Customer Reviews

Chase the Kangaroo

5 star:		(3)
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Much of this album has a somber tone, coming as it did just after lyricist Steve Hindalong's wife suffered her 2nd miscarriage. In fact the booklet quotes Ecclesiastes 7:3 as its reason to be ("Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart") The guitar textures and feedback get thicker here as the band begins to resemble U2 somewhat sonically. The album's cover suggests at the faith grappling happening here, as the band finds God "blurry", difficult to fully grasp.

As a bonus, this CD includes 5 tracks from the 1986 EP "Shades of Grey" tacked on at the end.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Children of Time" looks at the facile arguments made to deny God's existence ("The cosmonauts were first in space/To look for God and find no trace") as well as the dangers in hedonism. ("When boys and girls love what they feel/They lick the Earth and swear it's real....") On the other hand, the band admits there's much in God's nature they don't understand. ("Clouds/are round about you/Shadows veil your eyes..") "Sad Face" delves further into this as they reflect on Hindalong's recent loss ("There's a woman in the kitchen/With a rainbow on her cheek/Isn't that a promise?/Still I never felt so weak..") "Cain" examines the guilt we all feel as sinners who affront God again and again ("I washed my robe in the river/I washed my hands in the rain/I washed my robe in the river/I curse the crime and I curse the stain") "Rifleman" calls Christians on their "Yeah! U. S. A.!" attitudes about armed conflict. While I'm not sure that war is ALWAYS avoidable, Christians do tend to get caught up in the patriotic fervor that accompanies it and forget that we're in trouble when we "pray for peace but revel in war". It cleverly tacks on a quick reprise of the similarly themed "Render Love" from their DIAMONDS AND RAIN disk. "So Far Away" is another great love song from Hindalong, his own "Beth". ("Shut the windows tight/Lock the door/I've seen that sky before/And I'm so far away/So far away, my love..."){Jerry Chamberlain and Sharon McCall are guest vocalists} "15 Doors" is a call for a more practical charity, embodying Jesus as a broken-down motorcyclist. In a twist, Hindalong imagines Jesus telling the listener one day they had "left me outside the door/shaking (in the cold) on your front porch!"

LOWS:
Some of the earlier material (the bonus tracks from SHADES OF GRAY) don't hit as hard as the KANGAROO material. "All Night Long" and "Tears Don't Fall" are probably the weakest.

BOTTOM LINE:
Good as DIAMONDS AND RAIN was, this improves on it by leaps and bounds musically AND lyrically. It's criminal that these guys are as unknown as they are. Highly recommended. (For what it's worth, this came in at #50 on CCM Magazine's 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music list.)

4 1/2 stars

This is perhaps one the best ever Christian rock albums. I would say classic. Why is it not available in mp3 format yet? I would download it immediately.

My personal favorite from The Choir. Know all the songs word-for-word. A little eccentric for Christian Rock, but I guess that's why I like them. And they're not all focused specifically on God - there are a few good ones related to personal/love relationships.