"She left me wide eyed" the first time I heard this song. Even after years of raising the bar for what qualifies as "good" music to me, "Wide Eyed," like many of Nichole Nordeman's songs, still holds its place in my favorites as a contemporary Christian song that's surprisingly good for being, well, contemporary Christian music. Nichole Nordeman reveals her refusal to be the standard substandard of her genre even in this, her debut CD.
Sure, the music isn't great, but it's decent, tailored enough to the song that you can recognize "Wide Eyed" within seconds of it coming on the radio once you know it. There are hints of nice background music, but it's not nearly as nice as it could have been, disappearing more than it appears through the song. Nichole Nordeman has been classified as gospel, pop, and rock—though I think piano-based pop might be the best description.
Her voice isn't always the easiest to distinguish, either, which is unfortunate. The song's attraction was obviously meant to be Nichole Nordeman's voice as she conveys a very thought-provoking message, and she does have a very soothing alto.
Nichole Nordeman obviously intended Wide Eyed for an older audience. The thoughtful, ironic, and concise lyrics may end up making younger listeners seek dictionaries or scratch their heads. I know it took me awhile to understand the song entirely when I was a measely preteen. That doesn't make the lyrics shoddy—in fact, their piercing honesty make her one of the top Christian songwriters.
Lines like "When I met him on a sidewalk, he was preaching to a mailbox" and "He told me he was Jesus, sent from Jupiter to free us, with a bottle of tequila and one shoe" assume the listener has the intelligence to figure it out. She lets the ministory of each verse (like the one quoted) produce its natural reaction, aided by a slight word alterations in the chorus each time. Yes, it's natural to laugh at such people, she admits, and to forget that they, too, are humans who need Christ, but… had we lived 2 milennia ago, might we have laughed at Jesus?
Nichole Nordeman makes no pretntions as she addresses issues that might be outside our comfort zones. She's not afraid to make Christian listeners think about their application of faith to life, nor to break the substandard mold for Christian music while doing it.
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 7/10
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