuine quality to them, the simplicity of a heart that knows it has tatters around the edges, one that just wants to draw near to the Lord. Yet, the album can be reduced to the cry of a heart that just wants to loved, to be held and valued. And don’t we all know how such a longing feels?
Heather Williams’s This Time Around is a triumph. Highly recommended.
Never give up!
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MUSIC REVIEW | Ghost Tree EP

Lately, I’ve dabbled with listening to samples of Ulrich Schnauss, a European electronic artist I stumbled upon. It was in that context I discovered a Christian somewhat-counterpart with vocals, Ghost Tree.

In tracking down details, I learned that European band Ghost Town, in actuality, recorded its self-titled album in Nashville. That piqued my interest and I found myself wanting to discover more. Ghost Town is a Christian band that combines worshipful lyrics with a modern arena tonies. The album possesses an atmospheric landscape for those interested in Coldplay or U2.

Just about every album will contain a highlight track, that particular one that makes you say, "This is my favorite." For me, Ghost Tree provided "Glorious." It contains the most natural chorus melody.

My second-favorite track was “Hope,” with lyrics such as “Day will come when hope will rise.” The song focuses on comfort for this life, then expands into a picture of the day when this life ends and eternity begins. The lyrics helps me envision that day larger than I had before.

“Save My Day” offers a heart’s cry for help: “I’m desperate for Your love / Your grace is always enough.”

Ghost Tree rounds out its album with two more tracks, "You They See" and "Hallelujah."

The lyrics are touching, the sonic landscape stirring.

Rather than a "live" worship feel, Ghost Tree provides a recording perfect for times of focus, those times when Christians want to challenge themselves to consider whether God or eternity might be bigger than they might have originally imagined. A solid effort.

Musical Friends

Years ago, I remember having read about screenwriter/director Cameron Crowe, who keeps a journal of the music he listens to while writing a screenplay. In other words, he assembles a "mix tape"--to borrow some Gen-X lingo--of the songs he listened to while working on the project. He documents the sounds that influenced his mental and emotional state while writing.

I've long believed the same thing. When I write a novel, I'll discover a particular song or album resonates in my heart and provides emotional inspiration that will help fuel the story or characters. The novel is not modeled after the songs. The lyrics don't influence the story. In fact, the lyrics often tell of a completely different story. But a lyrical phrase or bits of instrumentation will emerge as something to which the characters can relate--how they want others to treat them, or the emotions that drive them to act the way they do.

For From The Dead, Casting Crowns' album Lifesong , Bruce Hornsby's Greatest Radio Hits, and REM's Out of Time and Automatic for the People all emerged as as musical friends to the story for one reason or another. While none of the novel's content was derived from the songs, the songs themselves helped keep me in the emotional state necessary to see the novel through to completion.

Having completed the outline for the next novel--and by outline, I really mean a detailed, 50-page sketch!--I've noticed the main character would relate to Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits Volume 1 album. It's one CD she would play over and over in her car.

My Review of Haydon Spenceley's Heart Strings

Some of the most intriguing modern worship music has come from Great Britain. You can add Heart Strings, the new album from Haydon Spenceley, to that list.

Heart Strings’s title reflects the album’s focus: man to God, God to man. In each track, Spenceley’s lyrics delve past man’s artificial layers and offer a glimpse into the love and longing of a relationship with the Lord.

Spenceley takes an experimental approach, infusing chilling vocals with rich layers of electronic instrumentation. Picture the intersection of Coldplay and Owl City. From the subdued passion of “Crying” to the fiery, guitar-driven chorus of “Save My Day,” Heart Strings is the sort of album that reveals fresh nuances with repeated listens.

Spenceley takes his time. He releases short lyrical bursts from the depths of his soul, then allows those words to soak into his listeners as the instrumentation washes over them. For me, it struck images of a man floating in the middle of the Atlantic at midnight, with nowhere to focus but heavenward. It contains the intimacy and desperation of a heart that craves God.

Among the album’s highlights:

“Life in Me” contrasts man’s limitations with God’s infinite grace. The song’s honesty puts a bittersweet ache in your heart.

Spenceley takes an intriguing turn with “Crying,” a thought-provoking commentary on discord that can occur between branches of Christianity—as seen through the eyes of God Himself.

But I must say, Heart Strings’s gem is found in its title track, where an upbeat bounce climaxes with an irresistible chorus.

Heartfelt. Genuine. Stirring. Without apology, Haydon Spenceley’s Heart Strings cuts to the core of human existence and exposes the beauty of man’s desperation for the Savior.