Derek Webb - Ringing Bell
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CD Details
Artist: Derek WebbEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-05-01
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- The End
- The Very End
- A Love That's Stronger Than Our Fear
- I Wanna Marry You All Over Again
- I Don't Want To Fight
- Name
- Can't Be Without You
- I For An I
- A Savior On Capitol Hill
- This Too Shall Be Made Right
Music reviews of Ringing Bell
Music Review: Derek does it again!
Rating: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of Derek Webb since the early days of Caedmon's Call, and his solo career has taken one unexpected turn after another. With Mockingbird he turned to more political themes, and he joined an exclusive club of Christian artists that make me think I'm not insane after all. So much of the Christian subculture is so ready to tow the conservative Republican party line on every possible issue, and breaking from the agenda is seen as reason enough to question one's faith. I live in a very conservative area, and I know from experience that to speak against the current president and against war is to open yourself up to taunts of heresy from many of your Christian brothers and sisters.
Derek undoubtedly knows this feeling very well. From the very start he's offended people's ideas of what Christianity is with his lyrics that tackle everything from deep theology, social issues, the music industry, and peace. Mockingbird was a very polarizing album, embraced by some and hated by many for his supposed abandoning of "the gospel" in favor of songs about peace and social issues. On The Ringing Bell he takes a step further in this direction, making a virtual concept album about peace. To Derek, peace is not so much just the absence of war, but it is a much more active concept, something we must practice and bring about in every area of our lives. With the exception of a few love songs to his wife, this album is very single minded in its pursuit of peace, and this common theme (along with common musical themes and the amazing artwork) makes this a wonderfully cohesive album that just begs for repeat listens. I pre-ordered and got it the day it was released, and in that time I've probably listened to it over 25 times. It is very short, and the second it finishes I find myself hitting play again. It has yet to get old, and I honestly don't see that happening for a long time.
Musical standouts are the opening two tracks, "The End" and "The Very End," which run together seamlessly and form a beautiful Beatles inspired intro to the retro rock sound that is to follow. "I Don't Want To Fight" has beautiful jangly guitars, "Name" has an original-yet-familiar melody, "Can't Be Without You" is full of ethereal beauty, and "This Too Shall Be Made Right" concludes the album on a sublime acoustic note. There is just the right balance of variety to keep things interesting and allow every song to stand on its own, yet enough similarities to make this a true album and not just a collection of singles. The overall mood is at the same time more upbeat and heavier (not so much as in heavy guitars or beats, but a certain urgency and weight to what he is saying) than his previous work. Lyrically the whole album is pretty strong, although a lot of these lyrics don't look so good on paper and must be heard to get the full effect. If you really want the FULL effect, you would do well to order the special edition that comes with the graphic novel. The drawings take album artwork to a new level in this age of downloading where artwork has become so secondary to many listeners. Reading the lyrics and looking at the panels of the novel while listening to the album helps to create a mood and allow you to dive deeper into the subtleties of each song.
It's a little early to say, and Mockingbird is such a great album, but this might just be Derek's masterpiece. In an amazing musical year like 2007 is shaping up to be, it really means a lot to say that this disc stands head and shoulders above almost everything else that has been released up until now. Any fan of great music, whether they be Christian or not, liberal or conservative, old or young, etc, would do themselves a huge favor by picking up The Ringing Bell.
Description of Ringing Bell
The Ringing Bell is an album of action. Specifically the action called peace. With his latest, Derek challenges us to an actionable peace that is active and aggressive. Often used as a noun but rarely as a verb, peace is commonly misused, falsely defined and often flies under the flag of convenience. The Ringing Bell sounds the clarion call to demonstrate a love that is not just convenient, but is chasing after the best for all our fellow men. Moving from the more stark pallet featured on his latest, Derek paints with all the musical brushes available to him on this latest work. This upbest, electric guitar based recording, provides the perfect accompaniment to the challenge of demonstrating an active peace just as Christ did.Christian & Gospel CDs
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