|
WoW 2001 Various ArtistsCD reviewWoW 2001 Various Artists Is this the epitome of insecure Christian consumerism? The hugely popular WoW series of CDs is an annual compilation of songs from the most popular Christian artists. At first glance the cynical might think about dollar-hungry record companies selling a mass appeal 'product' to the 'Christian market'. Look deeper though, and I believe there is more. The music may be familiar but the lyrics and the lifestyles of the artists involved are truly different. Listen carefully and you notice that they're singing about love, joy, peace, patience ... but it's certainly not just pious idealism. They're also singing about disappointment, crises of faith, fear, loneliness, insecurity. The difference is that they have the answers too. Hailing from the US, the album reflects the acoustic-pop emphasis in the US charts more than the current taste for dance/R&B in the UK. It's a double CD - 33 tracks in all - so it's good value at under £15 and you're bound to like at least a good chunk of it. It's an enhanced CD too, so PC-owning listeners get a nice interface and three video clips. CD1 is generally pretty mellow, dominated by acoustic pop with a smattering of gospel ballads. My favourite tracks were the moving Alabaster box from gospel diva Cece Winans and Rachael Lampa's Santana-esque guitar-based Live for You. CD2 is a bit more adventurous featuring a wider variety of genres. Standout cuts are Set Your Eyes To Zion from the respected US punk band P.O.D and the ubiquitous Shackles from Mary Mary. Also featuring contributions from Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Newsboys, Jars of Clay, DC Talk and Rebecca St. James, the track listing is pretty much a Who's Who of US Christian pop. My chief complaints though would be the occasional annoying Americanism and the slight bland-out towards the end of CD1. OK, so it's all a tad derivative but so what? Chart music is and always has been incredibly derivative anyway. Maybe the record companies involved are just copying a formula that the secular world has made successful. But does it matter? What this reviewer sees is a credible alternative to the teen-sex-and-drugs culture 'evangelised' by many chart artists. Jon Mason© Evangelicals Now - January 2001 |