The Generous Mr. Lovewell

MercyMe | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: COLUMBIA/ INO
• ASIN: B003CNQPM4
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,571 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Nearly a decade since "I Can Only Imagine," multiplatinumselling supergroup MercyMe dares to imagine the world as it should be in its brand new release, The Generous Mr. Lovewell. Produced by Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) and Dan Muckala (Brandon Heath, Backstreet Boys), The Generous Mr. Lovewell fuses MercyMe fundamentals heart-provoking lyrics, powerful worship anthems, ballads and pounding, infectious melodies--with the simplest, yet greatest mandate of our lives as Christ followers: what it means to love well. "It almost goes without saying that we should love generously, that we should love like Jesus," Mike Scheuchzer of MercyMe says, "but does it?" Does hearing it make it real? It's so easy for us to live in our own little self-absorbed bubbles. We forget that above anything else we are called to love our neighbors, to reach out, to engage even the unlovable around us. It's not an option if we really want to be like Christ. The Generous Mr. Lovewell is a picture of the change we want to see in our own lives. Without love like this, everything we do, everything we are, is in vain."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MercyMe [The Generous Mr. Lovewell], May 4, 2010

By 

Kevin Davis "NewReleaseTuesday" (Perkasie, PA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Generous Mr. Lovewell (Audio CD)

MercyMe's new album is called The Generous Mr. Lovewell. The album has already garnered a No.1 song with "All of Creation," almost four weeks before the release date. "He's like Buddy the Elf meets Forrest Gump," says MercyMe singer Bart Millard of the fictitious namesake behind the band's sixth studio album. "He sees the good in everyone and knows his neighbors enough to know their needs. Mr. Lovewell may not be the next Billy Graham, but he's changing the world each day in every little word and deed." His advisory board--Millard, guitarists Mike Scheuchzer and Barry Graul, bassist Nathan Cochran, drummer Robby Shaffer, and keyboard player Jim Bryson--equips the red balloon-toting make-believer with airy ideas ("Pay for a stranger's lunch today") that were already being embraced by MercyMe fans before this batch of songs left the studio.

The album kicks off with "This Life" with an electronic rock beat in the style of Electric Light Orchestra. The chorus "this life was meant to shine" sums up the message of the song and album. I've been telling people that the new MercyMe album reminds me of a classic theme album like Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles or Songs For Jane by Maroon 5, both in musical diversity and with the challenging lyrics. The title track keeps the dance floor beat going and brings the theme into focus with these lyrics "He wakes up every day believing he's gonna make a change. " I was amazed at the energy of the first three songs as "Move" actually takes it up a notch musically. "Move" has a fantastic rock-dance arrangement like "This Love" by Maroon 5. True to form lyrically, the song keeps the Love Well theme going as Bart passionately sings "gonna move to a different drum no matter what life brings." A major strength of the album is how the theme of loving others is found in every single song mixed with basically three musical styles. "Crazy Enough" and "Back To You" usher in a more laid-back musical style yet continue the focus on Christ's commandment to "love one another."

For those looking for MercyMe's classic worship-filled musical style, "All of Creation," "Only You Remain," "Free" and "Won't You Be My Love" are all worship choruses written for the Church in the style of "You Reign" and "God With Us." There are no songs that I find out of place and I love how MercyMe seamlessly weaves the best of what I've come to expect from this incredible band with some new twists and turns. Amazingly, even after all of those great new songs, the songs I keep coming back to are "Beautiful" and the closing song "This So Called Love." "Beautiful" was written with the band's daughters in mind. Having three young daughters, I'm extremely moved by the passion behind the lyrics speaking of how the world says we are never good enough, yet Christ saw something beautiful in us worth dying for. Closing song "This So Called Love" is equally moving as Bart sings "If all that we do is absent of Jesus, then this `so-called' love is completely in vain."

The message of committing to extravagant selflessness and faithful optimism threads its way through every song, and while "It's one thing to be kind to someone, to be decent," Millard concludes, " if we really believe we have this hope, then to stop short--to not be the hands and feet of Jesus--seems almost offensive. Our dream is for this album to inspire others to `pay it forward' to the cross. It doesn't have to be about major sacrifices. Just let your life become such that people know what you stand for."

CLOSING THOUGHTS
The Generous Mr. Lovewell is RIDICULOUS!! That means AMAZING if you remember when that word meant something else. If you are like me and have been enjoying this band ever since the first time you heard "I Can Only Imagine," then surely this is your most anticipated release of 2010. This album truly establishes MercyMe as the premier artist in all of Christian music. I didn't think MercyMe could top All That Is Within Me but The Generous Mr. Lovewell rocks, has some incredible new musical twists and Bart's vocals have never sounded better.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their very best yet!, May 7, 2010

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Generous Mr. Lovewell (Audio CD)

I was a bit sceptical about getting MercyMe's new CD as it seemed to me they spent much of their time after their "Almost there" CD attempting to create another "I can only imagine", their mega-selling classic while remaining creatively stagnant. After reading a few reviews which stated this was rather experimental, I decided to get it and I'm glad I did. This CD actually sounds in places like the work of an entirely new/different band.

Most of the lyrics touch on love, especially as the album concept centers on some fictional bloke Mr. Lovewell whose capacity to love is to be emulated. A few songs are their typical anthemic Worship ballads; the #1 Coldplay-style "All of creation" (with catchy singalong "Oh o o" refrain), and "Only You remain", but almost everything else is a musical revelation.

Opening is the buzzing synth/Rock "This life", followed by the Punk/Pop "The generous Mr. Lovewell", then the truly experimental bouncy clap-filled "Move" (with jangly guitars and a bridge that sounds like the Bee Gees popped by), and the haunting midtempo "Crazy enough" with a groovy bassline (which poses the crazy notion of changing the world by loving our brother for nothing in return, sung in a laid-back lower register that reminds me of Kevin Max from dc Talk), the latter two are my favourites.

"Beautiful" is just that, and starts off with quivering guitars and electronic flourishes transforming into an anthemic Rocker. "Back to you" is lilting and Reggae-tinged. "Free" is tempo-shifting U2-style quivering/pulsing Rock, "Won't you be my love" a majestic ballad, and closing is the brief atmospheric ballad "This so called love" which tells us that if all we do is absent of Jesus, then this so called love is completely in vain.

The harmonies are lovely, the musical diversity a delight. MercyMe sound like a band coming into their own.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New CD!, June 12, 2010

By 

Carol Lugg (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Generous Mr. Lovewell (MP3 Download)

I pre- bought this CD, mostly because our family always likes Mercy Me, and I was sure it would be a good CD, and I admit, I was very interested to know what this Mr. Lovewell was all about!

This CD is excellent, and I am glad I bought it. Funny thing is, not only does our 17 year old son like it, but so do his 50 something year old parents! That's a pretty good feat for any musical group!

All that said, Mr. Lovewell could/should be any one of us. As believers, it should never be said of us that we didn't love well, whether it be someone in our family, a friend or a stranger. We cannot love well on our own. We need God to show us how to love well everyday. I think the cross is the best place to start. It's easy to love those who love us, but what about those that don't think we are as great as we think we are? That's not so easy. There are a thousand scenarios we could discuss, but the bottom line is, are we, as believers, loving well? I know I need encouragement like this CD to help me be that kind of person. I have a long way to go. With Christ, all things are possible!