Album Review :
David Crowder Band - Remedy

Artist: David Crowder Band
Album: Remedy
Label: Sparrow Records
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Review by: Eric Pettersson

Tracklist:
1. The Glory of It All
2. Can You Feel It?
3. Everything Glorious
4. …neverending…
5. Never Let Go
6. O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
7. Rain Down
8. We Won’t Be Quiet
9. Remedy
10. Surely We Can Change

David Crowder has always stood out in the Christian market. If you hate worship music, you have probably made the exception for David Crowder, despite the fact that most of the worship music world loves him too. But still I am skeptical. Can I really like a band on Sparrow? Can I really enjoy music sung in fashionable churches nation-wide? Well, at the end of this record, my answer is yes… mostly.

Let me explain. I guess you could call me picky when it comes to worship music. Picky both musically and lyrically. I prefer songs that sing to God rather than about God. I don’t like songs that focus on the Church instead of God. And most importantly, few things annoy me more than a worship song with bad theology. A few song titles come to mind with that “bad theology” part, but I’ll resist the urge to list them and leave that up to you to figure out. My point is simply that you should not sing a worship song until you’ve carefully considered what it is saying. If you can then sing it, do so with all your soul. If you cannot, be respectfully quiet and pray. Or at least this is what I’ve found works best. You may take it or leave it.

So coming into the David Crowder Band, I have my typically hesitant feeling. However, while a few minor things annoy me from time to time, there is nothing I find doctrinally objectionable in these lyrics, a welcome relief, especially since his music seems to be quite above par too (or at least above the average band in this “genre”). Whether it’s the fast, slightly dark, and crunchy guitars of “Can You Feel It?” or the somber, voice and piano of “Never Let Go,” David keeps his audience attuned to the worship experience at hand with enjoyably memorable melodies and a constant attitude of craving for God. The general theme of Remedy is how God takes us from our broken places and uses us to show His glory to the world, never leaving us, always changing us, and always remaining holy and amazing. Being a sucker for old hymns (without the organ, thank you), my favorite track is “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” It doesn’t contain all the verses of the John Wesley original, and David adds his own chorus and bridge, but it all works well and the ending, “there are so few words that never grow old- Jesus!” is a beautiful line.

The obvious question left for me is does the David Crowder Band live up to the hype? Well, compared to the rest of CCM modern worship music, he most certainly does. His lyrics are genuine and his music is creative. A few points seemed repetitive and simple, like they were formulaically churned out to meet a deadline, but the overall bulk of Remedy is a worthwhile effort and a quite positive experience.

7/10

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