Customer Reviews

Overdressed

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Overdressed Long Overdue

This album by Caedmon's Call is the best album that they have released since leaving their independent roots and moving to a major label! Their first self-titled album came close as it contained a large number of their indy songs but wasn't quite as raw.

I remember sitting in a young adults class at Second Baptist in 92 - one of the only times I ever went there - and they happened to be playing a set from their then new album My Calm//Your Storm. I immediately snatched a copy up that day and it has remained at the top of my CC list of albums. However, this album comes very very very close.

Many Caedmon's Call fans have been waiting for the sound found on this album to return to Caedmon's Call for several years. Some will say it's the return of Derek Webb paired with Cliff Young and Danielle's voice. I believe this new album shares something from the independent albums and that is consistency of good lyric writers. I do not want to knock the writers on their previous albums but those writers were not why CC listeners listen to CC. MC//YS and Coffee split the lyric writing duty between two very capable writers - challenging intellectual Aaron Tate and inspiring Derek Webb. I found it refreshing to have lyrics that challenged my thinking and encouraged extracurricular reading that many of the songs pointed too. This album, Overdressed, shares duty mainly between 2 very talented writers - Derek Webb (2 of the 14) and Andrew Osenga. Derek's wife also contributes some very nice pieces to this album as well but the continuity and flow of this album is clearly centered between Andrew and Derek.

The album begins with a tune by Derek called "Trouble" and it's a nice start to this album and happens to be the title track. "Need Your Love" is Cliff's first lead vocal song on the album and he does a great job. By the 3rd song the album really starts rolling and you get a very nice track "Sacred" sung by Dannielle (Cliffs wife and mother of 3 soon to be 4). You get the sense that there's a lot of reality baked into this song particularly if you happen to be a parent and you can catch a glimps of what they mean about cups running over and worrying about the stain. "Expectations" will quickly grow on you although the ending is quite abrupt. It's an exceptional Andrew Osenga song that really gives an honest look at what the world expects of us (to feed them and make them full) and what they often get from us (why bother...). Unfortunately it is a sad truth about some churches and he does not shy from singing about it.
The 5th track, "There Is A Reason", continues to build the excitement of this album and offers home to many of those with unfullfilled "Expectations". I believe it is one the first singles from the album and should garner some radio time. "Share In The Blame" is a great sounding song with awesome lyrics and really ushers in the second half of th album It also features that really awesome duet sound of Derek and Danielle singing together. "Hold The Light" - Wow. What can I say about this song. This is a new song by Andrew Osenga and it just rocks. Anyone who has been part of an accountability group or even a small group of friends will be touched by the lyrics. It is by far the most personal of all the songs on this album and I believe sits very nicely square in the middle clocking in at over 5 minutes. For me it is another one of those songs like Derek Webb's "10 Miles" from Coffee that you just listen to and somehow wish it could go on forever. As a sidebar, this song was fantastic in concert in Houston. The lyrics can come at you from both sides of the storyteller too I've discovered. The first side that is that of the storyteller obviously but the second is the challenge to be that person who will hold the light of friendship and the silent peace of God for someone else who needs that from you.
"Two Weeks In Africa" has the very hard beat folk sound that old Caedmon's Call fans so long to hear. Great tune, great lyrics, and one you'll be humming all day in the office. "Love Grows Love" is a love song. Go figure. It feels a bit awkward at first in this spot between Africa and the Western World. But much like Africa, you may find yourself humming it if it happens to be the last thing on when you shut down your car. "All Across The Western World" is a lyric collaboration between Derek Webb and his wife Sandra McCraken and another in which the combo of Derek and Danielle are displayed nicely. "Always Been There" begins to give you the sense of winding down but the last song (on the regular release) "Start Again" is another hard rocking folk sound that has most often uniquely characterized this band.
Those who are fortunate enough to have the special edition are treated to 2 extra tracks - "Love" by Andrew Osenga (and Randall Goodgame who pairs up with Andrew on many of the above tracks I attribute to Andrew) and an absolutely incredible "Ten Thousand Angels" written by Sandra McCracken. The last of these is one of those songs thta grows in intensity and is reminicent of a U2 Song. Derek sings the lead on this and it really stretchs his voice well into the upper range. After listening to it several more times I'm starting to believe that this may be his best singing job yet. Hearing this in concert is well worth the price of admission as well.

Buy this album and you won't be disappointed.

It seems to me that this CD doesn't have the passion, freshness, and memorable cuts that others have. No major gems here. Having said that, It's still worth buying and listening to. They're just that good. By the way, bringing Derek back was not necessarily what they needed. He's gone off in another direction (a good one, though) and does not seem to be in the groove with the rest of the group. I love Caedmons and was hoping for an in the park home run, but got at best a triple. Granted, though, a triple for Caedmons would be a grand slam for other Christian folk-rock groups!

I haven't been very impressed with thier past couple of albums, so I was elated with the way "overdressed" turned out. It was great to hear Derek back in the mix, but the addition of Andrew Osenga (who in my opinion is one of the most underrated song writers in music)took the cake-and that is saying a lot from me because Derek and Sandra are my favorites! Caedmon's is back to thier old magic with deep, though-provoking lyrics and beautiful melodies.

This is the best Caedmon's Call album yet. The lyrics are powerful as always, but this time they show a greater maturity as they address issues of family ("Sacred"), marriage ("Love Grows Love"), and global responsibility ("Two Weeks in Africa"), without giving up their expertise in pondering difficult situations ("There is a Reason") and commentary on society ("Expectations"). Yes, the music is wonderful, very acoustic and passionate, but the real power comes when you listen to the words which speak to your heart.

I have been an avid Caedmon's Call fan for over 10 years. But this album was a great disappointment to me. They seem to have lost their musical rawness and lyrical subtlety. Most of the lyrics do not feel genuine but instead sound like something written for airplay on cheesy Christian radio stations (for example "There is a Reason" and "Share the Blame") instead of written out of personal experience and struggle. I can't even make it through the whole song for "Share the Blame" because I find it so cheesy.

It is great to see Derek Webb back with the band, and there are a few good songs. And although I was originally skeptical when the band added another lead singer to the mix, I like Andrew Osenga's leads the best on this album ("Hold the Light" and "Expectations").

Caedmon's Call is one of the best live bands I have ever seen, and I've been to almost all of their tours. But the music on this album is overproduced and lacks the raw feel that they have in person and on their earlier albums. For example, "Love Grows Love" probably sounds better in person without the over-production.

There were few songs of normal struggle that Caedmon's Call had always brilliantly written in the past. I find it to be the worst of all of their albums.

i've been a caedmon's fan for YEARS. i have every album they ever put out. seen them in concet too many times to count derek was always my favorite member, but lately his music has gone in a direction that isn't so much my style(though i loved she must and shall go free). well, welcome back the old derek on this album! when i first heard trouble, it brought me back to the first listening of "My calm, your storm" or their self titled album(i call it the brown cd) guitars, organs, ect..... and by the second song i was thinking, huh, this has to be written by aaron tate, they must've made up. but after looking at the liner notes saw that andrew wrote it. mmm...he must have been really heavily influenced by aaron's "take to the world".

i have never thought that danielle had a very good voice, but somehow when she sings with derek, their voices seem to sound good together. though i would've preferred to hear derek and sandra do "share in the blame"

personally i think that the brown cd(self titled cd) is the best cd they have ever released...i mean, i just don't want coffee has to be the best song ever written. but this is a pretty good trip back to the old style of caedmon's call....and helps me to foget the lame "long line of leavers"

Overdressed is a refreshing harkening back to what makes CC themselves. The welcome home to Derek Webb has great effects on this project. I especially enjoyed All Across The Western World and Love Grows Love--cause I'm just a sap like that!! I only recently obtained a copy of My Calm//Your Storm and intentionally listened to the entire CC discography in anticipation of getting this cd. Overdressed is definitely CC at their core of their distinctive sound. The lyrics are insightful, challenging, and fun to sing along in places as well. The music is the folk-rock driven sound that made the group. I hope they keep this kind of material going on as long as God gives them the insight and ability!

This is more like the Caedmon's of old that some of you may have been yearning for after their meanderings with ITCOA and ITCOA2.

With the addition of Andrew Osenga (formerly of The Normals), the band would appear to be a little crowded, but honestly, they seem to spread the duties around well, and that allows for each singer/songwriter to shine in their own way. Osenga adds a more melancholy and introspective flavor (Hold the Light) that is more reminiscent of the Normals, which I do miss as a band, and reminds you of Center Aisle and a few of the oldies.

As expected, many of the band members are now in new stages of life, including multiple kids for the Youngs, and marriage for Derek Webb. With these changes come songs with a different feel and focus. Love Grows Love and Ten Thousand Angels are both in that category, and while they have the same fun folk-rock feel, the topics have matured literally, talking about having children. :)

All in all, I definitely recommend this CD for any Caedmon's fan, and even more for those who tried Back Home or ITCOA and weren't hooked. This is what some of long-time fans have been talking about when we talk about the Caedmon's Call we fell in love with.

If you liked this one and are looking for other CC albums, go with the self-titled, My Calm//Your Storm and 40 Acres.

I expect a lot from Caedmon's Call. This album let me down a bit, although it is still good. Part of the letdown lies in the fact that there are no extraordinary songs on this album. They're all decent, but none great.

This album seems a songwriting step backwards, especially after the great hooks and melodies on Share the Well. The choruses on this album just aren't well done. For some strange reason, most of the choruses consist of only a few words that are held out for several beats. For me, this slows down the songs too much.

In some other words, this album is good, but absolutely nothing stands out. The lyrics on 'Need Your Love,' 'Always Been There,' and 'There is a Reason' come across as too cliche. Some of the other lyrics seem less mature than past albums. 'Two Weeks in Africa' is catchy yet corny.

I'm not sure why some people say that Caedmon's Call is returning to their roots on this album. This album doesn't really sound that much different than their other albums. I don't think it's any more acoustic than anything else they've done. They're a folk band, so of course they're acoustic.

If you're already a fan, you'll buy this album regardless, and you probably should. But if you're new to this band, you'll enjoy their other releases much better I think.

That's really the best way to describe this album. Caedmon's Call has been on a very wide journey and it shows. The album lacks flow, though, due to these varying influences.

I am thrilled Derek Webb came back to Caedmon's Call as I felt he was such a huge presence in the band, but even with Derek back, Aaron Tate's lyrical presence is missing. I've been listening to this band for many years and while I find this a huge step up from their last record (I don't count the worship records, and I surprisingly liked Back Home) it just doesn't work for me. Something about it just feels . . . stale, I suppose. You can add in the tribal beats or extra voices or guitars, but if all of that is standing on a foundation of sand, well, you all should get that analogy.

This album is mediocre. Good, but nowhere near great. Easy on the ears and has tight musicianship, but it just doesn't fly for me. There is some great drumming, some great guitar work, some good vocals and lyrics, but it's just a smattering here and there.

Personally, I don't think Andrew Osenga ever had the chance to settle in with the band (see: Start Again, the harmony with Danielle doesn't work at all) and now with Derek back in the mix, it sounds like the album should have been labeled "Various Artists" instead of "Caedmon's Call." Still, like I said, this is a good enough album, but it leaves me yearning for more.