Arms Wide Open

I caution anyone that takes my advice that I am in no way a music critic. The reviews below are called “2 Cent” because that is just about what they are worth. These are just my impressions of some recent downloads. With that I give you some brief overviews of my first impressions of the following:

1. “What Life Would Be Like” by Big Daddy Weave - In my opinion this band doesn’t get near the credit they deserve. Quietly they have released several CD’s and continue to pound out thought provoking music. I really liked this one. The can’t miss download is the title track “What Life Would Be Like”. Such a great song and worth thinking about. “From Here” is also a beautiful song for anyone that has lost someone close to them.  (4 out of 5)

2. “This is Our God” by Hillsong - Lotta buzz around this one today with the stunning news that the writer of the song “Healer” faked his terminal illness. Let me go ahead and give you my 2 cents on this thing. Throughout scripture God used some pretty crazy people to deliver His truth. He used the most unlikely individuals, some with rather sketchy pasts. Did Mike Guglielmucci make an incredible mistake in judgement? Yes, but who among us hasn’t? I pray God’s grace and our forgiveness for this man. Let’s not rush to judge and miss the incredible truth that is this song. The entire CD might be the best I have heard all year. Don’t miss it. Again, the title track is worth the download. The entire CD is too. (5 out of 5)!

3. Revelation by Third Day - Let me just say that it’s probably me and not Third Day. I think I have just come to the point where, for me, a little Third Day goes a long, long way. That being said, there are some very good, can’t miss downloads. Of note for me were the songs “Take It All” and “Revelation”. “Revelation” left me with a red mark between the eyes where it had hit me. Great song. I know I’ll get hate mail here but..(3 out of 5)

4. Hymned Again by Bart Millard - Bart does it again! Actually I should warn you that if you’re looking for Bart just singing the old hymns in their original form, you’re going to be disappointed. He’s jazzed a few of them up and rearranged a few others. As to not disrupt my chances for S.L.O.B. of the month, I will say I LOVED it. Privately I will tell you that the purist in me loves the old hymns just the way they were. Don’t tell my buddy Bart though. (4 out of 5)

5. Singalong by Phil Wickham - First off, go download it right now at Phil’s Site because it is totally free! Seriously, go ahead..I’ll wait. Now that you have it downloaded let me say that I really like this CD. The cost aside I just like the plain old acoustic and a microphone approach to these songs. There are many treasures on it. The fact that it is free is icing on the cake. (5 out of 5).

Looking ahead we’ve got the new Chris Tomlin coming in just a few short weeks. I better go find 2 more pennies….