Recently, cMusicWeb.com has been moving at full speed to get you new
reviews, interviews, and features. However, due to some technical
difficulties, we have not been able to put it on the site. But look forward
to the numerous additions to the site in the remainder of the month, for we
have interviews with Relient K and Sanctus Real, as well as reviews of
Superchick, Andy Hunter, Cadet, and even Grammy winner Norah Jones, among
many others. And to make up my missing last week, we have two weeks of
releases to cover, including Chris Rice, Third Day, Relient K, and many
more.

GOT COMMENTS?? - We want your input on cMusicWeb.com! Send it to
webmaster@... or find me on AOL IM.

UNSUBSCRIBE?? - Logon to http://groups.yahoo.com to do so, or drop us an
e-mail telling us why you're annoyed by hearing from us.


RUN THE EARTH... WATCH THE SKY - Chris Rice (2003)
by Melissa Miles

Run the Earth... Watch the Sky. Mmm. The phrase sounds so idealistic, so
poetic. Who better to explore and explain it than Chris Rice? Three years
after Smell the Color 9 fans are getting antsy to hear his humorous,
questioning lyrics again. Well, we now have our album, but we will have to
wait a while longer for an album that is worth our time.

To be fair, while “The Other Side of the Radio,” “Untitled Hymn,” “Smile,”
and “Me and Becky” are all trite and unremarkable, there are a few gems on
this album too. “Nonny Nonny” is a fascinating song, and possibly the best
of this album, bringing Technicolor images of innocent childhood. The odd
chorus of “Nonny Nonny Odle’ee, river washes over me, up for air and carry
me away” somehow finds itself clothed in elegance and a wistful peace. It is
difficult to describe how he pulls off such a trick, but that is part of
what makes the song so charming. Reflections of youth is carried over into
“Eighth Grade,” but this song falls far short of the quality of “Nonny
Nonny.” It will probably be subject to much skipping due to gruesome visions
of “…Yesterday’s corndog in last week’s ketchup.” Such a disgusting thing
might be forgivable, but there is no deep message or lesson that saves it
from being quickly passed over. The solemn “My Cathedral” follows, where we
are taken to a forest and shown the silent beauty of the trees: “Out here in
the stillness I find my house of worship, with column trees and canopy of
stars, here in my cathedral.” “Circle Up” is a hoe-down type picture of
Heaven that begs the question ‘Why is this song on this record?’ The line-up
of this album is also confusing. A peppy pop song squelches the
contemplative mood of the worship song preceding it, and then after you are
adjusted to the beat of the song, the next will settle down again.

Overall, Run the Earth... Watch the Sky is disappointing. While a few good
songs will no doubt bring new groupies to the fan ranks, his previous albums
are so much better. It is almost as if Chris is content simply to record
mediocre copies of past sentiments and melodies rather than create new ones.
It isn’t nearly bad enough to ruin a career though, so we, the fans of Chris
Rice, will wait until the next album.

Find more about Chris Rice at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/chrisrice


OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM
Review: All About Love - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/stevencurtischapman/allaboutlove.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MARCH 4 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

FALLEN - EVANESCENCE
Although we've only currently heard a song or two, Evanescence sounds like a
good one. Here you will find a unique blend of guitars, piano, and
female-led vocals. And with all that mainstream promotion, you will probably
be hearing about them more.

JONAH: A VEGGIETALES MOVIE DVD - BIG IDEA PRODUCTIONS
If the movie wasn't enough of a reason for you to go out and get this PICK
OF THE WEEK DVD, then check out these extras. Behind the scenes, outtakes,
commentary from the veggies themselves... this DVD has all the stuff you
would ever want! Read our movie review:
http://www.cmusicweb.com/movies/j/jonah.shtml

OFFERINGS II: ALL I HAVE TO GIVE - THIRD DAY
Offerings was a breakthrough disc for Third Day, so why not try to do it
again? Well, for starters, they're hard pressed to find another set of old
and new songs that will work so well. Live cuts such as "Show Me Your Glory"
have not stood the test of time that tracks such as "Agnus Dei" and
"Consuming Fire" have. Nevertheless, it's a must-have for any 3D fan.

RUN THE EARTH... WATCH THE SKY - CHRIS RICE
See Review Above.

WHAT LIGHT IS ALL ABOUT - ALATHEA
Hoping to get in on the "newgrass" craze of Nickel Creek, Rocketown has
decided to add Alathea to their family. These three girls infuse faith-based
lyrics with great acoustic pickin' for a truly unique disc.


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

A FRAGILE STONE - MICHAEL CARD
One of the great Christian artists of the last 25 years, Card has a great
love for Scripture study. Most of his discs focus on a Biblical character or
book of the Bible, and this book provides insight and meditation on the rock
of the Church, Peter, while traversing through many musical styles.

AMAZING LOVE - HILLSONG MUSIC
Still going strong from the Land Down Under, Hillsongs brings another set of
worship choruses to the States. This collection features twelve all-new
worship tunes from Darlene Zschech and the rest of the Hillsongs worship
team.

CRY HOLY - SONICFLOOD
SONICFLOOd was once a great, worshipful venture, thanks the to the great
leadership of Jeff Deyo. Since he left, the band has had a rather checkered
history. Their latest finds the band covering more modern worship tunes in a
more upbeat way than the originals.

DESIRE - VINEYARD MUSIC SWEDEN
The first release from Sweden's Vineyard Music, this release seems to find
the Nordic races doing worship almost exactly like Americans. I guess a bit
of a different sound would have been expected, although it is a bit more
edgy and electric guitar-based than most Vineyard releases.

HOUSE OF WORSHIP - TWILA PARIS
Twila brings a collection of self-penned old and new worship favorites to
the studio and records them all in a fresh and passionate way.

ONE MORE LAST TIME - RADIAL ANGEL
Another new contender in the Christian rock arena, and featuring a producer
who worked with Rage Against The Machine and Stone Temple Pilots, Radial
Angel's debut is straight-up rock with passionate, soaring vocals.

R.I.P. - GHOTI HOOK
After 11 years of rock insanity, Ghoti Hook called it quits in 2002.
However, they give one last release with R.I.P., which was recorded live
from the stage at last year's Cornerstone festival. Only hardcore Ghoti Hook
fans need apply.

TWO LEFTS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT... BUT THREE DO - RELIENT K
Some are calling Relient K the next big thing, and this is their time to
prove it. Two Lefts takes their witty lyrics and commentary on faith and
popular culture to a new level. Their Blink 182-styled punk rock gets better
with each release, and therefore gets it the PICK OF THE WEEK.


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
- Teen Pop Update
- And more!

View all the latest stories on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb