"What Do I Know of Holy" by Addison Road from Addison Road

I'm harsh on Christian entertainment. I have to search much harder to find something enjoyable in the Christian market than in the mainstream. And I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Music tends to be remarkably simple and same-sounding, vocals tend to be bland, and lyrics tend to make me wince and wish that the singers thought a little more often rather than focus so much on feelings.

Addison Road is a standard CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) band, in that the singer Jenny Chisolm frankly sounds like one of several artists. (Though she does at least sound like she knows how to breathe.) The song's a soft ballad, mostly piano and with what sounds to me like a bit of violin.

The piano admittedly has a touching discordant quality when the song reaches its bridge, and the song's music actually works with the song, though it sounds like it's intended as an accent rather than a focus. Perhaps Addison Road designed it intentionally to be easy to include in a church performance.

Addison Road may stick to simple background music and average vocals, but they make up for that in their lyrics. This song isn't some feel-good (or feel-bad) ditty; it's a reminder for us to think.

"What Do I Know of Holy" poignantly reminds listeners how little any of us truly comprehend God. We tend to have such puffed-up opinions of ourselves. How often do we "try to hear from Heaven," while "talk[ing] the whole time"? Do we give God the honor that is His due?

If we truly consider God's vastness and holiness, we should have a sense of fear, of reverence. "Fear God, and keep His commands" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Solomon wasn't deemed the wisest man who ever lived on a whim.

The lyrics are what make this song fantastic.

If you're anything like me in liking Christian music to have some good thoughtful theology behind it, you should enjoy this song. I make certain to listen to it, every so often; sometimes I even sing it. Because I need the reminder.

"What do I know of holy?"

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 9/10

"Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D. from Satellite

"We are, we are [we are] the youth of the nation," may repeat as the chorus, but it's on purpose in this song comparable to Superchic[k]'s "Hero." (It came out about the same time on Satellite, in 2002.)

The verses explore lives of today's commonly depressed youth and what comes of it. The first verse starts with a boy's tale of going to school like he did every day and getting killed in a school shooting, then questions why the shooter might've done it. It makes the song's beginning of children laughing probably in a schoolyard all the creepier.

And the heart-wrenching tales continue from there, reminding the listener of how many of today's youth actually feel. I've never been clinically depressed, but even I've had a point when I realized virtually no one would miss me at school if I never went back.

I can name on one hand the number of actual rap-style songs that I like enough to eagerly listen to them. This is one. The "wet" (resonating) sound of the song and echo meld with children's voices and the rap versus to even haunt hearers who usually dislike rap.

The individual elements of this song are pretty normal, like Sonny Sandoval's vocals and the Nu metal music that might bring Linkin Park's "In the End" to mind if you think about it, but they're different. This Christian song's better than that secular one, in my opinion.

The way P.O.D. put the music and vocals together, though, causes "Youth of the Nation" to rise above average. It's definitely rapcore-ish metal with synthesized elements, but if you're the type who focuses on lyrics, you don't care. Even the overall sound just accents the influence of the song.

Okay, so the song's dark. If you don't like that, you probably shouldn't be listening to the youth band P.O.D. to begin with. With a name that stands for "Payable On Death"—a reference to Christ's death—I don't think they tend to focus on cute fuzzy feelings and bunnies, unless they have sharp, pointy teeth associated with them.

The emotions of today's youth displayed in "Youth of the Nation" are as true now as they were five years ago. These are the youth of the nation—and that leaves the listener wondering, what am I gonna do about this?

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Good Behavior" by Plumb from Chaotic Resolve

"I'm sick of feeling like a traitor—is this the price for good behavior?"

Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, stage name "Plumb," pulls emotions into this song and could almost (but not quite) be mistaken for Amy Lee (who Plumb actually influenced). Plumb's third album was coming out when Evanescence launched its first.

A gentle albeit synthesized beginning switches to a harder metal element. (Plumb's 2006 album Chaotic Resolve melds her original edgy dark rock sound with her more recent pop style works.) This sound is again reminiscent of Evanescence songs like "Taking Over Me."

In fact, Plumb could even be thought of as a Christian edition of Evanescence, since she likewise honestly explores dark topics in her lyrics. "Good Behavior" speaks of how constricting rules can have the reverse affect of what's intended.

The narrator has been surrounded by rules and kept inside them, but it's driving her mad. There's no salvation in following a mere set of rules, she knows, and she's "sick of feeling like a traitor" from playing hypocrite.

That the narrator breaks free—and goes recklessly wild because of it—is a warning to many of us, I think. It can be so easy to narrow things into categories of rules that children in particular can be overlooked as people who need (as they grow) to learn why the rules are there.

Overall, it's a fine enough song (along with "Better") that I'm adding Plumb on my "to-get" list.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Work" by Jars of Clay from Good Monsters

"Do you know what I mean when I say, 'I don't want to be alone'?"

Yeah, it's a Christian song talking about how hard life can be and how letting yourself drown can sometimes seem to be. ("Now all the demons look like prophets and I'm living out / Every word they speak".) The song narrator is clutching life—er, well, his friends' good company—by his fingertips. The danger comes when he's alone, and he clings to company to avoid it. Staying alive takes "Work".

The band Jars of Clay produces surprisingly good music, considering they're part of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Okay, the acoustic guitar-based rock starts to sound kinda same ol', same ol' after the first album or two. The tempo in and style of "Work" seems a bit of a compromise between the heavier rock of The Eleventh Hour and the soothing tones of other albums.

(Caveat here: I only own all their albums through The Eleventh Hour, including the original Christmas one they did, so most of my exposure comes from the first five CDs. They've had five since. But I think it may say something that this song from CD #9 resembles #1–5.)

Dan Haseltine's voice soothes and melds well with the well-mixed music. Still, the lyrics get a bit overrepetitive with the nearly-continuous "what I mean when I say, 'I don't want to be alone'?"

The music video is also a bit creepy. The band performs the song—eeek, and I thought Nightwish looked weird—while the room's filling up with water. Right at the end, the room's full.

Er… points for symbolism, but not very memorable scenery. At least, not memorable for me. To be fair, I have been reading vampire novels this week (Eclipse and Sunshine) and am writing another (fine, so it's more werewolf than vampire), so maybe my creepiness tolerance has spiked enough that this video isn't making much of an impression.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 7/10

"Even If" by ZOEGirl from Life

"If what's left of me is taken, I will not be shaken" from my faith in God, sing the friends that comprised ZOEgirl. For more upbeat pop rock—i.e., teenybopper—the band ZOEgirl probably helped define its sound in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) realm. The ladies can sing, and they have decent music, which is more than most CCM can claim.

"Even If" declares that no matter what happens in life, they will cling to Christ. No matter how lost and frightened, they'll "keep running back to" the Lord. They do say "Lord" and have Biblical allusions, but it's possible to listen to the song and miss them. I suspect some people perceive the song as talking about a significant other. Not the best lyrics they've done.

But it is some of the better music they've done. It's a kinda techno mix on this song, but it's not an annoying one (unless you hate synthetics entirely). It's a very organic flow to this song. It's pretty much a very upbeat teenybopper pop rock. Nothing extraordinary, but better than most uncreative tunes.

They sing together decently, soothingly, and the voices suit what they've done. A bit breathy to keep (or make?) the teen-oriented tone, and sounding much like Point of Grace, but they can sing. Fortunately.

For an upbeat clean pop rock song that doesn't grate on the ears, "Even If" fits the bill well.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 8/10

"Thief 2006" by Third Day from Chronology Volume One (1996-2000)

"Who is this man?!" sings Mac Powell with his soothing voice that suits the softer rock Third Day produces. "Thief 2006" speaks of Christ's Crucifixion from the perspective of one of the thieves hung with him—the one who repents.

The thief's statement of "What have I done? I don't remember," right after calling himself a thief and murderer, could apply to humans' short memories of wrongs in general. (Interesting how we remember negatives others do to us so well, while conveniently forgetting the ones we do to others.)

Within the song, the motif keeps returning of the thief's time to die is coming. That it's sooner than he ever would've wanted is assumed. The instruments meld precisely within the song, with a complexity usually not found in CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).

Clean language, strong message, and strong lyrics—all add up in "Thief 2006" to make a very calming song that's not quite my preferred style, but I can nonetheless appreciate. Even if soft rock isn't your favorite genre, you might like giving this song a listen. As of this writing, both the song and the lyrics appear on Third Day's MySpace.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 10/10

"What Are You Waiting For" by Natalie Grant from Awaken

"So you wanna change the world? What are you waiting for?"

That message that you have to start now to start changing the world draws me to the song more than anything else. The catchy chorus at least makes me want to sing along when it comes on the radio, even if the pop rock does sound like a ZOEGirl clone.

Eh… Actually, Natalie Grant doesn't even sing that well. I even checked a live recording, accounting for the microphone issue in recording, and her singing isn't very good but at least makes up for it a little bit with the emotion she includes in this 2005 album.

Nonetheless, she's won awards for that not-so-great voice. (Which makes me worry about the quality of the rest of contemporary Christian music (CCM)—wait, I already knew that stank. Never mind.) In 2006 and 2007, she won the Female Vocalist of the Year in the Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards. Odd, since she's not released any music since 2005, but the GMA awards are full of such irregularities and genre favoritism.

Overall, "What Are You Waiting For" is standard substandard contemporary Christian pop rock music. For CCM, it's on the decent side. Natalie Grant provides fans with both a MySpace page and a band website.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 6/10

"Lion" by Rebecca St. James from Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia

Oh, that's a comely star—

Or not. I grimace when Rebecca St. James starts singing in the too-predictable breathy style and note set that makes me immediately know this is CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Ew.

Not that the style itself is icky; it's just so cliché. I wouldn't mind the cliché most of the song nearly so much if it didn't have such a promising foundation that appears at the beginning, bridge and end. Well, even that could've used a bit more work, but it at least was something. The song's the usual Christian pop rock that all melds together in your ears.

Lyricwise, it's also the CCM normal in its declaration that "This is just a world of Your own", that God is wise and loving to us and guides us through life. (I have a theological problem with that unbalanced image, but that's another issue.) Thanks to Narnia movie, "Lion" does own one memorable turn of phrase: "It feels like I'm livin' in a lion's mouth, but the lion is an angel…"

So much unrealized possibility. That, more than anything, makes this a disappointment for me. But if you're one of those people who likes CCM in general, you'll likely like this song.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 5/10

"Better" by Plumb from Chaotic Resolve

"I don't wanna hate; I don't wanna be broken; I don't wanna hate you!"

Now, that's a nice twist of lyric, as is "But in the end / what leaves you broken in the end / makes you better!"

I first heard "Better" on Pandora about a year ago before I even considered making this blog, and liked it enough to take "I like it!" I ultimately left Pandora for several months (mostly because they lacked certain bands and songs I wanted to hear). I forgot about the song, then popped back in one night and decided to listen to my "gothic rock" station I'd made there. "Better" came up, and I immediately jotted it down to review it.

Turns out, Plumb's a Christian singer. I almost regret learning that, since it made me realize what the song reminded me of: other CCM (contemporary Christian music). It almost could be Evanescence meets Rebecca St. James. Okay, that was a weird comparison. But the alternative slightly-gothic rock music blends with enough attractiveness and memorability to warrant an "above average" rating, albeit too conventionally for me to hand a "5".

Plumb, whose actual name is Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, sings prettily. Again, I'm reminded of Evanescence's Amy Lee with traces of Rebecca St. James and even Flyleaf's Lacey Mosley (in a good way). Nonetheless, "Plumb" sounds a bit overly breathy when she's trying to sing quietly. It's a bit annoying.

Now for the lyrics. As you can probably guess from the quotes I have above, "Better" discusses not hating someone who abuses you. The song specifically speaks of the unbeliever who persecutes the Christian "because of fear." It's encouragement to the Christian who is facing a hard time, perhaps getting emotionally torn to pieces by someone. "What leaves you broken in the end makes you better." Notice that unusual statement.

For a song in general, it's well above average. For CCM, it's extraordinary.

UPDATE: I've learned that Amy Lee actually credits Plumb as one of her influences for Evanescence. So small wonder they sound comparable.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz from Broken and Beautiful

"It was her first date the night he came to call. Her dad said, 'Son, have her home on time, and promise me you'll never leave her side.'"

With that foreshawdong of never leaving, "Walking Her Home" sweetly offers snapshot of how a man views his wife through the years of the first date, firstborn child, and her death, during all of which he keeps remembering that first date when he fell in love with her.

Considering the high divorce rate in our modern culture, "Waking Her Home" reminds of relationships that don't bounce. I realize Mark Schultz likely desired to focus on the bittersweet aspect, it almost makes it seem like those long-term relationships just happen instead of being worked at to be maintained.

Singer-songwriter Mark Schultz, a (former?) youth pastor of the PCUSA, is known for his touching, often bittersweet lyrics about life and God. Add one of the best male voices of Christian pop, and it's no wonder that he's one of the most widely-known names in Christian circles.

The calm and soothing music is softly guitar and piano-reliant for this song, as is characteristic of Mark Schultz, but it's not his best. I think of him when I hear it, but I don't immediately think of this song in particular. I get the distinct impression that it uses the same music as some other song of his that I can't quite remember, or at least the music is extremely similar.

Overall, I've heard better from him, but it's still a decent song… particularly for CCM.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 2/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 6/10

"Scream" by ZOEgirl from Room to Breathe

"Do I have to scream for You to hear me? Do I have to bleed for You to see me?"

All Christians have times in their lives when it feels like God isn't there, much as BarlowGirl addresses in "Never Alone". Going through the questions and the emotions, the ladies then declare "Don't have to scream; don't have to bleed! 'Cause I'm clean, He is listening, and I don't have to scream."

As the last original album ZOEgirl released before breaking up last year, Room to Breathe has several songs I like a bit, as I learned when Mom got me the album since I liked this song so much. Chrissy Conway-Katina, Alisa Childers, and Kristin Schweain sing well and have catchy music, which explains the four-album band's immense popularity in Christian pop.

Okay, so their music is more average than great, but compared in the world of Christian pop, average music plus people who actually know how to sing can be hard to find. I say that as someone who listened to it almost exclusively until last summer when I learned what good music sounded like.

If you remember ZOEgirl as a teen band, they have adjusted that a little in "Scream" to appeal to a wider audience. The lyrics still target young women, like those of the Barlow sisters, but the women of ZOEgirl evidently show their age a little more here.

"Scream" by the now-defunct American band ZOEgirl is on the better end of Christian pop, yes, but alas it suffers from the lesser quality that haunts most Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It's a good CD for keeping you awake in your car, though.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 7/10

"Brave" by Nichole Nordeman from Brave

"So long, status quo" "The way it always was is no longer good enough—You make me wanna be brave!" Great verses speak of many of the skittishness many of us fight, particularly when speaking of the Gospel, and the chorus admits a rejection of that "status quo."

"Brave," one of Nichole Nordeman's best songs, sounds like it might meld the music overmuch, but it's still catchy and varied. The little discernable piano under the pop rock is beautiful, like Nichole Nordeman's alto.

She gives some of her best singing, lyrics, and music in "Brave." Her time off for her infant son has brought her back with the precise same style but lack of sameness she started with in 2000.

"Every storm will start with just a drop of rain," she reminds the listener, countering the common argument that an individual can't make that big a difference. Each person can make a difference, she insists, and God gives us the bravery we need.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 9/10

"Scarlet" by Jars Of Clay from The Eleventh Hour

Admission: when I first heard and liked this song, the meaning was utterly lost on me. I don't think I'd even heard of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter at that time. The song assumes you know the book. So, if you don't know the basic plotline, the song's pretty nonsensical.

A woman has a child by adultery in Puritan Boston. (Her husband is not in the country.) Her punishment is to wear a scarlet letter A for adultery on her bosom for the remainder of her days as a reminder of her sin.

"Scarlet" speaks of such a scarlet letter and a refusal to let it hold the wearer down. "This old scarlet letter won't keep me from holding you. And there is nothing you can do. Nothing you do." Besides it being a reference to the letter and how God will hold us regardless of our sins if we repent, it also brings to mind a scene in the book where the woman casts her scarlet letter aside and forcefully appeals to her former lover to flee somewhere with her for them to be together again, since they still love one another. (The preacher, much-loved by the community as a saint, fears to confess his sin, leaving others in the community unaware that he is the unknown father.)

Dan Haseltine sings with his usual direct voice that I believe is a tenor, with a slight echo at some points in the song. Heavier on the drums and cymbals than on the other CDs by Jars Of Clay—a usual situation on The Eleventh Hour—the song is still very much of the band. The guitar-heavy rock melds with one other major instrument that I can't identify, unfortunately, and the song credits don't name it.

The song's short (for Jars Of Clay), a bit repetitive, and dependent on a knowledge of the book, but despite all that it's still one of my favorites.

(More about The Scarlet Letter can be found at Cliff's Notes, or you can download a free e-book from Project Gutenberg.)

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Famous Last Words" by Jars Of Clay from If I Left The Zoo

"You say you heard every word, but I watched you turn away," Dan Haseltine sings in this aptly-named song from If I Left The Zoo, "Famous Last Words." Strongly symbolic, as is usual from Jars Of Clay, I think they're speaking of the common "Famous Last Words" people often use to put off response to the Gospel: "I'm not ready yet—I won't be gone a minute."

I happen to like Dan Haseltine's voice, which I think is a tenor, though I'm pretty sure it's not superb. Several guitars interweave in this pop song, with a bit of piano, for example, and some other instrument on the song credit listing that I have absolutely no idea what it is but looks Eastern European from the spelling (a wurlitzer). Oh, and a minute timer goes off once, emphasising the song's message that you never know when your time's going to be up.

One point of the lyrics, that "wasted are the days you said you were only waiting," ends up getting a bit repetitive. I know that's common in choruses, but some people find it particularly annoying when songs repeat. I just generally do if a song repeats something over 6 times. (A noteable exception would be Within Temptation's "What Have You Done," but those repetitions are distinctly intentional for the song's meaning.) I find "Famous Last Words" bordering the repetitive line.

"Famous Last Words" is nonetheless one of my favorite songs from If I Left The Zoo, and among my top favorite songs by Jars Of Clay in general. It's not their best by any means, but it's still on the better end.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Sunrise" by Nichole Nordeman from Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman

Touching speedy piano starts out this pop song from honest Christian singer Nichole Nordeman. Why "honest"? She's brutally direct on the conflict of the Christian's life, of her own life.

"How would I know the morning if I knew not midnight?" she asks in "Sunrise." And that is why Nichole Nordeman wouldn't "take a different road, bear a lighter load" if she "had the chance." God alone "is sunrise," He "alone can resurrect" her heart. None of us like the dark points in life, but she reminds us that we cannot know the brightness of the light without first knowing the dark.

Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman might be well-named if "Sunrise" aptly represents the rest. This may be the best song beginning I've heard in any of her songs, even if it devolves into comparatively middling quality, from her chorus. The chorus may have the annoyingly characteristic drop in music quality, but the verses are lovely with the few different layers that underline them.

Nichole Nordeman uncompromisingly speaks of real life with her usual soothing alto. The touching beginnig draws you into the rest of the song as she guides the hearer through darkness into the Light. Besides the less-than-great chorus music that brings down the quality of the music overall, the only complaint to be made might be a bit of cliché and repetitive imagery. But that won't bother everyone.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Whatever She Wants" by Jars Of Clay from The Eleventh Hour

One of Jars Of Clay's most direct songs, "Whatever She Wants" is still chock-full of symbolism as it evidently speaks of the adulterous woman, "Like a vampire, a parasite."

I call it one of their most direct songs because of a certain line that brings to mind something that would not be appropriate for children. I don't think "when you're up, she's down; down, she's up and whips around" needs any explanation on that level. In context, it's evidently also a reference of the dichotomy involved: "whatever she wanted for whatever you need"—the reversal is extreme. What you do to support her destroys you.

The music of "Whatever She Wants" might be one of the strongest rock Jars of Clay has ever produced. It's a bit stronger on cymbals than many ears may find comfortable, but it's done in unity with the rest of the music rather than in discord.

Dan Haseltine's voice suits this song superbly. It's on par with "Art In Me" for his voice. After Jars Of Clay's previous production of lighter music, you might not expect them to handle rock well, but I believe they've done a surprisingly good job.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 9/10

"Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman from Woven and Spun

"It wouldn't matter much," Nichole Nordeman admits of worldly accomplishments, even of being added to "all the 'who's who's' and so-and-so's who used to be the best at such-and such." Sure, we may long for it, but what ultimately matters is a legacy of pointing to Christ.

Nordeman once again shows her skillful flair for songwriting with "Legacy" on Woven and Spun. Dripping with the conflict of a Christian's life, she's brutally honest to what we tend to care for and what we should care for—and she doesn't exempt herself from that group.

Her soothing alto sings strongly as she includes herself in the questions she's asking her listeners. More accurately, it's in asking herself that she brings her listeners to ask themselves, what do they put their trust in?

Nichole Nordeman has distinctly improved her piano-based pop since such hits as "Wide Eyed" on, for example, her first album. That's not to say the style's changed; it hasn't. It's still not great music; she unfortunately lets her skill at piano get drowned out. As usual.

Piano and violins still provide a lovely background to the soft rock more geared for young adults than teens, though mature teens will likely enjoy it. I did, and still do.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 8/10

"Art In Me" by Jars Of Clay from Jars of Clay

"And in your picture book I'm trying hard to see, turning endless pages of this tragedy…" This world can look so heartbreaking on our end. We can plead "see the art in me" seemingly in vain—"critics scorn the thoughts and works of mortal man," but God is everlasting.

Add to that a beautiful meld of strings, oboe, and more that provide Dan Haeltine's voice some of its best accompaniment, and you have a winner song that doesn't seem to get noticed nearly as often as it should.

The lyrics strike me as fragmented, and I'm not sure it's only due my difficulty understanding symbolism. I see the linkage of verse one to the chorus, but verse two seems… random to me. I mean, it's good that it links all this despair to Christ, but I feel like a transition is missing. (Which in itself is strange: I don't usually think in transitions.)

I listen to the song repeatedly just to hear the lovely violins and Dan Haseltine's voice. And how often does the lonely heart plead that someone would "see the art in me"?

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 8/10

"This Mystery" by Nichole Nordeman from This Mystery

"Say goodnight to the light of the setting sun," Nichole Nordeman starts with the pop piano accompanying her in "This Mystery." Life gets so repetitive and routine like a "revolving door that won't slow down." It's so easy to fall prey to comfort and trust in the routine and forget that a "nice and clean" routine will never be enough. We must live in Christ.

The lines of routine must fall for us to live in Him. We can't trust in the routine to save us—but, knowing that, we often fall prey to doing the precise thing that can't save us. Nichole Nordeman isn't afraid to remind us that we can't stay in our comfortable little bubbles in this, her second CD.

It's not her best song, as far as lyrics go; she has many much more powerful songs and ones with tighter imagery. All the images refer to the same thing here, rather than the progression she often does. And some won't agree theologically with her statement that God "tr[ies] and tr[ies] to invoke us to live in" Him.

Nonetheless, she still shows her pretty alto and piano skill in this song. It's just muted by unnecessary other focuses in the music. That's not to call This Mystery a bad CD (for Nichole Nordeman)—her voice is a easier to hear than it was in much of Wide Eyed, and many other songs on This Mystery make up for the less-than-ideal title track.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 6/10

"Boy On A String" by Jars Of Clay from Jars Of Clay

Take a girl who in essence can't understand symbolism even those few times she can identify its presence, introduce her to a band loaded with symbolism, and you get one girl who absolutely loathes the band. Right?

Nope. And that still perplexes me every time I stop to think about it. That and their refusal to abide by standard grammar rules for capitalization.

Anyway, from the first time I heard them, I loved Jars Of Clay. They're still one of my favorite Christian bands, their music (especially on this self-titled debut album) of unusually good quality for being contemporary Christian. The pop has a more mature tone like such artists as Nichole Nordeman, but Jars Of Clay often goes heavier on the rock. (This is most obvious on songs from The Eleventh Hour like "Scarlet" and "Whatever She Wants.")

The music isn't inherently beautiful, but it's attractive and involved. Violin, guitar, and other things I can't identify (one might be a tamborine) interweave for the song in such a way that they're often difficult to separate or distinguish.

"Look at the crowd bleeding with laughter over the way you entertain at beck and call," Jars Of Clay says of many people's lives. "They just like to see you fall—and you don't really mind." Why act, why put on a façade for a crowd? "One day those strings will choke you."

Of course, I've already admitted that I can't really understand symbolism, so I know I'm missing some points to the lyrics. The idea is that you're a marionette getting puppeted around a stage for the crowd's benefit. They don't care about you, and you as a puppet don't care about your position. At least, that's what I've gotten out of it after some years and probably a few hundred times of hearing the song.

Add (tenor?) vocals from songwriter Dan Haseltine that articulate the song well, and you have a song that's ultimately one of the better ones Christian pop has to offer.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10