Signs of Life

Steven Curtis Chapman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 3, 1996)
• Original Release Date: September 3, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sparrow
• ASIN: B000005KYA
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,633 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first SCC cd, and definately not the last!, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Signs of Life (Audio CD)

I originally bought this cd for the song "Free", but it didn't take too long to fall in love with other songs like "Lord of the Dance","Signs of Life"and "Land of Opportunity"! Steven always chooses the best songs to end with. "Hold on to Jesus" always continues to minister to me. This cd not only inspired me to take up learning the guitar, but has also introduced me to the best Christian music artist around!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite SCC record., January 27, 2000

By 

Eric Frederickson (Fox Lake, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signs of Life (Audio CD)

One of the best Christian albums I've ever heard, "Signs of Life" does a great job of combining pop, folk, rock, and even some blues into an enjoyable listen. Acoustic pop rock is the groundwork for the record, shining in such songs as the upbeat hit "Let Us Pray", the semi-urgent "Lord of the Dance", and the pleasant title track, (the lush harmonies on the final chorus are fantastic!). Elsewhere, "The Walk" throws a little blues influence in, with it's guiding chorus and Micah 6:8 reference. Two of the more thoughtful songs are the prison-inspired anthem "Free" and the delicate closing song, (and my personal favorite), "Hold on to Jesus". There are also some fine rockers like "Children of the Burning Heart" and "Only Natural" to pick the album's pace up a bit. All in all, this collection is a superb offering from one of Christian music's most popular artists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chapman's artistic breakthrough, July 6, 2005

By 

Greg Brady "columbusboy" (Capital City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Signs of Life (Audio CD)

Chapman makes a break with longtime producer Phil Naish in favor of Brown Bannister (White Heart, Amy Grant) and it seems the new combo focused a LOT of attention on making his musical backing more layered and interesting. Chapman himself also steps up to the plate a lot more, handling all the backing vocals, doing some electric picking for a change, and adding lots of "exotic" instrumentation personally (dobros,slides,mandolin,lap steel).

Lyrically, he takes some chances as well, using some unusual metaphors to get across his message (the alien theme in the title track, race cars for "Rubber Meets the Road",dancing for our life in general in "Lord of the Dance") that make this some of his most original writing yet. It landed 4 top 10 Christian radio hits: "Lord of the Dance" (#2),"Signs of Life" (#2),"Let Us Pray" (#5) and "Free" (#9).

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Lord of the Dance" gets things off to a great start. For the first time, Chapman's tunes feel loose and vibrant with an actual GROOVE to them musically. It's BLUEGRASS pop if you can imagine that...the fiddle and dobro play important parts in the arrangement though it's way too electric to be anywhere near NickelCreek territory. The song celebrates God's role in guiding our destinies. ("I move my feet, I go through the motions/But He gives purpose to chance/I am the dancer/He is the Lord of the dance") In contrast to another review here, the vocal scatting by Chapman lends to the vibe and the song would LOSE impact if that were just replaced by another guitar or something similar. It adds spice. The title track finds Chapman in the shoes of an alien, wondering about the significance of the lives of these Earthlings it's examining. ("Where are the signs,where are the signs of life/The love that proves there is a beating heart inside?") Shane Keister's Rhodes adds a somewhat jazzy touch to the song. Chapman takes a decent electric solo on this one. "The Walk" finds SCC sneaking a touch of acoustic blues into a nice shuffle tempo. The message (follow God with your actions not just your mouth) isn't a new one, but it's done with convincing swagger. The "do justly,love mercy/Walk humbly with your God" bridge is particularly tasty. "Let Us Pray" is probably the hookiest anthem to intercession ever. See if you don't find yourself singing "Let us pray, let us pray/Every moment of the day" after 1 or 2 hearings. "What I Would Say" is a rare introspective moment from Chapman, as he imagines how he'd have related to his late alcoholic grandfather he never got to know. ("I would say I wish I could have known you/And I would say I wish you would've stayed/But most of all I would say I forgive you") SCC uses a nice falsetto I didn't know he possessed at times here, and the strings are beautifully restrained..never manipulative (as has been the case at times on past Chapman outings). "Hold On to Jesus" harks back to Chapman's more acoustic roots and is beautiful in its simplicity.

LOWS:
"Free" isn't bad, but some changes would make it a stronger song. It takes a little too long to build. (The first and 2nd verse and chorus don't have a lot of "kick"..it doesn't really blossom until the "And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed" bridge) and it goes on far too long at nearly 7 minutes. I would still keep the nice coda (with Chapman's phased vocal over the jazzy piano) but eliminate at least 2 minutes earlier in the tune to tighten up the song.

BOTTOM LINE:
This CD features so much of Chapman's singing, playing and writing (all but 3 completely self-penned) that it serves as a great way to decide if you like him or not. If you're just beginning to check him out, this is probably a great place to start.