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Posted October 09, 2014
By zeekrkootunga,
‘Need You Now’ is the first release from Plumb in over 5 years. It was originally supposed to be released in September 2012 with the title of ‘Faster than a Bullet’, but was pushed back by her record company to a 2013 release. The title of the album was changed to honor the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims, which was a good move since ‘Need You Now’ fits better with the overall feel of the record.
The CD starts off with Invisible, an upbeat song that sounds like a classic Plumb track. I cannot see you / But I can feel you / I just wanna be with you / I’ve nowhere else to go are the words of someone that is at a crossroads in their life. At some point in all of our lives we will find ourselves lost with nowhere to go and at that point we have to put our faith in something. Sometimes that is a higher power, sometimes it’s a person and sometimes it’s just a basic belief that things will get better. Songs like this are there to let the listener know they are not alone in these struggles. Drifting, which features Jars of Clay singer Dan Haseltine, is a song about being there for someone when they are in need. It is a reminder to us all that When you lose the will to live / You will see the sun.
In Beautiful she (Tiffany Arbuckle Lee is the musician who goes by the moniker/artist name Plumb) sings about all the faults she sees in herself and how just hearing her husband tell her that she is beautiful makes everything seem better. One Drop continues that sentiment as she sings I need you / And you need me / Left alone / We will never be / Who we could be.
Plumb’s One Drop
I Want You Here is a very personal song about turning to God when obstacles get in your way. In this case her struggles are panic attacks, which is also the subject of Need You Now (How Many Times). Heartbreak is the topic of Say Your Name, a haunting rock ballad that features a string section that would have felt at home on radio stations in the late 80’s.
Why me / Why am I not welcome in your company / Why do you treat me like an enemy / If you believe the way you say you do / Then why am I unlovable to you she sings, calling out supposed Christians with Unlovable, a song suggesting that we should love everyone despite their differences. It is refreshing to hear a Christian artist speak out against discrimination.
Switching gears from loving others to loving your spouse is Chocolate and Ice Cream, a fun little song where she sings about all of the differences between her and her husband and how those differences make her feel complete. I Don’t Deserve You is about loving someone so much that you can’t believe they are with you.
Making mistakes is common in relationships, which is the subject of Cage. Even when you love someone there are days when you aren’t at your best. One of those days must have prompted At Arm’s Length in which she sings If we don’t get our way right now / We act like children.
‘Need You Now’ is that rare record offering both thought provoking lyrics and a singer with an amazing vocal range. Even though it is marketed as a Christian album it never gets too preachy like others in that genre. Instead of singing worship songs, Plumb crafts beautiful tracks based on life experiences which makes her music palatable to fans of all types of music. This is easily one of the best records released in 2013 due to the songwriting alone.
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