tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post113742687873781240..comments2023-04-06T09:04:33.935-05:00Comments on Faith Classics: CD Review....Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07281425856398968419noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137715777100143552006-01-19T18:09:00.000-06:002006-01-19T18:09:00.000-06:00It's interesting that the problem Israel encounter...It's interesting that the problem Israel encountered was the mixing of the temple worship with that of the idols. It's not that they denied God or even forgot about Him, but rather they chose to include paganistic practices in their worship of God. Ultimately this did lead to them erecting temples to other gods.<BR/><BR/>Blessings brother.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07281425856398968419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137714079308452032006-01-19T17:41:00.000-06:002006-01-19T17:41:00.000-06:00I have not heard this CD before, but I agree with ...I have not heard this CD before, but I agree with you that the sort of music you describe does not aid worship.<BR/><BR/>God Bless<BR/><BR/>MatthewMatthew Celestinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02874430461346560520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137523581458030132006-01-17T12:46:00.000-06:002006-01-17T12:46:00.000-06:00Bob, my hope is that all believers will find their...Bob, my hope is that all believers will find their unity in Christ alone. I am asking the Lord to show me where I am simply reverting to my own "cultural" ways as opposed to sensing the liberty found in Christ.<BR/><BR/>Whatever we do must be to the glory of God and according to His Spirit.<BR/><BR/>Blessings to you brother,<BR/><BR/>JimJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07281425856398968419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137515616141027072006-01-17T10:33:00.000-06:002006-01-17T10:33:00.000-06:00Jim,Thanks for taking the time to review the Aweso...Jim,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for taking the time to review the Awesome God CD. Your review was fair, thoughtful, comprehensive, and helpful. <BR/><BR/>Our understanding of how music works in worshipping God is probably more similar than you'd think. We, too, never want the music to overpower the lyrics, but rather serve them. Probably the main area we see things differently is what music "causes" us to do. Music moves us emotionally, but there is a powerful associative effect that can be trained and/or changed. Heavy music doesn't automatically cause someone to "feel intensely powerful and invincible," although that kind of music is often used to voice those attitudes.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, we aren't married to a particular style, and encourage singing songs in different ways, to reinforce the principle that there is no music that God prefers above all others. Rather, it's our job to use music wisely and responsibly, and to find ways to glorify God in various genres, rather than just a few.<BR/><BR/>I pray some of the songs, in some form, will encourage your knowledge of and love for our great God and Savior.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for the review.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137465793210897962006-01-16T20:43:00.000-06:002006-01-16T20:43:00.000-06:00Daniel, I think you deserve the free CD for this w...Daniel, I think you deserve the free CD for this well written review. I must say I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of this music. <BR/><BR/>I was beginning to think I was way out in the legalistic left field or something. <BR/><BR/>Why is music such a divisive and contentious issue these days in the Church? Unfortunately the carnal self wishes to have a part in whatever we do to glorify God.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07281425856398968419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18917324.post-1137449056638662882006-01-16T16:04:00.000-06:002006-01-16T16:04:00.000-06:00I would qualify my comment as coming from a former...I would qualify my comment as coming from a former blues guitarist (having played for years in a band).<BR/><BR/>That "qualification" is not meant to suggest greater authority in my opinion, but rather to suggest a strong likelihood of being in possession of a greater <I>bias</I>.<BR/><BR/>As a former musician, I am often quite critical of music, being able to discern with some degree of accuracy the both "performance" and "expression." <BR/><BR/>For the sake of this post, when I say "performance" I mean that sort of musical "affected" whereby one consciously or unconsciously attempts to parrot or perform within the boundaries of a particular genre of music. Likewise, when I say "expression" I am talking about the ability to articulate in music something of our own heart.<BR/><BR/>When all of the components of a song share the same expression (that is, the instruments compliment the music, which in turn compliments vocals, which give consonant life to the lyrics) I think I have heard an "honest" effort. I might not like what I hear - that is a matter of personal preference - but at least I am impressed that there is a honest consistency to what I am hearing. If a "christian" song scores low on this criteria, I might like to tap my toes to it, but I don't have a great deal of respect for it - and I would probably look elsewhere for edification both for myself and my family.<BR/><BR/>When a song misses out on expression, it typically does so because of the musicians are putting way too much performance into it. Affected vocals (such as an affected rasp, or an overly "soft" voice, etc.) are particularly odious to me. The only reason someone tries to sound like they just woke up, are about to cry, or ran a marathon - is because they want to put an emotional spin on the music. Typically singing in a voice that targeted to produce an emotional response is disingenuous at best, and psychological manipulation at worst. <BR/><BR/>Likewise a overly instrumental starting/ending vamps as well as an abundance of instrumental fills (drums and guitar typically) suggest that the music is driving the song rather than accompanying it - that is, it suggests that musicians are "jamming" and that the vocals are simply part of that "jam"<BR/><BR/>So when I listened to the samples, I brought that "baggage" with me, and I mention it so that my comments will have context.<BR/><BR/>Were that not enough preface - yet I must also add that I am aware of my own tendency to legalism with regards to music (that is, the mentality that says "if you don't listen to the sort of music that I deem to be spiritually acceptable, you are likely sinning...") - few of us are mature enough to graciously allow others to listen to music that their own conscience would forbid - whether rightly so or not.<BR/><BR/>So how is that for a preface?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, pretty much all of the songs that included distorted guitar and drums ranked high on my performance meter - and while I might have tapped my toes to one or two of them (I think "three in one" in particular had some unusual, but not unpleasing arpegiated voicings), I wouldn't want my children listening to them. The musical genre for the most part seemed to be driving the rest of the show. Like wise for some of the more country sounding "ballads" (c.f. "who is like you").<BR/><BR/>None of the songs scored terribly high on the "expression" scale, and ("Have you heard" and "who is like you" perhaps scoring the highest - but not stellar or anything).<BR/><BR/>I would let my kids listen to some of the songs from the selection, but, frankly, some of them I wouldn't want my children to be singing around the house. When the music of the song competes with the message for the heart of the listener, I see compromise - I see "taint." As a parent I want to sheild my family from compromise, and ensure that whatever music is "daddy approved" is "primarily" edifying, as opposed to "subsequently" edifying, as in the case with some efforts (where "Christian" lyrics are simply tacked on to whatever musical genre is selling at the moment).Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06734845463331170748noreply@blogger.com