Religion in Review: Music and the Spirit

-- Publishers Weekly, 8/31/2005

This is My Story: 145 of the World's Greatest Gospel Singers
David Liverett. Thomas Nelson, $19.99 paper (312p) ISBN 1-4185-0607-9

Liverett is an Alabama-born pen and ink illustrator, as well as a Southern gospel fan. In this book inspired by the Bill Gaither Homecoming performances, Liverett brings together brief biographical essays and striking drawings of 145 gospel musicians. Included are Doris Akers, who gave the world "Sweet, Sweet Spirit"; guitarist and banjo player John Bowman; Sue Dodge, who has won four consecutive Dove Awards; Eva Mae LeFevre, the first living woman to be inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame; Mark Lowry, who wrote the beloved Christmas song "Mary, Did You Know?"; and Russ Taff, famous for "We Will Stand." Old-time musicians stand cheek-by-jowl with relative newcomers. The mini-biographies are written by a variety of people (Amy Grant contributed the entry on singer Vestal Goodman, for example). Each entry includes trivia such as birth dates and death dates, the artist's favorite Bible verse, and fun facts (septuagenarian Doug Oldham "still has the silver dollar he earned at age eight for his first paid performance for singing 'The Holy City'"). Liverett's drawings are vivid and charming—they recall the Wall Street Journal's illustrations, only Liverett's pictures hum with more life. This is a valuable reference guide for music buffs, a wonderful tribute to Southern gospel music, and a perfect gift book for fans. (Oct.)

The Gospel Unplugged: Turning Up the Volume on Songs that Rock Your Soul
Rich Wagner. Revell, $12.99 paper (224p) ISBN 0-8007-3052-6

Music plays an important part in Christian formation, argues Wagner (author of several books in the …for Dummies series, including Christianity for Dummies). Insightful Christian lyrics can teach listeners about God and discipleship; music can hint at the infinite; and singing can help Christians communicate with God. In this invigorating and inspiring new book, Wagner examines songs by a dozen leading contemporary Christian bands and solo musicians, including Sixpence None the Richer and Steven Curtis Chapman. He offers nuanced readings of the lyrics, showing how they touch on timeless themes like sin, estrangement, forgiveness and love. Jars of Clay's "Frail" calls listeners to be broken before God, while "Great," by Ten Shekel Shirt, suggests that God's standards are very different from the world's standards. In "Chevette," Audio Adrenaline criticizes materialism and advocates living simply. Scattered throughout are hints for "diving deeper," including relevant Scripture verses and recommended books. Wagner also gives practical ways readers can apply the lyrics' insights to their lives. Readers who are stirred by Audio Adrenaline's plea for simplicity, for example, should pray before purchasing, and avoid browsing shopping malls and Web vendors, which tempts shoppers to buy things they don't really need. The book's hip fonts and creative graphics guarantee an audience not just of hard-core readers, but also folks who usually spend more money on CDs than books. (Aug.)

Call Me The Seeker: Listening to Religion in Popular Music
Edited by Michael J. Gilmour. Continuum, $59.95 (320p) ISBN 0-8264-1714-0; paper $24.95 -1713-2

Religion pervades popular music, according to the 16 scholars who have contributed to this volume. Their collection casts a wide net—if there are the expected meditations on U2, editor Gilmour also selected pieces that examine musical theater, rap, country, and electronic funk (AKA "electro"). Karl J. McDaniel argues that Les Miserables is an apocalyptic parable about suffering and redemption; James Knight analyzes the place of Jesus in Woody Guthrie's protest songs; and Tim Olaveson considers the rave a religious experience. There are a few duds: Daniel Maoz's attempt to find hints of Jewish mysticism in Bob Dylan's 1983 album Infidels is unpersuasive, and Andreas Hager's discussion of Sinead O'Connor's relationship with Christianity seems superficial. But many of the essays are fresh and delightfully counter-intuitive—especially Paul Martens's insistence that the heavy metal band Metallica is "empathically religious." In another sophisticated piece, the University of Maryland's Maxine Grossman argues that although country music is saturated with Christianity, it has "universalist pretensions"; country can't seem to make room for, say, Jewish or Wiccan themes, but it nonetheless shies away from music that is "overly explicit" about the Gospel. The authors have, for the most part, blessedly refrained from jargon, so interested non-academics can enjoy this volume as well as scholars. (Aug.)