The Live Concert
by
Don This week's album features one of CCM's classic pioneers. Whether backed by a full band or alone on the stage with only an acoustic guitar, this artist is the ultimate story teller. Like many of the...
Better Questions
by
Todd On that other, lesser-known, not-as-good, non-Christian, social networking site, I posted the same blogs that I have posted on here over the last couple of days. And if you looked at the blogs on that...
The Altar and the Door
by
Casting Crowns The much anticipated release from Casting Crowns has been out on the streets for a few weeks now and has enjoyed multiple rpm's in my CD player. Whether you're a fan or not, if you've listened to them...
The Altar and the Door | Posted December-23-2009
The much anticipated release from Casting Crowns has been out on the streets for a few weeks now and has enjoyed multiple rpm's in my CD player. Whether you're a fan or not, if you've listened to them you know their debut CD was simply awesome. And they didn't disappoint on their softmore effort, "Lifesong". Minus a Live version of the debut album, "The Alter and the Door" is technically the third release by Crowns.
With a balanced mix of worship tunes and challenging anthems, the greatest drawback to "The Alter and the Door" is that it is limited to only 10 songs (plus a hidden track that will transport you to Oahu). Splattered with the fingerprints of other talented songwriters such as Nichole Nordeman (Every Man) and Steven Curtis Chapman (The Word is Alive), the hardest impacting songs on this disc appear when when the band members keep songwriting duties in the family.
If Christians sat up and took notice when hearing "If We Are The Body" for the first time, there are bound to be some ripples throughout the church when listening to what I believe is the best song on the album - "What This World Needs". Check out these lyrics penned by front man Mark Hall and guitarist Hector Cervantes:
Verse: What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind, Another two bit politician peddling lies, Another three ring circus society. What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you, Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth, Another prophet in an Armani suit.
Verse: What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside, Have we become so blind that we can't see, God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt. What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance, Blending in so well that people can't see the difference, And it's the difference that sets the world free.
Bridge: (spoken) People aren't confused by the Gospel. They're confused by us. Jesus is the only way to God but we are not the only way to Jesus. The world doesn't need my tie or my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible. They just need Jesus. We can be passionate about what we believe but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel. We're slowing it down. Jesus is going to save the world but maybe, the best thing we can do, is just get out of the way.
Chorus: What this world needs, is a Savior who will rescue, A Spirit who will lead, A Father who will love them in their time of need. A Savior who will rescue, A Spirit who will lead, A Father who will love - that's what this world needs.
Current radio favorite "East to West", the album's namesake "The Alter and the Door", the song that cemented the albums theme "Somewhere in the Middle" along with the worshipful "All Because of Jesus" should provide radio exposure well into 2008. And Mark's personal comments in the liner notes are worth bypassing the temptation to download this CD from iTunes and driving down to your local Christian bookstore to pick up your copy.
...Lord, this time I'll make it right, here at the altar I lay my life. Your kingdom come but my will was done. My heart is broken as I cry, like so many times before but my eyes dry before I leave the floor. Oh Lord, I try but this time, Jesus, how can I be sure I will not lose my follow through - between the altar and the door?
Better Questions? | Posted December-23-2009
On that other, lesser-known, not-as-good, non-Christian, social networking site, I posted the same blogs that I have posted on here over the last couple of days. And if you looked at the blogs on that site, you'd see that I've been listening to Todd Agnew's new CD, "Better Questions" lately. Historically, I've not been a huge TA fan. He's got a couple of good songs out there but nothing that really grabbed my attention. This CD is different. This CD is reallllly good! And one song in particular gets right down to the root of the issue - it's called, "If You Wanted Me". In a nutshell, Todd asks out loud what we often wish we could ask God - and receive an answer. Here are the words...
I'll admit I'm glad we're not disciples, Out on a lake paralyzed with fright. 'Cause I'm afraid I might have laughed at Peter, Until he stepped out into that stormy night.
If You wanted me to walk on water, Why'd You make the solid ground seem so right?
I'll admit I'm glad I'm not King David, Ruling over everything I see. 'Cause I think I've fallen for more than Bathsheba, your creation's a temptation for me.
If You wanted me to love You only, Why'd You make the moonlight sparkle in her eyes?
I'll admit I'm glad I'm not John the Baptist, In a jail cell waiting for my day to die. 'Cause at least down here I know what we're chasing, And it's hard to trust Your dreams are so much better than mine.
If You wanted me to die to myself, Why'd You make me fall so deeply in love with life?
If You wanted me to surrender, Why'd You make these hands able to hold on so tight?
And if You wanted me to be like You, Why'd You make me like me?
Better questions? Better songs! If you haven't picked this one up yet, it's definitely worth the listen...
Introducing - Don Francisco! | Posted December-23-2009
This week's album features one of CCM's classic pioneers. Whether backed by a full band or alone on the stage with only an acoustic guitar, this artist is the ultimate story teller. Like many of the early CCM pioneers, Don Francisco started out in the secular genre but, after a conversion experience, began writing from a Christian perspective. Don's music has a simple purity to it that is captivating. Like Kieth Green, many of his songs are either scripture or taken directly from scripture. Don has a unique ability to place himself into a Bible story and give the listener an insider's perspective on the events recorded.
One of my favorite artists, Don began releasing albums in 1976 with Brother of the Sun. This blog will review his 5th album, The Live Concert. Although I love ALL my Don Francisco albums, there is something special about listening to him live. The album kicks off with Since I Met Him, one of those storyteller songs that recounts the experience of the blind man healed by Jesus. The beauty of a live performance is how songs can be blended together, and as the song ends it flows into the chorus of Got To Tell Somebody. This song tells the story of the centurion who sought out Jesus to heal his daughter but, as Jesus was returning to his house, his servants approached with the news that his daughter had died. Jesus tells the man to believe, and brings his daughter back to life.
Praise the Lord! Hallelu! I don't care what the devil's gonna do - that is how the third track begins on Jesus Is Lord Of The Way I Feel. Next up is a song that has become one of Francisco's crowd pleasers, The Steeple Song. A fun, upbeat tune, this song tells it like it is:
I don't care how many buses you own or the size of your sanctuary. I don't care how steep your steeple is if it's sitting on a cemetary. I don't care if you pave your parking lots or put pads upon you pews, what good is a picture perfect stage if you're missing all the cues?
I'll Never Let Go Of Your Hand is a great ballad that assures us that God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Beginning Side 2 of the double album set is Adam, Where Are You, a song that reaches back to the Genesis account of the Garden of Eden and the first sin. Another of Francisco's greatest offerings is a song that expresses the depth of God's forgiveness - I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping.
I don't care where you've been sleeping, I don't care who's made your bed
I've already gave My life to set you free;
There's no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love,
And it's all yours if you'll come home again to Me.
Give Your Heart A Home is a song about how much it pains God to see us continually fail but also how He is there for us to leave our burdens with Him.
The last song on the first album is Too Small A Price/Joy. Francisco takes the role of the man selected to carry Jesus's cross to Golgotha and tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from a first hand perspective. This is by far my favorite song on the album and I still get a lump in my throat every time I hear it. This song alone is worth the price of the album.
The second album (Side 3) begins with The Christmas Song which recounts Christ coming to earth as a man. Come and Follow is next and gives an account for Christ's calling of the first disciples with Francisco assuming the role of Peter.
I Could Never Promise You has a special significance for me as I chose this song to be sung at our wedding along with Paul Stokey's The Wedding Song. It is a beautiful song that confirms our need for God to be in the center of our marriages.
And so I stand before you now for all to hear and see
I promise you in Jesus' name the love He's given me
And through the years on earth and as eternity goes by
The life and love He's given us are never going to die…
Side Three closes out with Love Is Not A Feeling, it's an act of your will. The song is an encouragement to perservere through tough marriage relationships. Feelings come and go, but love is an act of our will that can remain strong regardless of how we are feeling at a particular point in time.
Side Four opens with Beautiful To Me. Once again Francisco takes on the role of Peter and recounts the well-known story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet with oil and her hair while Jesus was having dinner with the Pharisee. Next up is The Package, a song that encourages us to withstand the wiles and temptations of the devil because God has better things in store for us. Jehoshaphat is a song about another Biblical character who went to battle by following God's' instruction and placing his singers on the front lines to sing praises to God. God gave Jehoshaphat the victory without the soldiers even having to fight.
Closer To Jesus exhorts us to get closer to Jesus by recounting some of those great Bible stories of others who got "closer to Jesus" such as the woman who touched the hem of his robe and was healed. The album closes out with what has become Francisco's trademark and a song that surely is one of Christian music's best of all time - He's Alive.
Unfortunately, Don Francisco is one artist that I've never had the opportunity to see in concert. But The Live Concert album is the next best thing. In fact, my oldest son found this album when he was 2ish and I was deployed with the Navy. When I returned, my double album was a single album with an empty sleeve. After many years of listening to my lamenting, my wife stumbled across Francisco's web site and purchased the album for me on CD. Just before blogging, I searched Amazon and found 2 albums for sale: 1 new and 1 used starting at $69.99! But I've got good news for you. You can experience Francisco's "out of print" music by purchasing it from his website at a mere $10 per CD. And he runs a special - you can purchase all 13 of his out of print albums on CD for $100 - that's like getting 3 free CDs!
Don and his wife, Wendy, still record today. His voice is unmistakeable and is every bit as strong as when it all began in 1976. His talent on an acoustic guitar is as good as anyone in the business. If you are a fan of 60's folk music, you will absolutely love Don Francisco. If you could only buy 1 album, I recommend The Live Concert - it is still my favorite after 25 years.
I won't list the discography here because the list is just too long - at least 29 albums that I'm aware of and there may be a few I'm missing. However, you can see them all by going to the following link:
baconcraig's Music and Book Reviews 
