Four longhaired teen guys and their excellent homemade acoustic rock endeavor with relaxed guitars-only wholesome earthy in-tune-with-nature sound. The songs are moving, sorrowful, hypnotic, melancholy, sincere, deeply meditative - the guy I got this from thought they sounded like Azitis unplugged and I’m inclined to agree. Nice dreamy atmosphere from the plaintive harmonies and interplay of the three guitars, bringing a moody surreal presence to songs like ‘Clouds And Suns’, ‘Why’, ‘Jesus Love’, ‘Forgive’, ‘His Face’, ‘Chapel’ and ‘Nows’. Upbeat strummed moods on ‘Prisoner’s Prayer’ and the brisk jangly opener ‘Spring Thing’. ‘Relativity’ and the mostly instrumental ‘The Unknown Sea’ are spoken poems backed by acoustic guitar. The guys got their start at a talent show in 1970 at Camp Lutherhoma in eastern Oklahoma. Really strikes a chord. The album has recently gotten a reputation among psych collectors and can now go for some large dollars.
Scotland again with another super good (and super rare) rock/psych goodie featuring four guys and one girl. A rather unique raw bluesy underground sound that’s heavily infused with a magical mix of wah-wah, fuzz and tremolo guitar (including some cool solo stretches). Not necessarily hard rocking, but definitely garagy, grungy and sporting an edge. Similar to the primitive style and lean arrangements of the Trinity House album, but much better, more tuneful, more psychedelic. ‘Disillusion’ is described as “an aggressive rock opus” and it’s mightily aglow with the whole garage/psych thing. Nice crude slide guitar action on ‘You Always Will’ and the title track. They muster up a catchy ‘Suzie Q’ kind of groove on ‘Going Down’. A couple very pretty softer cuts with cello (‘Nothing Is Real’ and ‘Jesus, I Think I Need You’). Same obscure Scottish label as the excellent Sanctus album. See also the EP section.
This five-man Mt. Vernon, Illinois band’s lone album is an above-average blend of rural/country rock sounds with good fuzz/acid electric leads, filled in with piano, electric piano or background synthesizer. The vocals are a wee bit amateurish, but that’s okay given the homemade nature of the project. Somebody obviously thought the phase-shifter was too cool not to use - they end up applying it to the guitar on nearly half the songs. The opening ‘Alone In The City’ and the closing ‘Vision’ are the album’s strongest songs, the latter beginning with an acoustic folk/psych groove with surging organ, then effectively transitioning to a hard-rocking electric riff. A lot of the songs are on the softer melodic side, but still given periodic lifts from the aforementioned phasing or nudged into heavier peaks from the fuzz/electric guitar. Also a couple straightforward easygoing country rockers, balanced with some folky acoustic and/or keyboard ballads. A good and occasionally excellent album. A rare one, since only 100 copies were made. Logos is Greek for “word”.
Kemper and Bekah Crabb’s pre-Arkangel band Redemption recorded this one rather precious and ultra-rare custom lp. No hint of their future art-rock direction, just good ol’ rural folkrocking Jesus music with a nice 12-string sound brimming with homemade charm. A bit of crude electric added on the jamming cover of Blessed Hope’s ‘Something More’. Some really nice dreamy tracks: ‘New Jerusalem’ uses some ethereal organ for a magical folk/psych effect. Equally pleasant is the fragile hypnotic ‘Surrender’ featuring Bekah’s delicate murmurings. Renditions of Jamie Owen’s ‘May I Introduce You’ and Love Song’s ‘Front Seat Back Seat’. 1000 copies were made. Beware of the very ordinary looking cover photo with the virtually unrecognizable shorthaired Kemper. See also Gospel Ship 2 and Hill Country Faith Festival 74.
Jeremy Lyle and Kenny Peake’s custom lp is an exceptional mix of hard-edged garage rock, jangly hippie folk and dreamy acoustic songs. The electric stuff will blow you away, rugged basement rhythm guitar coupled with stinging electric leads, bringing a rough Jefferson Airplane kind of sound to ‘Armageddon Blues’, ‘Get Your Life In Tune’, ‘Jesus Is Savior’ and ‘Open Your Heart’, all of which have extensive fuzz guitar soloing. Bass and drums are in there, too (no keyboards). The twosome is equally effective in the unplugged format, their 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars creating soft impressionistic folk/psych moods within titles like ‘White Dove’. The delicate acoustic ballads ‘Such A Long, Long Time’ and ‘Jesus Gave Us Life For Free’ have a fragile sincerity that is intensely moving. A touch of harmonica on ‘Daniel 2:20’, soft Byrds-like jingle-jangle on ‘Love Still Remains’. More climactic fuzz can be found building up the closing ballad ‘We Are The Stillness Of Silence’. An outstanding record and a prime candidate for Christian monsterhood. Nice cover painting of a dove. Recorded in Monterey, California.
Hey this folkie gal’s got a groooovy collection of dreamy ballads, folk-pop-beat, and acoustic bluesy jazzy stuff all with laid-back hip flower-power arrangements and a kick-off-yer-shoes cool attitude. She sounds very similar stylistically to Judy MacKenzie, another sister who took the path less beaten. A small crack band backs her guitar and vocals with snappy drums, acoustic guitars heavy on the bluesy twang (Glenn Schwartz and the “All Saved Freek Chorus” make a special appearance on ‘Building The Earth’), piano, harmonica, and flute. Lyrically her songs are heavy on stuff like “peace” and “love”. On small mostly-Catholic label. See also EP section.
From the same tiny UK label as Phil Potter and Cephas comes this male folkrocking foursome. A gentle-to-mid-rocking acoustic style overall, not particularly British sounding, but they play with plenty of pep, like on ‘Jesus Is The One’ (done to the tune of ‘Jesus Is Just All Right’). Twangy acoustic jamming, kickin’ drums, a touch of slide guitar, mandolin, autoharp, light use of synthesizer, Fender Rhodes and mellotron. Covers such diverse moods as driving acoustic rock, melodic finger-picked songs, lyrical singer/songwriter moods, keyboard-driven folkrock, mellow folk/pop, simple strummed folk and unplugged boogie r&r. ‘From The Beginning Of Time’, ‘The Lamb Of God’, ‘I’ll Be Superstar’, ‘I’ve Been Born Again’, ‘Give Up Your Life’, thirteen original songs in all. Very carefree and relaxed with much warmth and appeal.
Although they’re from the opposite end of the country, New Jersey’s Maranatha has that same longhaired homegrown west-coast guitar psych sound as Spokane’s Wilson McKinley. In fact I might go so far as to say that Soon is on equal footing with the classic Spirit Of Elijah – it’s that good. Guitarist Charlie Rizzo would later emerge with the more Southern-edged Emmaus Road Band, but here the style seems much more garage angled and hippie jamming. Loud hard-rock electric action on ‘Maranatha’, ‘Resurrection’, ‘Deeper Than The Mighty Rolling Sea’, and ‘Coming Of The Lord’, while ‘Do You Know My Jesus’, ‘Let Us Rise’ and ‘Amen’ explore more acoustic moods. Some fun lively ‘Johnny B Goode’-styled r&r on ‘I Found Jesus’. An insanely rare private press and easily one of the top US Christian monsters.
Maranatha PA features the music of two Pennsylvania bands: Grace and New Covenant, both of which have a cutting-edge homemade male/female Jesus rock sound. Grace is the heavier of the two, opening with a powerful hard-hitting track ‘Lamentations’, complete with loud guitar solo. ‘Agape Love’ and ‘Undecided’ follow in a classic country folkrock style. New Covenant has some excellent moments as well, especially ‘Sinner Come On Home’ which reminds me some of Rainbow Promise with its rural rock edge. The remaining half of the album features some very nice solo folk and acoustic rock. Whether these are individual members of the bands or other folks from their fellowship isn’t clear. ‘The Answer’, ‘Bless The Lord’, ‘Make Love Your Aim’ and ‘Jesus Loves You’ (not the kids song) are all strong tracks of the female folksinger variety, while the dreamy ‘Joy In The Morning’ strikes a mood reminiscent of Dennis Ryder. Closes with everybody singing Karen Lafferty’s ‘Seek Ye First’ a cappella. Back cover photo collage reveals a few longhaired radicals in the bunch.
Strong progressive rock offering from German male foursome with similarities to other Euro prog bands like Eden, Whitsuntide Easter and especially Voiz. Seven songs in German, one in English (‘Ask The World’) and two instrumentals, all with skillful interplay of electric and acoustic guitars, organ and flute (Jethro Tull fans take note). Some songs like ‘Die Drei Manner Im Feuerofen’ and ‘Gottes Wege’ have an acoustic emphasis (i.e., “progressive folk”), while others possess a louder electric angle (the opening ‘Spirit’). Most fall somewhere in between. Brass section on a few tracks works fine. Lively percussion spicing things up on ‘Herr’, ‘Call’ and ‘Sing Halleluja’. Glossy gatefold cover.
My Lifetime Now continues in the same direction as A Time Of Peace. Once again the approach is straightforward and hands-off, mostly gentle songs that focus on Marj and her guitar. Occasional instrumental backing gives a soft jazz angle here, a carefree country moment there. Emotions range from pain and agony in ‘I’m Dyin’ to the mournful tone of the hippie ballad ‘High On The Love Of Jesus’, the latter with guitar and vocal assistance from John Fischer. Fischer also provides additional guitar on ‘Lord Of Glory’. Conga backing adds depth to ‘Walk By My Window’, ‘So Much More’ and the title track. Four backup vocalists assist for a simple version of ‘For Those Tears I Died’. With a nod to Judy Collins, she closes the lp with an a cappella rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’. Two covers exist: one with a photo on Marj on the back, the other with lyrics.
I can’t imagine anyone not liking the simple music of this obviously gifted folksinger, one who’s fondly remembered from the early days. Her debut album (recorded when she was only seventeen and a junior at San Lorenzo High School in Felton, California) is primarily dreamy soft-sung lyrics over tranquil guitar. What’s immediately striking is how captivating her voice is - how it carries you right up into the clouds. A Time Of Peace includes five of her own songs, as well as covers of John Fischer (‘Look All Around You’, ‘Road Of Life’), Ray Repp (‘I Am The Resurrection’) and Jim Strathdee (‘I Am The Light’). Also haunting renditions of ‘I Saw A Man’ (backed by piano) and ‘They’ll Know We Are Christians’ (with distant background organ). Mostly quiet-natured songs, although drums, bass and a beat show up on ‘For Norman’. A few additional voices join in for a homey folk sing-along of ‘He’s Everything To Me’ that closes the album.
If you enjoy the endearing country folkrock sounds of the first album by The Way then Maskil’s custom lp should provide a similar treat. Quiet and melodic with plenty of shimmering acoustic guitar interplay, soft electric backing/leads and wholesome rural harmonies. Four of the five guys play guitar, with a viola joining in on a couple occasions. Three different songwriters among them, contributing titles like ‘Odds & Ends’, ‘Return To Jesus’, ‘Resurrection Life’, ‘All That You Need’, nine in all. ‘All That Glitters’ is especially strong, floating along dreamily with gentle trippy electric guitar for a subtle west-coast psych edge. Similar effect on the minor-key ‘Ballad Of The Blind Man’ which has a good amount of soloing. A musical outreach of Inn Of The Last Resort, Franklin, NC. Real nice cover, too. Could easily get hyped (and deservedly so I’d say).
Another choice entry from Mike’s post-Exkursions, pre-ccm era with wife Karen adding lovely vocals. Has the same mix of jazzy electric frills, folkrocking, acoustic tunes, and subterranean rock that characterized Lord Doctor and Velvet Prince. ‘City!’ is fast and loud loud loud! A couple weird ones: the lazy buzzed-hippie hand-clapping title track and ‘I’m High’ performed live with just guitar and slurred vocals that make it sound like he really was high (though it’s actually an anti-drug song with references to getting “high on Jesus”).
Superior moody prog-laced British folk outfit masterminded by Society Of Jesus members Tom McGuiness and Jim Crampsey. Often similar to the dreamy ballad style of groups like 11:59 and Cloud while also revealing a gentle folkrock edge not unlike Water Into Wine Band. Very peaceful, hushed, somewhat melancholy tone, surreal and motionless at times. Some achingly beautiful melodies aglow with fragile atmospheric male/female harmonies. Plenty of electric guitar with some excellent soloing, even some fuzz on the title track and ‘The Road To Emmaus’ where it crescendos to one of the albums heavier moments. I especially liked the Jerry Garcia-ish lead guitar on the magical ‘Giver Of Life’. Other titles include ‘Ask The Father’, ‘Light’, ‘Bidding Prayers’, ‘The Best Gift’, ‘Holy One’, ‘Lamb Of God’, ‘Communion Song’, ‘We Thank You Father’, ‘Blind Man’, and ‘Pentecost’. Being a private press from England it understandably goes for some fairly big bucks. Comes with a booklet that includes lyrics, chords and commentary on each of the songs. See also Beyond An Empty Dream.
Исполнитель: Sean Slaughter Альбом: Man on Fire Год выпуска: 2008 Жанр: Hip-Hop/Rap Качество: 192 Kbps Размер файла: 93 Мб
Трек лист: 01. Man On Fire 02. Flesh Killa (feat. JR) 03. Lord You (feat. Alvin Slaughter) 04. No Compromise (feat. Papa San) 05. Run (feat. Hemotheory) 06. The What in the Ham Sandwich Show 07. Conkrete Angelz 08. Pinnochio 09. Whats His Name 10. Break Free (feat Nina Jean & Sheka) 11. Wheelz Fall Off 12. Burn 13. Junono 14. Cold World (feat. Lavioser & Soul P.) 15. Materialism 16. 1 Mississippi (feat. Saviors Advocate) 17. Poppin' Junk
Исполнитель: Hillsong United Альбом: More Than Life Год выпуска: 2004 Жанр: MODERN WORSHIP Качество: Mp3, 192 kbps Размер файла: 102 Mb
Трек лист: 01. One Way 02. Light 03. Evermore 04. Open Up The Heavens 05. Take All Of Me 06. Majesty 07. Always 08. Sing (Your Love) 09. Where The Love Lasts Forever 10. Consuming Fire 11. More Than Life 12. Jesus Blood 13. Shine For You 14. Soldier 15. All Day
Исполнитель: Malcolm Williams Альбом: Walking in my Destiny Год выпуска: 2006 Жанр: Gospel Качество: Мp3, 192 Kbps Размер файла: 82 Мб
Трек лист: 01. Everything That Has Breath 02. A Chance 03. Walking in My Destiny 04. Due Season 05. My Everything (That's What He Is) 06. The Lord Never Failed 07. God Can 08. All to Jesus 09. Until He Saved Me 10. I've Got a Right 11. Chicago Bump II 12. I Will Praise You 13. Hold On 14. Mean to Live
Исполнитель: Raining And OK Альбом: The Devil On Your Shoulder Год выпуска: 2007 Жанр: Christian rock/rock/alternative/pop/indie Качество: VBR 192 kbps Размер файла: 59 Mb
Трек лист: 1. Break The Calm 2. Endless Love 3. When You See Me 4. You Keep In The Dark 5. I'll Be Fine 6. Wade In The Wires 7. The Devil On Your Shoulder 8. Megalomania 9. Splinters 10. Send Your Angels Down
