Customer Reviews

The Generous Mr. Lovewell

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I am impressed by this CD. I had only heard their single "All Of Creation" before purchasing it, but have been a MercyMe fan for years (ever since "I Can Only Imagine"). There are some pop/rock sounding songs with a Christian message (like "Move"); fans of Maroon 5 may like these songs. There are some worshipful songs and some songs about love. All the songs seem to have a them of loving one another and giving back. I recommend it to fans of contemporary Christian music.

This is a great CD. I think the lyrics are very meaningful and well written. The tempo of the music on this CD is perhaps a bit faster than what some may like. I for one, like the quicker tempo. Rock it!! (They really do it justice at their concerts if you get a chance to see them live!) If you like MercyMe and like to rock out with the windows down on occasion, you should like this CD!

Picked this up on Wednesday and although I thought it was just ok for the most part after listening to the entire CD several times it has really grown on me. Some of the songs that really stand out are the opening track "This Life", the first single "All of Creation", "Crazy Enough" and "Beautiful." If you're a fan of Mercy Me then adding this to your collection is with out question and will make a great addition to anyone who enjoys Christian music.

MercyMe is a band that consistently produces top notch music. This CD is no exception to that rule.

It is full of great sounding songs with meaningful Christian lyrics. There may not be any five star songs on it, but it has a lot of four star efforts. As always, Mercyme combines great instrument work and Bart Millard's incredible vocals with their meaningful words.

Some of the best songs on this include the following: Crazy Enough, All of Creation, Beautiful, and So Called Love. There are also two or three others that I think are very good. There are enough standouts on this record that one should undoubtedly buy the whole album, rather than just a song or two.

You can tell that MercyMe enjoyed and put a ton of effort into this album. And this is an ALBUM, not just a cd. There is a continuous positive message throughout the album that is so uplifting you can't help but sing the praises. As a review, though, I will have to say that I don't listen to all the songs when I put in the album, but most of them I love so much. "All of Creation", "Only You Remain", and "Won't You Be My Love" have become my favorites. They are power songs with a an musically, artistic quality that shows how much they have grown as Christian artists over the years. I also enjoy "This So Called Love" because it makes me think about my walk as a Christian, and it even put a deeper meaning on all the songs before it, which is wonderful.
I would definitely recommend this album.

One of my favorite CDs of all time. Simply beautiful. Uplifting. Upbeat. Touching. Can't get enough of this MercyMe CD!

The Generous Mr. Lovewell is one of the finest Christian pop albums I've heard in many years. All tracks are exceptional, with the song "You're Beautiful" a powerful anthem of what Calvary says to the lost soul. So much of this recording speaks to the Church about its role in the world, how we are to demonstrate love, to heal the wounds, to be the generous Mr. Lovewell. Then the lead singer asks: "It might just be crazy enough."