We recorded this, our thirteenth CD, at various times during the spring, summer, and fall of 2006. At the time this booklet went to print, we were on a pace to do over 130 concerts for the year, making it our busiest yet. Lord willing, we should play our 1000th concert sometime in 2007.
Wordplay is our first full-length CD of all-new material since Adam Up was released in Fall 2003. In the meantime, we released a "best of" compilation with seven new tracks (New & Used Hits) in Fall 2004, a 12-song acoustic project (Apol-acoustiX) in Spring 2005, and a live album (Hits: The Road) in Fall 2005. Wordplay is also our first project to fully feature our newest member, Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner, who also played three tracks on Hits: The Road.
We chose the title Wordplay for a number of reasons, and not just because we've been known to engage in a bit of wordplay in our parodies.
When studied in its original languages, the Bible is full of clever plays on words in both the Old and New Testaments. One example is when the Apostle Paul writes about Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, who had since become a Christian, in Philemon 1:11. Onesimus means "useless," so Paul makes the following pun: "Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me."
Of course, just because something is funny doesn't mean it isn't true. As we've said many times over the years in ApologetiX, we take the Bible very seriously; we just don't take ourselves very seriously.
Sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), the Word of God is nothing to be played with. But it is something that can be played ... on musical instruments. As Psalm 33:3-4 says, "Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."
Furthermore, many of the songs on Wordplay (and our other CDs) are miniature plays or musicals based on the Word of God. In fact, musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat were every bit as influential on our style as "Weird Al" Yankovic and Mad Magazine. We even mention those musicals' composers, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, in "Somebody Sold Me," our own treatment of Joseph's story, on this CD.
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Still The Same For Apologetix| Posted July 11, 2007
If you haven't heard of Apologetix by now, then you're missing the best independent band in Christian music. A cult group that has followed Weird Al and made parodies out of popular songs, but unlike Al Apologetix uses the parodies to preach the gospel by giving the songs biblical meanings. In the past the independent band's material has been less then up to par in terms of quality, but has done the best with what they've been given, and it's the same for Wordplay.
First up, "Somebody Sold Me" ("Somebody Told Me"" The Killers) which showcases the great part about what the band does; taking bad songs and giving them Christian lyrics but essentially keeping the music of the song. "None Too Ladylike" ("1985"" Bowling For Soup) is chock full of references to Madonna, Star Wars, among other things. "Save Your Voice (Quiet Down Boy)" ("Ride A Horse (Save A Cowboy)" "Big & Rich) takes a fun country rock song and adds the message of praising God when it's not popular in the world. The lead singer, J. Jackson recorded the song twice with a different voice for each male singer, making the song well rounded. "Boulevard of Both Extremes" ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams""Green Day) is a dead ringer musically, but the vocals are distinctly different, while not bad, not a great copy.
"Heavenly Hill" ("Beverly Hills""Weezer) is one of the weakest songs on the album, but it's not even a bad parody. The problem is it doesn't do the song justice, it's a poorly executed copy, but that said, it's still a good song. "Bone Digger ("Gold Digger""Kanye West) and "Superficial" ("Superstitious""Stevie Wonder) are the highlights of the album, being exact copies meant to be played loud. I might even go far as to say that the parodies improve on the originals. Did I just say that aloud?
"Ephesians" (The Reason"Hoobastank) and the albums closer "Singled You Out" (Figured You Out"Nicleback) are more examples of bad copies voice-wise. The parodies just don't do the songs justice. "Want It Dead or Alive" (Wanted Dead or Alive"Bon Jovi) is the albums last highlight with question salvation dead or alive?
Overall, an album with bumper-to-bumper parodies, 20 songs in all; most great songs, but others just don't do the originals justice. Sometimes the quality can be less than stellar, but the album is gold. If you haven't tried the band yet, give them a try. You won't be disappointed, but it helps more if you actually know the songs parodied. (I don't listen to Joe Walsh very mutch.)
Favorite so far| Posted March 04, 2008
Of the 4 albums I own of them, this is by far my favorite. I know a majority of the songs parodied and most of them are good.
Something for the whole Family| Posted August 03, 2007
This album is Great! The music is very useful for a teaching tool to youth groups due to the use of recent hits. I can listen to this one in the car with the kids and we can all sing along. Kids rate Bone digger and Heavenly Hill the best. I like Singled you out which the lyrics of the original by Nickleback is NOT recomended for any of you who have Kids can't believe they put that stuff on the radio. Swimmer is also another of my favorites I like to rock a little harder. If you haven't listened to Apologetix yet enlighten yourself and GET THIS CD. They also have a couple of free tracks on their website so you can make an informed decision. www.APOLOGETIX.com
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