|
Movies Books Music Food Tv Shows Technology Politics Video Games Parenting Fashion Green Living more >

Lunch » Tags » Music » Reviews » God Shed His Grace - Songs of Truth and Freedom » User review

Worth having for the two newly recorded traditional songs

  • Mar 15, 2012
Rating:
+3
The implied patriotic them of God Shed His Grace by Twila Paris could needlessly scare some people away. Interested persons need not worry about this being political. All but two of the songs come from past releases and deal with the struggle and fight of faith.
 
The newly recorded traditional songs, “God of Our Fathers” and “America the Beautiful,” are patriotic but also have a strong spiritual component. These and the rest of the tracks serve as a reminder of who God is and what His people can be in the midst of a secular and sometimes hostile environment. The comfort, encouragement and challenge are designed to strengthen faith.    
 
As cohesive as this collection may be, the new recordings make me long for other fresh material from Paris. The oldest tracks have a somewhat dated sound but lyrically are as relevant now as when they were originally released. One of my favorite refrains comes from “True North,” “How did we ever wander so far / And where do we go from here.”
 
The past material comes from a variety of recordings whose producers chronicle Paris’ history in contemporary Christian music: Paul Mills, Jonathan David Brown, Brown Bannister, Charlie Peacock and John Hartley. The latter’s work is featured on two songs from Small Sacrifice (2007). Having lost track of Paris in recent years, I was unaware of this recording. On the basis of these two songs, and my past familiarity of Hartley’s work with Sheila Walsh and on the multi-artist Heaven & Earth: A Tapestry of Worship (1999), I will be on the lookout for Small Sacrifice.
 
Scott Dente (Out of the Grey) and Ken Lewis provide excellent musicianship and production on the new songs. Even if you have a number of the other ones, this is worth having for the beautiful renditions of these traditional favorites.
 
If you can get past the older production, all of the tracks have the inspiration and substance that has been a hallmark of Paris’ music from the beginning. She crafted songs of worship before it became popular. She belongs in the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and sure enough, she was inducted in 2007.
 
This release makes me look forward to any future Twila Paris releases. Seasoned artists, with their maturity and perspective, have a lot to offer. They may not generate the same excitement as their younger counterparts, but I treasure their wisdom. “Wisdom” just happens to be the title of the third track on this release. We need it more than ever today, and you can find some of it here just by listening carefully. 

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
6
Thought-Provoking
6
Fun to Read
6
Well-Organized
6
Post a Comment
March 16, 2012
Well done.
March 16, 2012
Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement.
March 16, 2012
You are very welcome.
 
1
About the reviewer
Michael Dalton ()
Ranked #152
I live in Eureka on the coast of Northern California. I am about 250 miles north of San Francisco. Our redwood trees are some of the tallest in the world.    I like books, music, movies, … more
Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

You
mdalton
Your ratings:
rate more to improve this
About this topic

Wiki

2012 patriotic release from the Christian music veteran. ''I was brought up to be a patriot. From the time I was old enough to think, I was grateful to be an American--to be born into this land of blessing. I knew that life, liberty and the freedom to worship God were not to be taken for granted, and that God Himself had given our forefathers the wisdom to delineate for us these rights that come from Him. It was deep in my heart, even as a child. And like so many Americans, the National Anthem or the flag could bring tears to my eyes. The first time I was old enough to vote, I voted for Ronald Reagan. He was inaugurated in the year I recorded my first album. The songs I've selected for this project were all written and recorded against the backdrop of the dramatic changes in society and government that have continued to unfold from 1980 until the present. Some of these lyrics were directly inspired by current events. Others were much more personal at the time. But I have included these particular songs here, along with two favorite patriotic hymns, because I hope they will be heard in a new context for a new time..'' Twila / II Chronicles 7:14
view wiki

Tags

Details

© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists