Downhere

Ok, so give me a break. This cd was released in 2001, so what. Its still my favorite by far, but wide eyed and mystified should get people interesed in this group. Although their most recent attempt is good, their first project is still worth gloating over.

First of all, the cd starts out with the song Larger than Life. I have constantly used this song in times on renewal: times when I fell down and needed some real motivation to get back up. As simple as this song is, it reminds us that we walk through life barely breathing, seeming to be underwater more often than not. Still, at the end of the day our Lord is larger than Life and will forevermore be the rock on which we ought to be standing upon.

However good the first track is, it can not compete with Great are you Lord, Calmer of the Storm, So Blue, and Protest to Praise. I absolutely love the first three, having both singers incorporate their talents, but having a strong baritone in any song is worth listening to. Protest to Praise shows more of the tenors talents, and rightfully so, he is really good, just I simply cant get as high as he can. Regardless, each song has incredibly strong lyrics and backing to it and I will fall on my knees and praise my Lord because each song has HIM at the center. Too many times have I done exactly this in tears to this music.

Regardless of if you relate with this band or not you can not say they dont have talent. Their music is incredibly well crafted with strong lyrics. Although Wide Eyed and Mystified defines their sound, it should have been the second cd all along, because So Much For Substitutes was simply a step backwards in my opinion. Downhere got more recognition doing a Christmas cd, but if you like these songs at all, you have to go buy downhere and wide eyes and mystified. If they fit your fancy, then by Thunder after lighting, which shows you songs they did whiel recording there third cd that didnt make it on the cd. The session was simply that good, and worth the money. I just saw they have a Unplugged out on Wide Eyed and Mystified, which may be worth peoples time too as to it explains the songs clear back to this paticular cd. I highly recommend these guys to anyone who tires of the Christian music scene; they are fresh and inspiring and they cant come out with music fast enough for us already fans.

Overall A
So Much for Substitutes: C+
Wide Eyed and Mystified: B+
Thunder After lightning: B