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Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us
 
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Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us

Various artistsMP3 Music
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

Price: $8.99
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Album Savings: $2.89 compared to buying all songs

  • Original Release Date: April 24, 2012
  • Format - Music: MP3
  • Compatible with MP3 Players (including with iPod®), iTunes, Windows Media Player
 
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  Song Title Artist Time Price  
Play   1. From This Valley The Civil Wars 3:24 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   2. Give God the Blues Shawn Mullins 3:38 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   3. I Believe in You Buddy Miller 4:38 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   4. Lights in the Valley Carolina Chocolate Drops 2:50 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   5. Mercyland Phil Madeira 4:19 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   6. Walking Over the Water Mat Kearney 3:55 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   7. Leaning On You Cindy Morgan 3:28 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   8. Fell Like a Feather Amy Stroup 4:11 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   9. If I Was Jesus North Mississippi Allstars 4:35 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 10. Light of Your Love Dan Tyminski 5:20 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 11. I Didn't Know It Was You Emmylou Harris 5:33 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 12. Peace in the Valley John Scofield 4:49 $0.99  Buy MP3 
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Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars
(30)
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After downloading the album and hearing the first song I was hooked! S. V. White  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Fine music by fine musicians. Sonia Brock  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
If you question faith, I would recommend it. Wyoming Cowboy  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 42 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars 'One of us' got it right... April 26, 2012
Format:Audio CD
We've all done it. We've all characterized people as one factor or another relates directly to us.

Most simply, it's saying that somebody is "one of us."

That little phrase got bandied about quite a bit when I was working day-to-day in the frequently maligned (and sometimes deservedly so) "Christian music industry." My colleagues/friends and I would delight in the times when we'd meet "one of us," because we knew we'd get better answers to questions and a broader-based look at the world, one we frequently shared.

The definition went above and beyond the people we likes or would want to spend some time with outside the work environment. They were the people who've been through some crap and come out the other side, not always entirely whole, but certainly with perspective and a desire to communicate it.

Here's a dirty little secret not often mentioned aloud: not everybody who works in Christian music thinks the same. Shocking, I know.

Not everybody personally buys into the "God equals guns, money and country" form of American Churchianity (hat tip to Jim Thomas for that particular phrase) that seems to dominate much of the cultural landscape.

The truly innovative artists in the genre aren't afraid to ask questions, privately and in the company of other "ones of us". But they also know their commercial lives depend upon dumbing down doubt and elevating absolute, unwavering belief in the faith their audiences have pre-ascribed to them.

(It's particularly onerous these days, this power we give audiences, but that's a topic for another day.)

So it seems increasingly rare to hear viable, outstanding art that addresses matters of faith with questions attached. Thank God for Phil Madeira, and thank God for Mercyland.

Phil is most assuredly "one of us," and has been for a very long time. He's plied his trade in the trenches of Christian music, but his talent, his skills are too vast to be contained by that narrow definition. So he has spent the last decade-and-a-half or so as one of Americana music's (another way too simultaneously broad and narrow genre) most capable sidemen, for extended runs with Buddy Miller and currently with Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys.

(And on a personal note, he's the only person I've ever profiled who made me lunch.)

I've always known that encounters with Phil were going to leave me refreshed, be it by laughter or spirited argument or a wee bit of conspiracy -- one of my favorite memories involves him stopping me in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel during the then-annual marathon grip-and-grin session known as Gospel Music Week to tell me he had a cut on an upcoming Toby Keith record titled "If I Was Jesus," reciting some of the lyric and me wondering if Toby's team truly knew what they had on their hands with the song. And when they turned it into a Jimmy Buffett-with-dobro quasi-party song, clearly they didn't.

(Then again, Phil played that dobro and the album went multi-platinum, and I'm never going to begrudge somebody a paycheck.)

So when I heard he had spent the last couple of years slowly writing songs and gathering performances based on the idea of "hymns for the rest of us," I knew the resulting record was going to be something special. I didn't know how right I was.

Mercyland is the musical embodiment of the 11th of the 12 Steps: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him (emphasis mine), praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

Everybody approaches that understanding of God differently, and I imagine that's the case for every artist represented on this record. But the unifying theme is the reaching out, the identifying of that force bigger than us, and choosing to both rest in and act on the knowledge of it.

Buddy Miller's take on "I Believe In You" and Cindy Morgan teaming with Madeira for the homey, poetic "Leaning On You" represent that knowledge, just like the North Mississippi Allstars' rescuing of "If I Was Jesus" and the record's most impactful track "Give God The Blues" by Shawn Mullins hold up the mirror to remind us not to get too self-righteous about that knowledge.

The production on Mercyland is minimal, the performances raw and spirited and sad and joyful exactly when they need to be. The Civil Wars' kickoff track "From This Valley" is a touch brighter than the material on their splendid debut Barton Hollow, but the celebratory nature is needed to lead one into the grittier message delivered on Mullins' track.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Lights In The Valley" recalls the best of strum-for-your-life campfire singalongs, which John Scofield counters on the instrumental closer "Peace In The Valley," bringing the album in for a gentle landing while you think about the completion of the journey.

In between reside standout performances by Mat Kearney, Amy Stroup, Dan Tyminski, the project's spiritual and literal champion Emmylou Harris and Madeira himself. Mercyland is art informed by faith and grounded by reality, something I know so many "ones of us" have been looking for for a very long time and hope others will be compelled to make more of in the very near future.

Thanks, Phil.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it April 26, 2012
Format:Audio CD
There are lots of fancy reviews on here, so you already get the point about the quality of the songs and the players. The best thing about the CD is many of the songs stay with you. That is hard to beat these days.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Ain't no holy rollin' April 26, 2012
Format:Audio CD
Not one whit of holy rollin' or Bible thumping to be found here- just great work by some terribly thoughtful and inspiring folks who know a few things about looking up, and a heckofalot about music.

The song by The Civil Wars is worth the $10 by itself- as is the one by Buddy Miller. And Phil Madeira. And Mat Kearney. And, and, and- lol, they are all great!

Mr. Madeira, your mission was accomplished- this album is GREAT pr for God. Thank you so very, very much for making it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Real People Inspiration
These are real songs about real people that comfort, inspire, and bring hope. If you question faith, I would recommend it.
Published 1 month ago by Wyoming Cowboy
5.0 out of 5 stars Mercyland - a way to live life
These songs and artists have given us a wonderful gift in this CD. Many thanks to Phil Madeira for putting it together. Phil's song is my favorite.
Published 6 months ago by DK
5.0 out of 5 stars Good CD
I like this collection; the music is very good. The last selection, "Peace in the Valley" is an instrumental and just lovely. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Anonymous
4.0 out of 5 stars back to my roots...
I picked this up when it was on a $5 album list. Im glad I did. I listen to both Christian and secular music. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Alisha N. Vice
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Music for the Heart and Soul!
I received this CD three days ago and I've listened to it a dozen times or so already. Each time I get something more from the songs than just a pleasant feeling, something deeper... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Doctor Dan
5.0 out of 5 stars 12,429.5 thumbs up!
Treat for the toes, strength for the road, food for the soul. Look at the artist line-up. Any one of these tunes is worth the price of the record. Read more
Published 11 months ago by scurrior
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Compilation of 2012!
Such a great collection of incredible artists and songs! My favorite compilation of 2012, in constant rotation on my playlists.
Published 11 months ago by K. Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Mercyland - A little something for everyone!
Mercyland is an incredible compilation of music, which deserves to be played on a daily basis. I downloaded music for my car and I can't seem to get enough. Read more
Published 12 months ago by ontheqt
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Blend
I was in the mountains of WV when I put on this album last weekend. Listening to the gentle rain and sweet songs, made for a wonderful experience. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars The Universal Common Denominator
As this album points out, in the end all we have is love to hold us together, and Mercyland is an excellent way to spread the word. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Christopher R. Johnson
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