I was inspired by Pastor Jonathan's review of Chris Tomlin's new album, Hello Love to highlight an album that I've really enjoyed the past few months (it's gotta marinate on your playlist for a little while, know what I mean?): Roots by Shawn McDonald.It's an album lyrically anchored on the Psalms, Proverbs and even the Beatitudes (reminiscent of Shane and Shane's awesome Psalms album released 2001). Still, it's stylized to fit the context of the track so it's not just 'bible with background music'. For example, "Roots", based on Psalm 1 and other Scriptures:
Oh, men like these"Wash Me Clean" starts: "Awaken me from my sleep / And open up my weary eyes / Move me from my complacency / And bring my soul back to life ... In the fire that ignites my bones / It's in the water that brings life to my soul / It's in the blood that washes me clean". "Shadowlands" is a track based on Psalm 23; "Hallelujah" on the Beatitudes.
They are just like trees
Planted near streams of water
With roots that grow
Deep, deep into the ground
Musically, it has a very acoustic, bluesy-pop feel, and he mixes up the rhythms in pleasantly unexpected ways. The beats, strings and guitar are nicely layered, and even features a shaker here and there (Ray's favorite!). You'll find yourself bobbing your head to the grooves, and it's really fun to sing.
So preview the album if you like, and if you have it or bought it, leave a comment: love it, hate it, is on repeat on your playlist, etc.
And if you find it difficult to find new music or would love to have a friend know your musical tastes and recommend it to you, here's the next best thing: iTunes Genius! Based on your own music library, it'll auto-generate playlists for you and recommend stuff that you might like.
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Posted By Joe Hwang to Gracepoint Fellowship Church :: Koinonia Berkeley HG 7 [R.E.D.] at 9/10/2008 04:32:00 PM
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