Release Date: April 10, 2007
Label: Sony
Related Sites:
· Artist's Website
Grade: B
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Music Review: Sandi Patty, "Falling Forward"
by R.J. Carter
Published: April 5, 2007
Among contemporary gospel singers, Sandi Patty has established herself as a mainstay of the genre. Part of the groundbreaking eighties when contemporary Christian music began to finally take hold, breaking out of the Southern Gospel mode that songs had to sound like in order for the rigidly faithful to accept as godly, Patty has stayed solidly in the mainstream of the movement. And, to be truthful, any attempts on behalf of the artist to venture into other avenues of Christian music just wouldn't be genuine; she's carved her own niche, and it fits her perfectly.
...And I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord,
You are my shield, My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need.
-- "Made Me Glad"
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Patty's latest offering, Falling Forward, starts out with a lot of promise that assures the listener that they have a quality album of pure Patty goodness, beginning with the first track -- a powerful and upbeat worship song, "Make Me Glad". It's clearly a reworking of Psalm 46, which Patty personalizes and makes her own. Of all the tracks, this one is most likely the one you'll hear the most of in radio rotation.
"Sing to the King" is a rousing praise song which continues the high energy drive begun with "Make Me Glad", before putting the first pause on things with the album's title track, "Falling Forward". It's a soft, lyrical song, punctuated with Patty's characteristic strong soprano vocals, focusing on the message of how God uses even our failings and stumblings as part of the bigger picture He has in mind.
Falling Forward has two medleys, the first of which is titled "Sweeter Medley". It's a blending of some modern praise songs -- a dance mix of sorts, that will have you moving in the aisles or moving in your seats, whichever your faith allows.
Step into the joy
Step into the promise
Step into the place where you belong.
Step into the joy
Step into His goodness
Step up! Step out! Step!
Into the joy!
--- "Step into the Joy"
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However you choose to begin dancing, however, is just a warm-up for the next song, which is tailor-made to get you to steppin'. The lively beat of "Step into the Joy", with its horns section, syncopated rhythm, and throaty vocals, is a sort of big-band production that is pretty much the high point of the entire album. At the very least, it's the last upbeat moment.
"In My Heart" marks a turning point in the track listing. It's a slow and moving song that sounds like a Broadway diva's solo from something by Gershwin or Webber. In delivery, in word choice, in production, in the way the key changes and crescendos rise and fall, it's easy to visualize Patty performing this alone at a mic, center stage and spotlit.
We continue to bring down the energy level with "Found", which is another soft and slow, show-tunish number, which contains nowhere near the brightness of the rest of the album. It's the least of the songs on this set (and every album has one.) Patty can and has done better than this, and just to remind us of that, the next track is "Sandi's Medley", which, as the title suggests, is a mash-up of Patty's earlier hits, starting out with "Upon This Rock".
"You Call Me Yours" opens with melancholy strings, a love song delivered by Patty to Jesus, with lyrics that all build around the "You call me..." construct. The notes are beautiful, but the words are too weepy and sentimental.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
Amazing love now flowing down
From hands and feet
That were nailed to the tree
As grace flows down and covers me
It covers me (repeat 4 times)
--- "Grace Flows Down"
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Capping off the set is "Grace Flows Down", a worship song of the seven/eleven variety (sing seven stanzas, repeat eleven times.) It opens with acoustic guitars, and its simplistic arrangement seems purposely designed to fit on a transparency for projection when next your congregation gathers.
Sandi Patty - Falling Forward
Track Listing
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- Made Me Glad
- Sing to the King
- Falling Forward
- Sweeter Medley
- Step into the Joy
- In My Heart
- Found
- Sandi's Medley
- You Call Me Yours
- Grace Flows Down
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If the album suffers in any respect, its in the sequence of the tracks. Falling Forward starts off with so much energy that spikes midway through, before taking a downward turn and slowly wafting downward until the album's finish, leaving the listener without the previously established upbeat levels. Load this one into your iPod and hit the shuffle button a few times, and you're guaranteed to get a better mix than the producers came up with.
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CD Giveaway - Paper Bird, "Rooms"
Ends May 28, 2013
Drifting ever so slightly away from traditional folk music, this Colorado band delivers harmony and energy aplenty. |
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