As one of Third Day's biggest fans recently said, "3D needs a kick in the
pants!" Well, that's just what we have this week, with one of our most
honest reviews ever. Let's hope Third Day recovers. In other news, we have a
bunch of new releases this week, including music from the late Rich Mullins
and a couple new rock bands.

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OFFERINGS II: ALL I HAVE TO GIVE - THIRD DAY (2003)
by Rick Foux

Third Day is a band I used to have a lot of respect for. Their first
Offerings record was a triumph in every form of the word, but I was
disappointed when they resorted to the pop-laced Come Together in an attempt
to keep their Offerings following. When I heard there would be an Offerings
II, my Respect-O-Meter dropped to zero. Why would a highly successful band
release an album that made themselves appear like a moneymaking gimmick?
Needless to say, I went into reviewing Offerings II: All I Have to Give with
low expectations.

I wish I could write about how my low expectations were crushed or about how
Third Day's latest worship project blew me away, but I honestly can't.
Unfortunately, even my low expectations weren't enough, so here's the bottom
line: Third Day's Offerings II is the worst attempt at an album since their
debut on Reunion Records. Giving the band the benefit of a doubt, this is a
worship disc, but I can't shake the feeling that Offerings II was tuned more
towards giving the fans what they wanted, which makes for an insincere
mish-mash of songs. Timeless originals like "King of Glory" and "These
Thousand Hills" have been scuttled by the cheesy, guitar heavy "Sing a Song"
and the painfully trite "Anything." Later on, they successfully manage to
butcher Waterdeep's "You Are So Good to Me," but the live cover of Rich
Mullins's "Creed" is definitely worthy of applause. In fact, this cut would
be one of the only two reasons to buy the CD (the second reason being track
#11's "Medley"). "Creed" kicks off with a dazzling guitar intro, showing off
strings ablaze until they gracefully sink into the familiar acoustic rhythm
of the Mullins original. A strong performance on the drums by David Carr
pervades the remainder of the track, mystifying the audience with his loops
while Brad Avery and Mark Lee riff out a solo during the bridge. The other
strong track, "Medley," throws together two classic Third Day hits ("Give,"
"Your Love oh Lord") with the beautiful hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and
an all-too-brief cover of U2's "With or Without You." Having witnessed this
medley in concert before, I can safely say this is a powerful, worshipful
set that every Third Day fan should experience.

Sadly, the rest of the disc makes for an uninspired listen. Peppered among
the studio originals are live performances of older 3D songs, such as "Show
Me Your Glory," the bland "Nothing Compares," "Take My Life," from their
self-titled debut, and their penultimate "God of Wonders." Rounding out this
project are "Offering," an unoriginal, piano ballad with sub-par lyrics,
"May Your Wonders Never Cease," likely to become the group's next trademark
worship song, and the snail-paced, synthesizer-laced poppiness of "The
Everlasting." In the end, Offerings II serves to do nothing but help further
commercialize the worship movement.

There is no doubt in my mind that Third Day can do worship, and do it well.
I've witnessed evidence of that during both the Offerings and Come Together
tours. However, it is a sad thing when the focus of such a talented and
promising band shifts gears and relies on such crowd-pleasers as Offerings
II. At the least, this is an inspiring record, but not one that is worthy of
carrying the Offerings title. Give us something real, heartfelt, and
sincere, and God help us if Offerings III gets announced as Third Day's next
studio recording.

Find out more about Third Day on cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/thirdday


OTHER NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM
Review: The Ultimate Collection - Keith Green
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/keithgreen/index.shtml

Interview: Third Day
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/thirdday/interview2.shtml

Review: Offerings II: All I Have To Give - Third Day
http://cMusicWeb.com/rock/thirdday/offerings2.shtml

Review: Love And Thunder - Andrew Peterson
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/andrewpeterson/loveandthunder.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MAY 6 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

BASED ON A TRUE STORY - SANDTOWN
A unique children's choir from the neighborhood of Baltimore named Sandtown
is the most original release from Gotee Records yet. Appearances from
tobyMac, Michael W. Smith, and the Katinas make Sandtown's cute
Gospel/praise music more memorable.

BELIEVE - BIG DISMAL
The latest from the Christian side of Wind-Up Records finds another band
similar to label mates Creed. Fans of 12 Stones and Kutless will enjoy this
one.

BLUEPRINTS FOR THE BLACK MARKET - ANBERLIN
Another of Tooth and Nail's new rock bands hits the streets today, but we
haven't been able to check them out yet. The word on the street is really
positive, but we'll just have to find out.

HERE IN AMERICA - RICH MULLINS
It's been years since Rich died, so they can't possibly have anything new to
put out... or can they? Reunion has happened upon some early live recordings
of Rich, including teaching Awesome God to a live crowd, as well as demos of
songs never recorded. And if that isn't enough, this PICK OF THE WEEK
includes a DVD with a live concert recorded shortly before his death and a
rare interview with Rich and his friend Beaker. A must-have for any fan!

LIBERTAD - DELIRIOUS?
This pioneer of the modern worship movement go multi-lingual with their
latest release, a collection of their Cutting Edge classics with the lyrics
recorded in Spanish. For those who wanted to hear what a Brit speaking
Spanish sounds like or just would like Spanish versions of their songs, you
should enjoy this new release.

SHINE THROUGH MY LIFE - ULTRABEAT
Ten tracks of praise-oriented dance/techno music is what you will find on
Shine Through My Life, the sophomore release from Ultrabeat, the group that
brought the e-praise project.


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
- Legit Remixes Headed to Sparrow
- Louie Weaver Leaves Petra
- And more!

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


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