I think 2005 is still warming up. So, I guess we'll have to keep reviewing
2004's finest releases. This week we have the latest from Chris Tomlin plus
new releases from Stellar Kart, Ashley Cleveland, and the remixed worship of
David Crowder Band.

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ARRIVING - CHRIS TOMLIN (2004)
by Hollie Stewart

Reaching a destination in worship should never mean taking up permanent
residence. Instead, continual growth is needed. How else could the God of
the universe be discovered by His creation? Instead of setting up camp on
the first mountain, we should press on to the vast range we observe in the
distance. When considering Chris Tomlin's newest project, I take the title
to mean a process of arriving, one that will take an entire lifetime to
attain. This album is not a worshiper arriving to a place of conclusion.
If anything, this is the portrait of the artist entering a place of
realization that God's grandeur can never be adequately captured through the
medium of music.

The central theme of Arriving is the majesty of Jehovah. The majority of
the songs completely remove the human worshiper from the picture and are
consumed with the splendor of God. "Indescribable" begins the album with
images of nature and how they proclaim God's beauty: "Indescribable,
uncontainable / You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name /
You are amazing, God / All powerful, untamable / Awe-struck, we fall to our
knees as we humbly proclaim / You are amazing, God." "How Great Is Our God"
talks about how "He wraps Himself with light / And darkness tries to hide /
It trembles at His voice." Tomlin is mimicking the Psalms with his imagery
of nature bowing before God. Tomlin calls God "Mountain-maker,"
"Ocean-tamer," "Star-creator," and "Wind-breather" in "You Do All Things
Well." The compound names give the descriptions a Native-American feel and
appeal to my poetic sensibilities. "All Bow Down" tells of thunder, rain,
and fire escorting God across the cosmos and onto the earth. The focus on
nature reflects Romans 1:20, which talks of how the earth itself speaks to
the existence and supremacy of God. There are a few songs that deal with
man's relationship to such majesty ("Your Grace is Enough," "Unfailing
Love," and "The Way I Was Made," for example), but the tracks that focus on
the natural world stands out the most.

While the imagery amazes, the musical accompaniment leave me wanting.
Except for two tracks, the album blends together so well that is sounds like
another Passion worship undertaking. There are no revolutionary steps being
made with regard to musical diversity. "On Our Side" does surprise me with
its black gospel feel, but it ends up sounding like every other white guy
trying to capture the depth of African-American soul. But all is not lost:
the simplistic use of acoustic guitars and violins on "Mighty is the Power
of the Cross" saves the record. Another male voice harmonizes with Tomlin's
soft tenor, creating a beautiful moment of supernatural intimacy with
Christ. At the end the voices split into spontaneous praise, and it
captures a moment that feels entirely real and entirely pure to whom Tomlin
is as a worshiper.

No, Chris Tomlin has not arrived. He is instead arriving at new levels of
praise and worship that will continue to grow as he draws closer to Christ.
I believe this to be one of his best studio albums to date. The words
create visceral images, and the music does nothing to take the focus away
from the primary Receiver of our worship. It's a soothing collection of
music for anyone trying to arrive at a new place in Christ—a place that is
always changing shape.

Read more about Chris Tomlin at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/worship/christomlin


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Review: It's Later Than It's Ever Been - Smalltown Poets
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/smalltownpoets/itslaterthanitseverbeen.shtml

Review: Better Days Ahead - BDA
http://cMusicWeb.com/modernrock/bda/betterdaysahead.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

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

ALL GAS. NO BRAKE. - STELLAR KART
Friends of Word's pop group Across The Sky, this new band delivers a
passable rock/pop debut. However, their sound fails to differentiate
themselves from an early Relient K or countless other rock bands.

CITY OF GOD - JOHN MICHAEL TALBOT
Talbot's follow-up to the 1997 Table of Plenty album, this album combines
lush instrumentation with some of the best hymns and songs that Talbot has
sung over the years. Talbot has been making music since well before the
Jesus Movement, and this beautiful album is some of his most touching work.

MEN AND ANGELS SAY - ASHLEY CLEVELAND
There are two types of female vocalists. First, there's those beautiful
sopranos that sing worship songs and celtic music. Secondly, there's the
chick rockers, those that have a lower, grittier voice and sing to rock
music. Ashley Cleveland was the chick rocker of the early 90s, and she has
continued to put out amazing albums. This latest release is full of hymns
with a classic rock twinge. Don't miss this PICK OF THE WEEK and its unique
take on some of the world's best songs.

SUNSETS AND SUSHI: EXPERIMENTS IN SPECTRAL DECONSTRUCTION - DAVID CROWDER
BAND
Fall 2005 will finally bring the follow-up to 2003's Illuminate album, but
the David Crowder Band keeps rolling out product to keep us satisfied. While
the last EP gave us live tracks, this one delivers remixed songs from
Illuminate. Like the title of the album says, these are really experimental
mixes of songs, and those who like something different will enjoy this
album.


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