Customer Reviews

Life is Precious: A Wes King Tribute

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have listened to Wes King's music for years-- his lyrics are incredibly powerful, are derived directly from the Bible and really force the listener to think. This tribute CD contains Wes' best work recorded by driven indie bands. The combination of rich, lyrical writing coupled with the intensity and clarity of the younger bands communicates the Gospel in a manner that commands attention. The production is superb, from hard rock numbers to crystal-clear solo female voices, the arrangements are uniformly excellent. The whole project was crafted in love with a real servant attitude as an attempt to help Wes' family pay medical bills. Wes had a type of lymphoma that is very difficult to treat and has a high mortality. The best part of this whole project is the outcome-- Wes survived! Life is Precious belongs in your CD library.

"Life is Precious by Life Is Precious, Wes King Tribute" is simply one of the best tribute projects ever created. Each artist on the project took the time to create their own arrangements of Wes King's original songs and made them their own. It is obvious that much love went into the creation of each track. The styles range from rock, to piano/vocal, to folk, yet the project has a very strong cohesiveness despite the divergent styles. The project drips with artistry yet remains accessible due in great part Wes King's amazing song writing. Wes King fans should give it a listen just to hear a fresh take on Wes' classic songs. Music lovers in general should give it a listen because it is one of the best projects in recent years.

Absolutely spectacular collection of Wes King's songs, as arranged and sung by a very diverse collection of artists. I usually dread "tribute" albums, because they are just re-hashed originals by artists less skilled than the original. This is simply the best tribute CD I own. Virtually all of them mold the song to fit their style of music, not the other way around--they aren't trying to be "Wes King-ish" at all, nor should they. There are only two, maybe three, tracks that seem somewhat "uninspired" or just kind of boring--not much going on that sets it apart from the original--so I might skip it if I'm sitting at the computer. I had a very difficult time compiling a "mix" for a car CD--72 minutes weren't quite enough. Standout tracks for me:
--Downhere's "Excavate"--they kick it out of the park with great energy on track #1;
--Caitlin Evanson seems to drown in "Silently Going Under," lending so much more desperate emotion than King's original take;
--"The Robe" employs a gorgeous repetitive series of notes that wind under the melody throughout the track
--Scott Krippayne goes solo piano and economizes the piano notes to support the lyrical story of Lazarus and how his story mirrors each of ours--he doesn't sound nearly this good on his own stuff!;
--KNAPSACKHEROS! understated rap-ish take on "Move to the Moon" gives it a relatively quiet, yet subtle energy;
--Phil Keaggy jams out and electrifies "Getting Used to the Darkness";
--Paul Colman summons the "Holy Ghost" with a rare passion that borders on the frantic (that's good!);
--Kim Hill's "By His Wounds," Addison Road's "Grace," the KRY's "Hold On" . . .
I gave 12 tracks a five-star rating in my personal file on iTunes. Just about every style of music is represented well, giving it wide appeal.
God has blessed Wes King with the songwriting gene/gift, and these artists max out the potential in these songs. God is most certainly honored throughout this CD (writing + arrangement + performance), which is the ultimate point! Thankfully I get to enjoy the music in the process!

Wes King has released many powerful songs of truth and this tribute accentuates the strength behind the lyrics and tunes.
Give it a spin!

I misunderstood and thought this was a collection of him singing the old favorites. It is other people singing Wes King songs. That's okay, it's just not what I was looking for at the time. Still a good CD, though.

I respect this album in that it was made to help Wes King; however, the musicians that were chosen did not seem to resonate with Wes King's songs as I would have hoped. It was an okay album, but not great. I did like Adison Road's version of one of his songs though.