Customer Reviews

Roaring Lambs

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

 

 

This album is based on the book by Bob Bringer (by the sametitle) The Thesis of Roaring Lambs is that the Church of America (inhole, not denominations) is one of the largest organizations in the country. Despite this it has the least effect on the culture of any organization. Bob Bringer contests that the reason for this is Christians retreating from "culture shaping venues" and not being "salt and light." the Book Roaring Lambs truly is a "simple plan to affect your cultur." This is a great album, and if it inspirers you to read the book it is even better. This album ranges in style and everyone is at the top of there game. These people saw the Vision that Bob Bringer pointed out in his book, to Reach the culture for Christ by being a positive influence in it, and not just cursing it. Highlights include the first duet by Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapmen (if you like that sort of thing) The first new stuff to come from STEVE TAYLOR in a long time (a song that has hints of industrial with lots of new Orleans piano it's very cool) , new stuff from defunct PFR and a great song from Sixpence (accessible like Kiss Me but not as pop-ie or dippy) Michael Tate (of DC Talk) teams up with Ashley Cleveland for a great Gospel/rocker "Salt and Light". The songs in this album all focus on getting out there and living your faith so that other can see. Being a city on the hill, instead of a giant church organization that has NO effect on the culture that it's in.

I hear listeners complain- and I often agree- that CCM music is too much fluff and not enough substance, that you could just as easily insert the word "baby" for "Jesus" to secularize the song, and no one would know the difference. With that said, the responses to this album seem to indicate that when we are presented with a work of greater depth and thought, it remains on the back of the shelf gathering dust. Listeners complain that it wasn't what they expected, that it wasn't their usual, easily digested fluffy mix. They want a solution, but they don't like working through the answer. This album is an incredible, eclectic mix from talented writers and musicians who bring more to the table than a pre-made batch for trend-chasing success. The lyrics feature inspired metaphors with thought-provoking depth, but it takes a little more attention and contemplation to truly enjoy the layers of this album than would your average CCM pop piece. This is a work of great subtlety and taste, but it is not for easy listening.

I very much enjoyed "Daisies and Roses" by Burlap to Cashmere's Stephen Delopoulos and "Headstrong" by Jars of Clay both for their beauty and for their slight tilt from each of the bands' usual sounds. "Daisies and Roses" has a slightly more folk-colored appeal, very characteristic of Mr. Delopoulos's personal release "Me Died Blue." "Headstrong" is in a sense a pre-cursor to the sound of Jars' more recent release "Who We Are Instead." The refreshing and excellently executed rhythm and vocals of "Akehlulek Ubaba" is a great highlight of the album.

There were only a couple of mild disappointments from line up that is, on the whole, stellar. Ginny Owens displayed a much lower level of instrumental sophistication than on her personal releases. "Out There" by Mr. Smith and Mr. Chapman was a very easy, extremely mellow, and on the whole uninspired piece. I have heard far better work from each of them, particularly on some of there earlier releases, so there does not seem to be any accounting for this anomaly.

On the whole, an excellent compilation for someone weary of the average, run-of-the-mill CCM fare. Add a little bit of eclectic, spiritually sound spice to your collection with this album.

Most of the reviewers so far haven't realized what a cool thing it was to score Bill Malonee and the Vigilantes of Love for the album. Their work is sold at Christian bookstores, but Bill said he doesn't consider them a Christian act. Anyway, they have a large following in their hometown of Athens, Ga., and their music is listened to by fans of bands like REM and other "secular" artists. The fact that Bill contributed a song to the album basically embodies the theme of the album -- going outside the Chrisitan world to get to new listeners and spread the message. And I think "Lions" is a good departure from the soft-rock tone of the rest of the album.

The coordinators of this album obviously wanted variety on the record. They succeeded.

I have to admit that when the cd began, I was a little worried. None of the first three songs were bad, they just didn't catch my attention.

"one thing" is beautiful lyrically, but ginny owens' talent is lost in the piece.

steve taylor's track is...steve taylor. you either like it or you don't. i do, but i can see how it won't be hitting the singles chart anytime soon. I found the country-tinged "Wondering Where the Lions Are" a little more irritating, but still listenable.

The LBM track is simply fabulous.

Delirious? has the best track on the album. They are always wonderful though, so we can all expect that. Beautiful, honest lyrics meet with innovative, well-crafted music...they're one of the best bands out there, period. Their dedication is obvious.

Burlap to Cashmere and Sixpence have great tracks also.

Over The Rhine shows a lot of potential (as another reviewer said), hopefully we'll hear more from them.

Much of the music is surprisingly dark, almost haunting. But the musicians involved on the record hold up Bob Briner's Roaring Lambs principle--to actually BE salt & light, not just talk about it.

As far as I'm concerned, they can all rock on.

First of all, I have not read the "Roaring Lambs" book to which this album is a companion, as I am going strictly on what I heard on the CD.

"Roaring Lambs" (12 tracks, 49 min., released in 2000) brings music of some of my all time favorite bands. The highlights for me are Over the Rhine's "Goodbye", an outstanding evocative song that would appear one year later on OtR's "Films for Radio" album (still their best album to date). Then there is Sixpence None the Richer's "The Ground You Shook", an introverted gentil song from Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash (this track would later be included on "The Best of Sixpence None the Richer, released in 2004). Then there is Bill Mallonnee & Vigilantes of Love's "Wondering Where the Lions Are", an excellent cover of the 1979 Bruce Cockburn song. Those three songs alone are worth the price of the CD as such. Other good songs are the contributions of Ashley Cleveland & Michael Tait, Steve Taylor (not to be confused with Aerosmith's Steve Tyler), and Burlap to Cashmere.

When this album came out in 2000, it didn't garner much attention, which is a pity. While there is some filler, there is a LOT of great music on here, punctuated by the last three tracks on the album, by Over the Rhine, Bill Mallonnee and Sixpence. You can probably get this for a few dollars in the used bin store or here on Amazon, and it's absolutely worth that.

Roaring Lambs features a great mix of Christian music veterans and relative newcomers banding together to produce a truly innovative project. Everyone really stretched and opted for new sounds, production techniques and style experiments outside of their normal niche. Ginny Owens and Brent Bourgeois offer a truly remarkable musical and lyrical triumph with One Thing. Ashley Cleveland and Michael Tait complement each other with a combination of smokey vocals and terrific rhythms on Salt and Light. I have not enjoyed a CD as much as this in a long time. Often these mixed artist projects are somewhat scattered musically and sound "thrown together". Roaring Lambs stands as a solid musical piece and really lifts your spirit.

You can split this cd into two parts, kind of like Jekyll and Hyde. The one side is the generic CCM standard, and the second side being the more obscure and higher quality tracks.

The two sides, thankfully are pretty even. Throw away Jars of Clay, Ashley Cleveland (who would have done a better job without Tait's "assistance"), SCC & Smitty, PFR, and Deliriou5? right away. Boring songs. But perhaps your average CCM fan would enjoy?

For me, there are three standout tracks worthy of attention. First, the Steve Taylor track. It's quirky like fans have come to expect, and since he is more or less retired from performing, a surprise. The Ladysmith Black Mambazo track is a refreshing change from the pace with it's African vocal arrangements. And the Over the Rhine track is also quality with it's meandering piano and the majestic vocals of Karin Bergquist.

Sixpence None The Richer delivers what fans have come to expect from them, a solid pop tune with Leigh Nash's trademark angelic vocals. While some people complain at the song's difference from their self titled cd, this is hardly surprising considering that Sixpence has been a band to evolve and not meld to any preconceptions. I give the song two thumbs up.

Also enjoyable was the Bill Mallonee & VOL track. I can understand why that track isn't very popular amoung reviewers. If you're not into their alt.country sound, you won't like the track.

The other two songs are ok. Ginny Owens has her moments, and the Burlap song is good, but doesn't quite touch some of the material from the full length.

Three stars for the killer, but there is, indeed, too much filler.

Roaring Lambs, inspired by the late Bob Briner's book of the same name, is an exceptional album with even better talent included. Full of nothing but brand new tracks, the album includes both current faves like Sixpence, Delirou5? and Jars of Clay, as well as older, long-thought-gone favorites like Steve Taylor and PFR.

Highlights on the album include the above artists' entries, as well as an incredible track from independent folk-popsters Over the Rhine, and a rhythmic collaboration between Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Charlie Peacock. On the other hand, what I thought would be the crowning achievement of the album, the first-ever collaboration between Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, I found to be somewhat lacking and leaving me feeling rather unfulfilled.

While the album's lyrics occasionally descend into a little too much "Christian-ese", its upbeat tone and excellent music definitely make this a must-buy for fans of contemporary Christian music.

There seems to be a real mixed response to this. I was dissappointed.

A number of the reviews tend to be based on the artist roster or the lyrical content. That is a shame, because musically I felt this to be a very bland mish-mash. The inspiration is great, the roster of artists impressive, the end result...?

I rarely listen to any track other than the Jars of Clay offering "Headstrong." Consistent with other Jars of Clay material.

"Christian music" tends to have a relative merit. It can often be good WITHIN its field, but not great in the grand scheme of musical achievement IMHO.

Note: 1) The Delirious? track is a remix of a song previously found on a UK single

2) The Sixpence None The Richer track is nothing like Kiss Me, or its parent album, again IMHO.

There seems to be some dissappointed people giving this a large number of stars...

Still, the variety of favourite tracks from revewiers shows that something worked very well.

I wish Roaring Lambs had yearly editions. This album is timeless. It is the best mix of Christian artists I've yet to find. The only person who i wish had a track on this album is Rich Mullins. Timeless.