Customer Reviews

The House Show

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In his latest album, "The House Show," Derek Webb has issued a clarion call to bring Christians into a community of believers who boldly preach the Gospel -- in all of its beauty and offensiveness.

The album, recorded in the intimate setting of a living room rather than a concert hall, intersperses challenging lyrics with Webb's up-front theology. Webb's vocals are uncluttered, backed only by his 12-string guitar. The result is the kind of CD you can play over and over to draw you back to Christ when all around you is chaos.

Webb, who left Caedmon's Call to bring his message to hundreds of living-room concerts, focuses our attention on parts of the Gospel that are often lost in the Christian obsession with simple salvation. He targets Christ's emphasis on reaching out to others, preaching the Gospel, being truly repentant and letting our great Savior deliver us from the troubles that surround us in modern life.

Webb challenges complacent Christians to look deeply into themselves and abandon "the great righteousness that we might prop up as an idol from time to time."

"We think we will be able to measure the growth of our spirituality by how little we are sinning, or by how little we can convince ourselves we are sinning," Web says in his introduction to "I Repent."

That song quickly assails some values American Christians would prefer to leave unexamined:

"I repent, I repent of my pursuit of America's dream
And I repent, I repent, of living like I deserve anything
Of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife
In our suburb, where we're safe and white
Oh I am wrong and of these things I repent"

Lest any listeners feel left out, the song goes on to repent "the way I believe that I'm living right, by trading sins for others that are easier to hide."

But the positive message that accompanies the song is this: Jesus "knows you better than you're willing to even admit to yourself, but He's forgiven you!"

"Wedding Dress," fleshes out the theme of Christians who are hedging their bets because they don't truly believe the Gospel's promise that Jesus is sufficient for all our needs.

"And because I don't believe that," Webb says, "I all too often give in, am convinced or wooed by what some theologians have called 'lovers less wild' than Jesus, the great lover of our souls."

The song that follows is another affront to comfortable Christians:

"So could you love this bastard child
Though I don't trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

"I am a whore I do confess
I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle, run down the aisle

"I'm a prodigal with no way home
I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle, run down the aisle .. to you"

To those who might find these message hitting too close to home, Webb says, this is the real Gospel -- get used to it.

"You just can't preach the gospel and not be confrontational," he says. "The cross is both beautiful and offensive, and it must be both ... There is no other gospel for us to preach."

Webb reflects on "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," a classic Christian work by C.S. Lewis in which some children are magically sent to a world ruled by a huge talking lion named Aslan -- the Christ figure in the story.

"They go to some who live there and say, 'We are frightened by the sight of Aslan the lion. Can you tell us, is he safe?'" Webb recounts. "The response is, 'No, he's not safe. But he is good. And he's the king.'"

"Jesus, folks," Webb says. "He is not safe. He is not manageable. He is a wild lion. You cannot tame Him.

"But He is good. He is King. You can trust Him."

With that trust of Jesus in our hearts, we must reach out to others, Webb says in his introduction to "Nobody Loves Me."

"If you divorce local community from the Gospel then it ceases to be the Gospel," he says. "There is no other context for your faith as a Christian than to be in community with other people."

We must remember to preach the Gospel not only to nonbelievers, but to each other, Webb says.

He goes on to recount a story of Martin Luther, about whom "Nobody Loves Me" is loosely based.

Luther was once asked at his church why, week after week, all he preached was the Gospel, Webb said.

"Luther's reponse was, 'Well, because week after week you forget it. Until you walk in here looking like people who are truly liberated by the truth of the Gospel, I'm going to keep on preaching it to you.'"

"Nobody Loves Me" goes on to paint a picture of Luther as someone who assaults the comfortable, starting with himself.

"Well I can always tell a liar and I always know a thief
Well I know `em like my family because brother I'm the chief
Well I'm a dangerous crusader 'cause I need to tell the truth
So I'm turnin' over tables in my own living room

"But I might nail indictments up on every door in town
'Cause it's not right or safe to let your conscience down
So I don't care if nobody loves me, nobody loves me, nobody loves me
But You."

Challenging lyrics abound on this album. "This World," written by Aaron Tate, again confronts us for chiseling out hiding places from God's intention for our lives.

"This world is making me drunk on the spirits of fear.
So when He says 'Who will go?' I am nowhere near," says one verse.

"And the least of these look like criminals to me
So I leave Christ on the street," says another.

"But now I'm breakin' up, and now I'm wakin' up
Now I'm makin' up ... for lost time."

That is the positive message that runs throughout this challenging album: Take up your cross and, through you, Jesus will transform our communities.

This message runs through the song "Take To the World:"

"Go in peace to love and to serve
And let your ears ring long with what you have heard
May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

"And take to the world this love hope and faith
Take to the world this rare relentless grace
And like the three in one
Know you must become what you want to save
'Cause that's still the way
He takes to the world"

Webb is careful to remind us that the Church plays a pivotal role:

"I haven't come for only you
But for my people to pursue," Webb says in "The Church"
"You cannot care for me with no regard for her
If you love me you will love the church"

A man and his guitar.

On the surface, that is all you are going to get with Derek Webb's album The House Show. There is no production, no percussion, no backing vocals.

Dig deeper and you will find an outstanding album featuring one of Christian music's most honest and outspoken voices. The album seamlessly weaves segments of speaking with singing - sharing in music with spoken teaching.

Webb decided that in support of his acclaimed album She Must And Shall Go Free, he would avoid playing in large venues and would focus instead on small gatherings of fifty or so people in someone's living room. This setting allowed him to share what God has been teaching him about himself, about God and about the church. What's more, Webb was able to capture the feel of those gatherings on this album. Listening to The House Show it is easy to imagine oneself sitting cross-legged on a living room floor, listening to Webb share what God has laid on his heart.

What sets this album apart from other live albums is the dialogue between songs. We have all heard live albums where the band spends a few moments in thanking the crowd for their support or even in giving a small altar-call, but what Webb does is unique. He shares the inspiration behind his songs, often speaking for minutes at a time in what can really be considered small sermons. Especially outstanding is his stand against "going it alone" as Christians. He teaches that there is no other context for Christianity than the church, the church that Christ so loved that He gave Himself for her.

The bulk of the songs on this album are from She Must And Shall Go Free. He also covers a Bob Dylan song and sings two songs from his Caedmon's Call days, once which he wrote and one which was written by band mate Aaron Tate. The only new song is entitled I Repent and that song alone is well worth the price of this album. It is as gut-honest a song as you will find, especially in light of the introduction he provides for it.

Derek Webb is clearly one of the great Christian artists of our day. He pours into each album his passion for God, for the Reformed faith and for the church. This passion is infectious and the listener must soon learn that when Webb speaks, it is always worth our while to listen. I simply can't recommend this album enough.

I was so excited when I got my "House Show" cd. As I say in my "She Must and Shall Go Free" review of Webb's first cd, although I was annoyed at first by the style, I have grown to be challenged by his lyrics and his heart. He has challenged me to love the church, and by loving the church, loving those who are in it. He has challenged my weak view of my own sin and confronted me on one of my worst, hiding those sins from others to make myself more "worthy" to God and more attractive to others. This makes my sin small, and therefore makes my Savior small in my mind.

Maybe I started to get comfortable with the heart-wrenching lyrics of "She Must and Shall Go Free," and then comes "The House Show." The cd is a live recording of one of Derek Webb's many house shows, nothing more than intimate, livingroom concerts. Not only are many of the songs that made the first cd great on this one, but there are a couple Caedmon's Call songs, and one from his following cd, "I See Things Upside Down." The best thing though is the talking between tracks. Normally I despise talking on a cd saying, "I bought this cd for the music, not your preaching." But that's the thing, Derek's music has prepared my heart for his preaching during the last 6 month's that I've owned his first album and listened to it at least two times a week. Now, his heart is poured out as he explains his songs and preaches the same message that make his lyrics so poignant: We must hear the gospel, preaching it to ourselves and each other, every day; we must never diminish our own sin; If we love Jesus, we will love the church (and all those in the church); community is a necessary part of Christianity. (We also get a personal glimpse into his life as he tells the story of his grandma and the song "Dance."

If you do not yet own "She Must and Shall Go Free," go buy that and let its message penetrate your soul. It may take a few listenings, but listen and pray through the very needed message that Derek Webb brings us there. Then buy "The House Show."

If you already own and love "She Must and Shall Go Free," then immediately buy this cd. It will be one of your favorite.
-Jacob

Having been to a few of Derek's house shows, I can tell you first hand that this artist is the real deal. His concerts are always intimate and entertaining, and taking center stage (quite literally) is Derek's humble charm and charisma. This album is absolutely no disappointment. It's just like being there at one of his house shows, as Derek reveals his heart through his music.

My favorite track is Derek's solo version of This World. This has always been one of my favorite Caedmon's songs and hearing Derek tackle it solo has made me love it even more.

If you haven't been to a Derek Webb house show, I implore you to attend one next time there's one in your area. If that's not possible, though - pick up this album. It's the next best thing to being there.

This album is simply amazing! A Gospel-boasting Webb shares life stories and in some places intros his songs with mini-sermons that are all inspiringly great! I desperately miss this Derek Webb, who has more recently become experimental with his sound and seemingly more interested in the shock value of his lyrics than conveying this type of deep, moving, beautiful music. Every song is fantastic, Lover is my favorite song ever. I honestly love this album, I've been listening to it for years, and you will never regret buying it and sharing it with everyone you meet.

Over the past few years, my husband and I have struggled and found ourselves discouraged when we listen to Christian radio. We desire to listen to something that is going to encourage and challenge us and not sound like the world-- We don't just want to listen to music that is going to tickle our ears.

As soon as I put this cd in, I was glad I had. Normally, I prefer to listen simply to music rather than a sermon from the musician. But, I have grown to appreciate listening to such sharing especially when it helps me understand the heart of the musician and the message that he/she wants to share. Derek Webb talks about each of the songs in this cd and shares his thoughts about community, the gospel, and life.

I think this cd is a great idea for a gift for a friend who is struggling with church or grace or discouraged and cynical.

Derek Webb both plays some of his greatest hits unplugged with just him and his guitar and also gives background into the different songs thus giving even more substance to his music. He also plays new songs such as "Every grain of sand" which is worth buying the whole CD for. Worth your purchase!

Definitely check out this album! Derek Webb remains my favorite Christian artist because he is willing to be honest and to expose both his own struggles and sins and those that he observes in our Christian culture as a whole. His lyrics push me to think more independently and honestly about my own walk and challenge areas where I've just grown comfortable with the status quo in my relationship with Christ. I highly recommend this album for anyone wanting honest perspective on what it looks like to walk intimately and openly with Christ.

My first listen to this album I really liked it, the songs are pretty good and the talking between songs was very interesting. As I listen to the album more and more, the in between songs talks just get OLD and BORING, I find myself skipping almost every little one. I like the music just fine, but geez, these lectures about putting my sin on display and Christian community sure do get grating after about the second time you hear it. If there were a way to choose whether you want to hear these talks (without having to physically skip each) this album would definately be at a 4 star rating, but man, it gets way annoying!

Some songs just get on my nerves too; they just seem way too accusatory and just don't mesh with my ideology too well. One song that I particularly don't like is "I Repent" in which we are instructed to repent of everything that our Father God has graced us with; a nice family, a house, living in a good neighborhood, etc. As far as I can tell, these are not sins, but rather blessings given to us but our Lord Jesus Christ, we should be thanking and praising God for a beautiful life, not repenting.

Everyone has a different cross to bear, some might be called to live life on the road, speading the word and message of Jesus thoughout the land, others might simply be called to live in a halfway decent house and show the love of God to their neighbors by works and actions. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul AND to love your neighbor as yourself. I honestly have trouble finding these messages in some of Derek's songs. The message appears to be more that the work starts when you accept Jesus, when in truth it doesn't. Jesus promised rest for all who are weary, not unending worries of sin and repentance.