Vineyard UK -- Hungry
6/10
Before I write this review, I should say these two things:
1. I love run-on sentences.
2. Despite the fact that I've spent
large portions of more than the past two decades playing it from a stage, I will
readily admit that I generally despise worship music. Lowest common denominator
adult contemporary soft rock music isn't anywhere near my favorite genre, and
that's the genre that's dominated Christian worship music the entirety of my
near 40 years on this Earth. The fact of the matter is, unfortunately, adult
contemporary soft rock music is the safest bet for a mostly evangelical audience
that is mostly white, and mostly middle-aged. Sure, at times inspiration has crept
in, but for every Kirk Franklin bringing in a "Stomp," and for the rare times a
band like Hillsong United actually hits upon an emerging musical trend instead
of chasing one that's already passed, there are a seemingly infinite line of
cookie-cutter, boring, same-olds. The situation only grew more dire when bands
like Newsboys, who explored creative musical and intelligent lyrical angles in
the 90's, shaved off every rough or un-uniform edge in the '00s, to simply
playing uninteresting, non-adventurous, by-the-numbers worship music in the 00's
and beyond.
While I profess Christ, I see or feel no obligation to support or enjoy boring and uninspired drivel created in his name. While I'll play and try to inject some sense of artistry into these types of songs from the stage, I generally won't be caught dead listening to any of them on my own time. If I want to worship the Creator of this vast and infinite universe through listening to music played by a species who still shits in the same water it drinks from, I'll do so through music that at least sounds good. The vast majority of Christian worship music does not. And let's not even get into the lyrics!
The Psalms are beautiful and brutally honest works of praise and lamentation. Ancient Christian hymns explore the depth and mysterious nature of the infinite triune God. Classic denominational hymns often do the same, through more contemporary language, excusing a few "thees" and "thous."
While I profess Christ, I see or feel no obligation to support or enjoy boring and uninspired drivel created in his name. While I'll play and try to inject some sense of artistry into these types of songs from the stage, I generally won't be caught dead listening to any of them on my own time. If I want to worship the Creator of this vast and infinite universe through listening to music played by a species who still shits in the same water it drinks from, I'll do so through music that at least sounds good. The vast majority of Christian worship music does not. And let's not even get into the lyrics!
The Psalms are beautiful and brutally honest works of praise and lamentation. Ancient Christian hymns explore the depth and mysterious nature of the infinite triune God. Classic denominational hymns often do the same, through more contemporary language, excusing a few "thees" and "thous."
Modern evangelical
worship music's main lyrical focus is generally, "God, you're the best
boyfriend I've ever had, can I please sit on your lap and give you a kiss?" I'll say this for
Vineyard UK's 1999 hybrid studio/live album Hungry, though: it at least
tries to buck the trends a little bit.
First of all, there is definite artistry here, and it announces itself from the start. The opening title track begins with a slick, and slickly produced drum beat, revealing a true pro behind the kit. The song is...well, it's an adult contemporary soft rock song, but at least it's well-played, with some genuinely nice musical touches--it's almost hip! Check the piano 90 seconds in, the gnarly, well-played guitar solo three minutes in, or the supercool and atmospheric production touch where the song seems to suddenly transition from a massive stage, to a cozy recording study about 4:45 in. Or the hazy, sort of unfocused, lacking in finality of the outro. It's a cool song, and a nice slice of the late 90's. The lyrics don't venture far beyond "I need you, God," but they're not quite embarrassing, either. Then "Your Name Is Holy" comes in with a surprisingly atmospheric folk rock sound, like it's coming in from some verdant Irish hillside, and Wendy O'Connell's beautiful, unearthly vocals sounding, for lack of a better descriptor, like the color green. If you google O'Connell, you can't even find a picture, but during her short recording career with Vineyard, she showcased a unique voice that I wish was still around. I wish I knew what happened to her. Everyone else who sang here seems to still be going, but she is the one who truly sets herself apart (everyone else is fine). Anyway, "Your Name Is Holy," is a nice, breezy, folk rock worship song that's actually quite good. It's even got a cool string section build up to the final chorus in the bridge. Can someone please tell me what happened to Wendy O'Connell?
Next comes the bain of the modern worship album, which was there 22 years ago too--the heavy lean toward the slow and boring ballad. Sure, a few are fine, and "Humble King" on its own IS fine (and O'Connell's harmonizing is stunning). The lyrics aren't incredibly deep, but the focus on Christ's humility is refreshing. Thankfully, Vineyard doesn't fully commit to going total ballad city yet, as the album continues with the fast-paced "There's No One Like Our God," where the bassist absolutely slaps. Honestly, this guy might put on the best bass performance in worship album history--I know that might not sound like much, but seriously, from a fairly confident bassist, I've got to say, this guy completely blows me out of the water. Also, I feel like I could have worded that better.
But OH, NO! the ballad bug bites again. Again, "Make Your Home in Me" is fine on its own, but they're dragging down the entire album's momentum yet again. I love the super sexy sax, though, and I'm fairly confident God does too. It's another sign that this band values musical artistry, even if they come right back after this song with yet another ballad. This one's got an Irish flute, though, so again, though I'm getting bored, at least they're pushing the limit just a bit. And the Irish flute returns for the next track, "Child of God," but NO GUYS!!! it's another ballad! Why?!?!
Let's be honest, I'm not a huge ballad fan. The biggest flaw in just about every worship album is that after an upbeat track or two, they usually just devolve into a bunch of boring, samey ballads. So boring. So very, very boring. At least "Child of God" sounds like a Titanic survivor finding the resolve to leave a full and happy life.
First of all, there is definite artistry here, and it announces itself from the start. The opening title track begins with a slick, and slickly produced drum beat, revealing a true pro behind the kit. The song is...well, it's an adult contemporary soft rock song, but at least it's well-played, with some genuinely nice musical touches--it's almost hip! Check the piano 90 seconds in, the gnarly, well-played guitar solo three minutes in, or the supercool and atmospheric production touch where the song seems to suddenly transition from a massive stage, to a cozy recording study about 4:45 in. Or the hazy, sort of unfocused, lacking in finality of the outro. It's a cool song, and a nice slice of the late 90's. The lyrics don't venture far beyond "I need you, God," but they're not quite embarrassing, either. Then "Your Name Is Holy" comes in with a surprisingly atmospheric folk rock sound, like it's coming in from some verdant Irish hillside, and Wendy O'Connell's beautiful, unearthly vocals sounding, for lack of a better descriptor, like the color green. If you google O'Connell, you can't even find a picture, but during her short recording career with Vineyard, she showcased a unique voice that I wish was still around. I wish I knew what happened to her. Everyone else who sang here seems to still be going, but she is the one who truly sets herself apart (everyone else is fine). Anyway, "Your Name Is Holy," is a nice, breezy, folk rock worship song that's actually quite good. It's even got a cool string section build up to the final chorus in the bridge. Can someone please tell me what happened to Wendy O'Connell?
Next comes the bain of the modern worship album, which was there 22 years ago too--the heavy lean toward the slow and boring ballad. Sure, a few are fine, and "Humble King" on its own IS fine (and O'Connell's harmonizing is stunning). The lyrics aren't incredibly deep, but the focus on Christ's humility is refreshing. Thankfully, Vineyard doesn't fully commit to going total ballad city yet, as the album continues with the fast-paced "There's No One Like Our God," where the bassist absolutely slaps. Honestly, this guy might put on the best bass performance in worship album history--I know that might not sound like much, but seriously, from a fairly confident bassist, I've got to say, this guy completely blows me out of the water. Also, I feel like I could have worded that better.
But OH, NO! the ballad bug bites again. Again, "Make Your Home in Me" is fine on its own, but they're dragging down the entire album's momentum yet again. I love the super sexy sax, though, and I'm fairly confident God does too. It's another sign that this band values musical artistry, even if they come right back after this song with yet another ballad. This one's got an Irish flute, though, so again, though I'm getting bored, at least they're pushing the limit just a bit. And the Irish flute returns for the next track, "Child of God," but NO GUYS!!! it's another ballad! Why?!?!
Let's be honest, I'm not a huge ballad fan. The biggest flaw in just about every worship album is that after an upbeat track or two, they usually just devolve into a bunch of boring, samey ballads. So boring. So very, very boring. At least "Child of God" sounds like a Titanic survivor finding the resolve to leave a full and happy life.
Still, though. Enough with the ballads.
Even God has got to be
getting bored by this point.
Thankfully, the ballads come to an end, but with an unfortunate fakeout. "All Creation" starts off with a very brief acknowledgement of the U.K.'s electronic music/D&B scene, some samples, then suddenly a Riverdance fiddle, O'Connell vocalizing mysteriously, but then turns into the samba/bossa-nova pre-programmed song on your keyboard. Yes, it's different, but maybe not in a good way. I think the song is supposed to show how all cultures look toward the same God, and the band is trying to showcase many different genres, which is a cool idea, yet sadly just points more light on the fact that most contemporary worship music is low-fat mayonnaise. Ew, and the next track, "The Rhythm of Heaven" is a sort of 50's rock-inspired song. C'mon, the forward thinking had been working! Don't go backward! Ooh, but then, where it seems like a lousy ballad will come in, an incredible ballad comes in, with "I Surrender." The song builds on a dark and beautiful acoustic guitar line that could be the basis of a solid Radiohead track. O'Connell sounds so ethereal and mysterious here, and when more band members come in, instead of your generic adult contemporary soft rock players, it's that gnarly bassist, and someone playing a tabla. Then there's a...bassoon? I think it's a bassoon. It's a gorgeous, mystical song, the kind of track the medieval church fathers would have enjoyed, even if the lyrics again don't go deeper than surrendering one's will to the will of God. Now that I think about it, lyrics that reflected on the great mysteries of the faith here would have given this song an even more timeless beauty. I mean, the song SOUNDS like a meandering autumn stream, through a brown-leafed forest, under a graying sky. It's a shame the lyrics are a little twee.
The track segues directly into the more high energy "Only You," which at first sounds urgent and cool, but then devolves into a chorus that literally says, "Hold me in your arms and never let me run away...say you'll stay. Say you'll stay." Please, boyfriend, please! These lyrics are embarrassing considering how excellent the music is here, especially the strings. Ugh.
At least the upbeat tempo continues with the pop-punk...pop of "Refuge in You," though the song is very cheesy, with another chorus that in portions sounds like it is addressed to a boyfriend. If you wanted more ballads, though, you're in luck, because "You Are a Holy God" is another one of those, and boy(friend) is it boring, making sure to put you to sleep if you're still awake 55 minutes into this. Then, to take you fully into dreams, here comes the closer, "Breathe," which is, admittedly, a very pretty, catchy and desperate ballad. "And I'm desperate for you/I'm lost without you," boyfriend, I mean...God.
Now that I'm at the end of this review, maybe Hungry doesn't buck the trend much at all. It features a lot of ballads, and pretty juvenile lyrics. Hungry could just be about how excited the singers are to be dating a new man, and how sad they would be if their new boyfriend went away. I don't find a ton of spiritual nourishment in it. I just listened to U2 for an entire month, which makes any lyrical light found on Hungry seem even dimmer. The music, though--at least there are portions here where they tried to do something different from the norm. Even in "Breathe," there's a gnarly, treated saxophone way off in the distance that catches my ear. There are a bit more good musical things than bad musical things here. I just wish there were A LOT MORE GOOD musical things here. God's gotta be tired of listening to acoustic guitars and pop lyrics by now.
P.S.: Every time I see this album, I can't help but think of the 7th Season X-Files episode that came out the very same year (1999, the best year), also titled "Hungry." Sometimes the baby on this cover reminds me of the monster from that episode.
Sorry, baby.
1. Hungry (Falling on My Knees) 5:41
2. Your Name Is Holy 5:22
3. Humble King 4:44
4. There's No One Like Our God 3:27
5. Make Your Home in Me 4:56
6. Child Of God 4:49
7. Be the Centre 6:56
8. All Creation 4:15
9. The Rhythm Of Heaven 5:17
10. I Surrender 5:00
11. Only You 4:59
12. Refuge in You 3:47
13. You Are a Holy God 5:32
14. Breathe 6:30
Thankfully, the ballads come to an end, but with an unfortunate fakeout. "All Creation" starts off with a very brief acknowledgement of the U.K.'s electronic music/D&B scene, some samples, then suddenly a Riverdance fiddle, O'Connell vocalizing mysteriously, but then turns into the samba/bossa-nova pre-programmed song on your keyboard. Yes, it's different, but maybe not in a good way. I think the song is supposed to show how all cultures look toward the same God, and the band is trying to showcase many different genres, which is a cool idea, yet sadly just points more light on the fact that most contemporary worship music is low-fat mayonnaise. Ew, and the next track, "The Rhythm of Heaven" is a sort of 50's rock-inspired song. C'mon, the forward thinking had been working! Don't go backward! Ooh, but then, where it seems like a lousy ballad will come in, an incredible ballad comes in, with "I Surrender." The song builds on a dark and beautiful acoustic guitar line that could be the basis of a solid Radiohead track. O'Connell sounds so ethereal and mysterious here, and when more band members come in, instead of your generic adult contemporary soft rock players, it's that gnarly bassist, and someone playing a tabla. Then there's a...bassoon? I think it's a bassoon. It's a gorgeous, mystical song, the kind of track the medieval church fathers would have enjoyed, even if the lyrics again don't go deeper than surrendering one's will to the will of God. Now that I think about it, lyrics that reflected on the great mysteries of the faith here would have given this song an even more timeless beauty. I mean, the song SOUNDS like a meandering autumn stream, through a brown-leafed forest, under a graying sky. It's a shame the lyrics are a little twee.
The track segues directly into the more high energy "Only You," which at first sounds urgent and cool, but then devolves into a chorus that literally says, "Hold me in your arms and never let me run away...say you'll stay. Say you'll stay." Please, boyfriend, please! These lyrics are embarrassing considering how excellent the music is here, especially the strings. Ugh.
At least the upbeat tempo continues with the pop-punk...pop of "Refuge in You," though the song is very cheesy, with another chorus that in portions sounds like it is addressed to a boyfriend. If you wanted more ballads, though, you're in luck, because "You Are a Holy God" is another one of those, and boy(friend) is it boring, making sure to put you to sleep if you're still awake 55 minutes into this. Then, to take you fully into dreams, here comes the closer, "Breathe," which is, admittedly, a very pretty, catchy and desperate ballad. "And I'm desperate for you/I'm lost without you," boyfriend, I mean...God.
Now that I'm at the end of this review, maybe Hungry doesn't buck the trend much at all. It features a lot of ballads, and pretty juvenile lyrics. Hungry could just be about how excited the singers are to be dating a new man, and how sad they would be if their new boyfriend went away. I don't find a ton of spiritual nourishment in it. I just listened to U2 for an entire month, which makes any lyrical light found on Hungry seem even dimmer. The music, though--at least there are portions here where they tried to do something different from the norm. Even in "Breathe," there's a gnarly, treated saxophone way off in the distance that catches my ear. There are a bit more good musical things than bad musical things here. I just wish there were A LOT MORE GOOD musical things here. God's gotta be tired of listening to acoustic guitars and pop lyrics by now.
P.S.: Every time I see this album, I can't help but think of the 7th Season X-Files episode that came out the very same year (1999, the best year), also titled "Hungry." Sometimes the baby on this cover reminds me of the monster from that episode.
Sorry, baby.
1. Hungry (Falling on My Knees) 5:41
2. Your Name Is Holy 5:22
3. Humble King 4:44
4. There's No One Like Our God 3:27
5. Make Your Home in Me 4:56
6. Child Of God 4:49
7. Be the Centre 6:56
8. All Creation 4:15
9. The Rhythm Of Heaven 5:17
10. I Surrender 5:00
11. Only You 4:59
12. Refuge in You 3:47
13. You Are a Holy God 5:32
14. Breathe 6:30
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