Some say we have gone insane. Why are we endorsing a candidate that has no
chance at winning the election? OK, OK, don't vote for Ian Eskelin. A month
or so ago Ian's marketing gurus had fun pretending Mr. Eskelin was running
for president and giving updates on his campaign. However, just a day before
we posted the album review on the site, they declared that he was not
running for President of the United States. While it may be a slight loss to
All Star United fans, we urge you to vote with your wallet today and
purchase Ian Eskelin's solo album.

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SAVE THE HUMANS - IAN ESKELIN (2004)
by Rick Foux

cMW NEWS BULLETIN - With the United States entrenched in the most intense
Presidential Election yet, President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry
continue to exchange blows on relevant topics such as terrorism, the
economy, and the environment. We've just been notified that a new candidate
intends to enter the race for President, casting his bid on September 21,
2004. All Star United's lead singer, Ian Eskelin — who has no prior
political experience whatsoever — is blazing a campaign trail across the
country. His platform? Save the Humans.

After attending one of Eskelin's campaign rallies, we've drawn the
conclusion that not only is he an eloquent speaker, but he gets straight to
the heart of issues that matter. However, he prefers to let his actions do
the talking and believes that by setting an example for others to follow, we
can make a difference ["Shout"]. Eskelin strongly cites his faith in God as
the reason for being the man he is today ["Solid Rock"] and passionately
croons that he wants to tell everyone the Gospel story of Jesus Christ ["I
Love to Tell the Story"]. In fact, Eskelin believes that a lack of faith is
the reason the human condition is suffering, and nothing short of God's
mercy can save the world now. "...We're an awful mess," Eskelin comments.
"We can purify the oily seas, we can empathize with manatees, even chit-chat
with chimpanzees, but we're still dying from a sin disease. ['Save the
Humans']."

Eskelin blames pop culture for leaving God out in the cold. In fact, he
admits that people can get away with almost anything, but mentioning God's
name is met with bitter rebuttal and political correctness ["Taboo"]. "Party
on, let freedom ring for the shock-jocks and the gangsta' kings," he states.
"But mention Jesus in the public square... the tables turn and the tempers
flare." To correct this problem, Eskelin says that humanity needs to look at
our lives in perspective and think about what we're really worshipping:
money, popularity, and other false idols. Clearly he is not above using
sarcasm to get his point across. "Vegas lives inside my veins," he joked,
eliciting laughter from the throng of listeners. "Dating Britney is my dream
['American Idle']." Eskelin also postulates that earthly possessions have
little importance, and that humanity should strive for a higher calling
["Throw It Away"]. Finally, this new candidate is in tune with the younger
generation. He frequently declares that, "We are the future," and
commissions the youth of America to get "Amplified" and let their voices be
heard.

While the spirit of Eskelin's campaign is nearly synonymous with the glam
rock style of his band, All Star United, there is also a mellow, soft-spoken
side to this candidate. He has been closing his rallies as of late with his
performance of "Magnify," a beautifully flowing worship tune that sums up
exactly how he feels about his Savior: "To worship in your presence is the
reason I was made…let the angels cry and my soul reply, 'Holy, holy is your
name.'" These lyrics may seem no different than what's currently on the CCM
market, but Eskelin performs them with such passion and devotion behind his
vocals that they are ultimately more convincing than other "offerings."

Usually cMW News steers clear of drawing biases, but Ian Eskelin is a
candidate we are truly excited about. His Save the Humans campaign has a
high-strung energy behind it, painting us a clearer picture of this man's
heart. He is honest and outspoken on issues that matter, telling American
citizens what we need to hear rather than what we want to hear. His
inventive way of lacing pop culture into his speech is nothing short of
genius as well as his ability to change his attitude from sarcastic to
worshipful at will. For these reasons, cMW News would officially like to
throw its support behind this candidate for the 2004 Presidential Election.
A vote for Ian Eskelin is a vote to save the humans.

Find out more about Ian Eskelin at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/ianeskelin

Find out more about his former band, All Star United, at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/allstarunited


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Review: Divine Invitation - Something Like Silas
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/somethinglikesilas/divineinvitation.shtml

Review: Moving On Faith - Jadon Lavik
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/jadonlavik/movingonfaith.shtml

Opinion: An Open Letter To TobyMac
http://cMusicWeb.com/features/openlettertotobymac


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

ALL THINGS NEW - STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN
After 17 years and 12 albums, what is new about Steven Curtis Chapman? Well,
I have not heard the album yet, but the fans say it's a newer, edgier sound
that draws from more styles of music. Hopefully you will find a review from
us soon.

ARRIVING - CHRIS TOMLIN
Chris Tomlin tried something new this time around. He asked producer Ed Cash
to bring a new sound to Tomlin's latest batch of songs. But don't expect a
Bebo Norman album, for this disc has much of the same from Chris Tomlin's
past efforts.

EMMANUEL - VINEYARD MUSIC GROUP
Getting the award for the first Christmas release of the fall, this Vineyard
collection has some favorites as well as some lesser-known Christmas tunes
in signature Vineyard worship style. However, the track listing looks
amazingly similar to 2002's Humble King Vineyard release.

SAVE THE HUMANS - IAN ESKELIN
Read the review above for more info on this great album.

STAR WARS TRILOGY DVD
Yeah, the geeks here at cMusicWeb.com are excited. In stores today is the
most anticipated DVD release ever - the original Star Wars Trilogy is
finally in high-quality video! Although George Lucas has made a number of
slight changes to the 1997 Special Edition films, these are still mostly the
films that many of us grew up to. If you are a Star Wars fan, get this PICK
OF THE WEEK now!


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