Search - Steven Curtis Chapman :: Sign of Life

Chapman's artistic breakthrough

Greg Brady | Capital City | 07/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chapman makes a break with longtime producer Phil Naish in favor of Brown Bannister (White Heart, Amy Grant) and it seems the new combo focused a LOT of attention on making his musical backing more layered and interesting. Chapman himself also steps up to the plate a lot more, handling all the backing vocals, doing some electric picking for a change, and adding lots of "exotic" instrumentation personally (dobros,slides,mandolin,lap steel).



Lyrically, he takes some chances as well, using some unusual metaphors to get across his message (the alien theme in the title track, race cars for "Rubber Meets the Road",dancing for our life in general in "Lord of the Dance") that make this some of his most original writing yet. It landed 4 top 10 Christian radio hits: "Lord of the Dance" (#2),"Signs of Life" (#2),"Let Us Pray" (#5) and "Free" (#9).



HIGHLIGHTS:

"Lord of the Dance" gets things off to a great start. For the first time, Chapman's tunes feel loose and vibrant with an actual GROOVE to them musically. It's BLUEGRASS pop if you can imagine that...the fiddle and dobro play important parts in the arrangement though it's way too electric to be anywhere near NickelCreek territory. The song celebrates God's role in guiding our destinies. ("I move my feet, I go through the motions/But He gives purpose to chance/I am the dancer/He is the Lord of the dance") In contrast to another review here, the vocal scatting by Chapman lends to the vibe and the song would LOSE impact if that were just replaced by another guitar or something similar. It adds spice. The title track finds Chapman in the shoes of an alien, wondering about the significance of the lives of these Earthlings it's examining. ("Where are the signs,where are the signs of life/The love that proves there is a beating heart inside?") Shane Keister's Rhodes adds a somewhat jazzy touch to the song. Chapman takes a decent electric solo on this one. "The Walk" finds SCC sneaking a touch of acoustic blues into a nice shuffle tempo. The message (follow God with your actions not just your mouth) isn't a new one, but it's done with convincing swagger. The "do justly,love mercy/Walk humbly with your God" bridge is particularly tasty. "Let Us Pray" is probably the hookiest anthem to intercession ever. See if you don't find yourself singing "Let us pray, let us pray/Every moment of the day" after 1 or 2 hearings. "What I Would Say" is a rare introspective moment from Chapman, as he imagines how he'd have related to his late alcoholic grandfather he never got to know. ("I would say I wish I could have known you/And I would say I wish you would've stayed/But most of all I would say I forgive you") SCC uses a nice falsetto I didn't know he possessed at times here, and the strings are beautifully restrained..never manipulative (as has been the case at times on past Chapman outings). "Hold On to Jesus" harks back to Chapman's more acoustic roots and is beautiful in its simplicity.



LOWS:

"Free" isn't bad, but some changes would make it a stronger song. It takes a little too long to build. (The first and 2nd verse and chorus don't have a lot of "kick"..it doesn't really blossom until the "And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed" bridge) and it goes on far too long at nearly 7 minutes. I would still keep the nice coda (with Chapman's phased vocal over the jazzy piano) but eliminate at least 2 minutes earlier in the tune to tighten up the song.



BOTTOM LINE:

This CD features so much of Chapman's singing, playing and writing (all but 3 completely self-penned) that it serves as a great way to decide if you like him or not. If you're just beginning to check him out, this is probably a great place to start."

Getting better all the time

Larry Hehn | Toronto, ON Canada | 10/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With each new release, Steven Curtis Chapman expands his ability to express passion through his music. More and more he moves beyond the soft, contemplative, predictable songs of his early career and ventures into stronger lyrics and more soulful music. He hasn't quite hit his peak yet, but the growth is really starting to show.



Edgier songs include Lord of the Dance, The Walk and Rubber Meets the Road, songs that challenge with their lyrics and motivate with their music. Some softer but equally good tunes include the moving Free and inspiring Let Us Pray. Most of the rest seem to hover in the vanilla zone, not bad but not outstanding either.



Again, if I had rated this back in 1996, I probably would have given it 5 stars. Knowing how far along Chapman has progressed, and the level of his ability that this album represents, I give it a strong four.



Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory"