January 14, 2000 / Circulation: 114! 

Welcome to the
Christian Music Summary - Vol. IV, No. 02
In this issue:
 
• Notes of All Sorts 
• Top This!
• Twila Paris' True North 
• Responses to TELL ME 
• TELL ME 

(Rebekah) Rod Snyder!!! Check him out!

AC #1 Single: Sonic Flood/ "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever"
Insp. #1 Single: Chris Rice/ "Naïve"
CHR. #1 Single: Third Day/ "Sky Falls Down"

#1 Christian Album: WOW 2000, Various
#1 General Market Album: A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER, Amy Grant

(info from www.ccmmagazine.com)

Although [True North] is not the masterpiece that 1993's Beyond a Dream was, this album is nothing to laugh at. With two #1 singles already ("Run to You" and "I Choose Grace") Twila has proved that she can come back and blast to the top even after taking a bit of a sabbatical.

Striving for a contemporary attitude on True North, Twila chose renowned producer Charlie Peacock (Switchfoot, Audio Adrenaline). His creativity and demands of excellence made Paris's latest a real winner, mixing in piano at a greater volume. Simply put, Peacock's guiding hand made Twila's style change come off well. Songs like "Wisdom" and "When You Speak to Me" prove it with their stunning guitar and piano arrangements. Another wise choice was to enlist Scott Dente (Out of the Grey) to play acoustic guitar for the album. While his playing isn't always upfront, it is clear that the music would not have been the same without his guitar playing. Other musicians who stand out are Kenny Greenberg who played electric guitar on Signs of Life (Steven Curtis Chapman), Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay) who is a guest vocalist on "When You Speak to Me", and Chris Eaton who once again delivers awesome backing vocals for Twila.

"Run to You" kicks off the album and pushes Twila's number of #1 singles to 29. While it is not the same as "God is in Control", and sounds much like it could have been on Where I Stand, it is a catchy tune which is very uplifting. The title track is up next delivering one of the best moments of the album reminding us of the truth in Proverbs 3:5-6: "God will lead us where He wants us to go." "Delight My Heart" echoes the words of one of the Psalms: "I will delight my heart in You / All of the joy You give is what I long for". Undoubtedly the best song on the CD, "Wisdom" sports the guitar skills of the aforementioned Kenny Greenberg who is accompanied by the cello and violin. The message: God is the only one we can trust, so follow the example of Solomon and ask for wisdom above riches and honor.

The next five or so songs may not strike you at first, but are really quite good. The only song which I really don't like is "Daughter of Grace" because of the vocal mix. "Could You Believe" serves as a reminder to me that our actions speak louder than our words. An interesting song, "Wondering Out Loud" also attracted my attention. It is exactly what the title says: random thoughts by Twila all tied together in the chorus. "When You Speak to Me" ends the album off nicely with a soaring grand piano and excellent melody all expertly written by Twila.

The music isn't exactly "cutting edge", [but] I'm not saying that the album isn't worth buying. If you are a fan of pop music you should buy this album. But this isn't anywhere near as good as Beyond a Dream and personally, I think Twila can do as good as she did with that highly acclaimed album. But until she reaches that height once again, I'll keep on listening to this stuff. In a genre where most of the music is trash, this album shines out like a bright light.

A. What do you think of
-the Darins?
(Lindsey F.) I think The Darins are 4 of the most talented women in CCM. I like their style of music, their passion for God and what they do, and on a personal note, they are really cool and sweet people to talk to!

A. What is a Christian artist that has a song you like, even though you don't like them in general? (Name the song too.)

B. What is the last Christian album you bought? (current, old, whatever!) *if you have a TELL-ME question, e-mail Allison with it at: ccmdl@hotmail.com

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