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7th February, 2006
JUSTIN
MICHAEL
Artist: Delirious?
Album: The Mission Bell
Label: Furious?
Enhanced
content: Yes
In A Word: Courageous
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"When
asked what was influencing the band right now, Smith
threw around names like The Streets, Black Eyed Peas
and, yep, Johnny Cash! The wide listening has certainly
paid off on The Mission Bell. This is still
unmistakeably Delirous? but with all the best of Brit
in there."
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When chatting to
Martin Smith, lead singer and song writer of UK worship/rock
band Delirious?, he did manage to point out that “there
are some crackin’ songs on the record” and folks,
he wasn’t kidding.
The Mission Bell is an intelligent and insightful
record that builds on the return to form that was 2004’s
World Service that gave us Rain Down and
Majesty.
The lyrical content of The Mission Bell points to
a progression in the intent and devotion of the band: "Ring,
ring, ring, ring the mission bell; sing, sing, sing, we got
a story to tell". The final refrain from the first UK
single Paint The Town Red with it’s two minutes
of anthemic brit-punk and angsty vocals that gives rise to
the feeling that these guys mean what they sing.
Delirious? have always done the stadium-rock-anthem well.
Here, there are any number of contenders. From the opening
cut Stronger which also appears on the Music
Inspired by Narnia CD, to the Lenny-Kravitz-groove-infused
Solid Rock, and the Gospel stylings of Love is
a miracle. Be warned, you will want to sing in the car
at the traffic lights.
Then there’s the heart-on-you-sleeve, chew-on-this type
lyrics that permeate the whole disk: "I’m a father,
I’m a son, I’ve been a lover of just one but this
world can get me all undone and I’m afraid I’m
the only one" from All this time through to
the insights of Here I am send Me: "Show me
a vision like Isaiah saw" to "Show me a vision like
Ezekial saw" to "I’m in Jacob's dream seeing
heaven's gate". It’s an Old Testament survey in
a song. And you cannot avoid the slap of "40 million
babies lost to God’s great orphanage - it’s
a modern day genocide" from the tune Our God Reigns.
When asked what was influencing the band right now, Smith
threw around names like The Streets, Black Eyed Peas and,
yep, Johnny Cash! The wide listening has certainly paid off
on The Mission Bell. This is still unmistakeably
Delirous? but with all the best of Brit in there. There’s
the emo of Coldplay, the rock of U2 (sorry, Irish!), the heart-wrenching,
gut-stirring of James Blunt, and if I was better versed in
the music of the 70’s I’m sure there are another
dozen influences in there. Lazy guitar solo’s that just
rock, smacking the snare on every beat of the bar, singing
down the mic like there’s a protest rally on. It’s
all there, right beside gentle waves of ballad.
It’s still worship, but it speaks deeper than most.
It’s rock, it’s emo, it’s honest and these
guys aren’t just guessing. One thing that stands out
is that Delirious? are the real deal. There is no short-changing
for the ‘soft’ AC Christian market. This is what
Delirious? wanted to say to their brothers and sisters around
the world because they were convicted to do so. How do I know?
Just listen to the record.
“The incredible gift that Delirious? brings to an event…..is
immeasurable. The ability to go from completly rock'n down
the house to absolute pure worship is awesome!” - Joyce
Meyer, January 2006.
Justin
Michael can be heard weekday mornings on Geelong-based radio
station 96.3 Rhema FM - www.rhemafm.org.au.
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