Remedy (A Review)
I don’t remember what initially led me to download A Collision from iTunes, perhaps just raw curiosity, but over a few months of listening on and off, it started to make sense to me. I connected with what he was trying to do: an odd convergence of electronica, arena rock, and evangelical exuberance. I’m a “singer/songwriter guy” by nature–––not the sort of person to lose myself in a sea-wave of modern worship anthems. But A Collision started to take down some of that reticence, at least for one hour. As I listened to Crowder’s music, there was a beautiful undulation of overjoyed peaks and sorrow-filled troughs that truthfully captured my personal Christian experience.
Now to this week’s new release: Remedy. I’d wager that this might be the first time an album covering Charles Wesley’s “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing” has made it to number 5. The record is a concise collection of ten fine-tuned but accessible songs. While I miss the long track title/short interstitial track quirks of A Collision, there’s certainly nothing missing in either the production or songwriting here. Crowder’s crew, along with mixer Shane D. Wilson have masterfully crafted a flawless sonic landscape. It feels just right. This is the sort of record you need your headphones to enjoy.
The songs–––sometimes restrained, sometimes epic–––all carry an alarming earnestness that draws in the listener. I will say that my initial hearing of the record left me feeling that the song sequence doesn’t ring as true as the last album–––not quite the sweeping emotional arc of A Collision. But this is still a very, very good record; polished and well thought-through. It even embraces the sort of revival-tinged fervor that’s likely to make the skeptic squirm in his stadium seat, or at least the introvert while still pleasing the extroverts.
I’d ask that anyone who’s perhaps avoided Crowder because of the excesses of much of today’s “worship music” to give this guy a chance. Give Remedy an extended listen, in fact. With something that’s this popular, I find myself tempted to call this sort of music a “guilty pleasure,” but that would be a proud and unfair way to put it. I’m just going to say its great.
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Brannon McAllister (www.brannonmcallister.com) spends his day as Creative Director at Portland Studios (www.portlandstudios.com), a design, illustration, and animation firm based in Greenville, SC.
