Search - Nichole Nordeman :: Live at the Door

From: http://kachinacrowe.journalspace.com/?entryid=437

Kachina Crowe | Virginia, USA | 02/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nichole Nordeman is one of the darlings of the Christian pop music scene. Her sophmore album, Mystery garnered her the 2001 Dove award for best female vocalist. Her next relase was Live at the Door a collection of eight tracks recorded in Houston - this is the album that I fell in love with.



Live at the Door



I first slipped the disk into my car stereo on a rainy night last fall, it'd been loaned to me: "You'll like her voice, it's in your range." I was instantly captivated by the sound which reminds me of secular Shelia Nichols: wordy lyrics, big, heavy mezzo-soprano voice over sparse, instrumental piano - but Nordeman succeeds where Nichols so often failed, the music is beautiful and interesting but never repititious. Immediately I want to sing along, but I can't because I get caught up in the words:



No more camping on the porch of indecision

No more sleeping under stars of apathy

And it might be easier to dream

But dreamin's not for me





Nordeman sings with incredible confidance, making use of a big voice that can only described as strong, crescendoing in tandem with the accordion, "'Cause sometimes I still question, too /How easily we come to You.". Most Christian contemporary and praise music can be described as a simple repitition of "hallelujahs" and "praise the Lords" but To Know You weaves a narrative that pulls together the modern struggle for faith with the biblical stories:



[Nicodemus] struggled with the image

Of a grown man born again

We might have been good friends

Cuz sometimes I still question, too

How easily we come to You





Much of Nordeman's music is about the struggle with faith. When the applause from the first number dies down, the piano intro to the extrordinarily popular "Holy" kicks in. "Holy" might be Nordeman's most anthemic, 'praise-like' tune; it's not difficult to imagine the masses singing along in a revival-style trance:



And all you ever wanted...

Only me, on my knees

Singing holy, holy

And somehow all that matters now is

You are holy, holy





However, "Holy" is not just a crowd-pleasing praise song: it's quiet, introspective and features the lyrics that reach the core of Christianity: "What was meant to illuminate, shadowed me still." "Holy" is one of her most popular songs: listeners find the song touching and personal, perfect for a worshipful moment alone.





What makes Live at the Door a great album is the terrific blend. An album of all "To Know You"s and "Holy"s would be pretty bland - it's the third track that solidified Nordeman's place in my pantheon of musical deities: "Is it Any Wonder." "Is it Any Wonder" is the kind of song I could play for anyone - it transcends all genre types because it's just a great song. The piano arrangement to all of Nordeman's music is more instrumental than accompaniment; in this case, she uses the piano to reinforce the string bass more than to ground her incredible vocals - and I mean incredible. Nordeman uses a awesome power to pull through the chorus into the refrain which she improvises on repeatedly, but it's not just music that makes this masterpiece. Nordeman is a consummate songwriter and uses "Is it Any Wonder" to once again tell the story of those without faith. It's the story of all of us - the story of the CEO or CPA ("His wallet size and what he drives / Will symbolise how he's made it") and of the little girl:



Nobody told her that little girls

Don't have to have the softest curls for love





"Is it Any Wonder" is without question the best song on the album; to call it Christian contemporary, throwing it in with Michael W. Smith is slander, absolute slander. The melody is complex and unerring, the rhythm challenging while acheiving perfect prosody with the poetic verse. Even if you don't buy the album, hop over to the Itunes or Limewire and get this track.





Some Christian music is about rightousness and some is strictly about praise - Nichole Nordeman specializes in the nature of faith. "I Am" explores it's changing nature and growth over time. The song opens on a story already in progress: "Pencil marks on a wall, I wasn't always this tall" and tells the story of childlike faith. The lyrics are connected by a profession of weakness and a plea for strength. What's unique about the writing is the evolution, referring to god first as simply an elbow healer moving to the reverent title of Pasture Maker.



What would a concert be without a cover, right? There's a bit of a precendent in Christian music for taking a secular song and applying spiritual overtones to reinterpret an old classic, on Live at the Door Nichole Nordeman covers the Cyndi Lauper tune "Time After Time." I had completely forgotten that "Time After Time" was a) secular ("I'm walking too far ahead / You're calling to me, I can't hear") and b) a Cyndi Lauper song. Superb.



Nichole Nordeman received an incredible amount of press, popularity and critical acclaim from her first two albums but on "Legacy" listeners find that this has not gone to her head.



I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy





"Legacy" is absolutely ripped from the Christian pop playbook: it's sweet, it's hymnlike and it's personal. Did I say perfect? Also perfect.





"Fool for You" is a great concept: the 'fool' is taken from the popular public perception of believers; a perception of Bible-thumping fools. Nordeman takes this view and turns it on it's head:



I would be a fool for You, all because You asked me to.

A simpleton who's seemingly naive,

I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.





It's an incredible song that shows of Nordeman's lyrical acrobatics and skill in crafting athemic hooks.





My one complaint against Live at the Door is that it's too short. Just eight tracks long, the masterpiece ends with "My Offering." "My Offering," is a bit of a hokey song - Nordeman tells about what form her prayers and praises would take if she were a blade of grass or cloud in the sky, it's a beautiful song if it verges on the sweet side of the repetoire. The best that "My Offering" offers is an image of the concert atmosphere: throughout the album, audience presence is negligable but towards the end of "My Offering" the audience begins to sing along. It's truely a beautiful moment.



Live at the Door is an incredible album on many levels. Lyrically, Nichole Nordeman's lyrics show off the complexity and beauty the English language posesses when used to it's full extent. Musically, Live at the Door represents the best of what can happen when music is taken out of the studio and onto the stage. Spiritually, Nichole Nordeman's music represents the best of what Christianity has to offer: a beauty that transcends denominations, a love that is offered to all who would receive it and acceptance of all people. Live at the Door is not just a good Christian contemporary album - it's all over good music. Nordeman's lyrics don't come across heavy-handed and her music isn't the blank-pop style that dominates Christian radio. This album is hands down one of the best things I've heard, and I'm very pleased to give it a five out of five."

Poorly done, impersonal, short , and not worth the $$

Daniel J. Summers | Monterey, CA | 09/15/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I think Nichole Nordeman is an extremely talented singer/songwriter. She's released some great music over the years, starting with her 1998 debut. This album certainly doesn't qualify as even a good album though.



If the singing on the album was great for the entire album, than the fact that it's only 8 songs could be overlooked. The problem is that the singing on several songs is absolutely embarrisingly bad. Case in point: Is It Any Wonder. She tries vocal acrobatics which sound like "Star Search" gone real bad.



That's not to say that the whole album is poorly sung and executed. About half the album is good--Time after Time is good, as is I Am. But half the album is only 4 songs.



Another problem with the album is that it's extremely impersonal. All interaction with the audience was cut out. You barely even know there's an audience there. Which isn't necesarrily the best thing for a *live* album. It would be real nice to have had some song intriductions from Nichole. Explanations of reasons why things were written one way or another. Thoughts on life. Since this *was* a live concert, there was more to it than just the songs.



The album was produced by Brad O'Donnell, husband of Erin O'Donnell. He's done some good work in the past for Erin, and maybe he's not to blame for the failure of half of this album, but it's unfortunate for him that his name is attatched to this album.





I think it's ridiculous that they released an 8 song live CD. They could have released a full 14-16 song album for litterally, almost no more expense to them.



Save your money for a full length studio album from Nichole. This is can hardly be called a good investment, which is dissapointing from such a great artist.

"

SHORT ON MUSIC, LONG ON QUALITY!

Music | in the world | 05/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Live at the Door is only 8 tracks long, but fortunately, 8 GREAT tracks! My favorite track is the cover for "Time After Time". Fabulous! Her excellent fellow musicians on this CD add such depth and freshness to the tracks which we have heard in studio version. I am impressed with the quality of the CD as well. I would forget it was live until the appluase was brought at the end. It is not as "live" as some live CD's because of no audience reaction sounds during the song nor are there any commentaries or 'thank you's' heard by Nichole, but don't let this deter you from the live performance! Another pleasant surprise was her version of "I Am" and "My Offering"(which does have the audience singing at the end). I think they are better than the studio versions. Perhaps they will get some single rotation! "Fool For You" is done very folksy and "Holy" has a new sound because of an accordian playing the riff. This CD really is a no brainer. It is just pure enjoyment! If you enjoy Nichole already, it is no small favor you are doing yourself to purchase this reasonably priced CD! Well done! ..."