::..culture reviews..::

Music Review: Andrew Peterson - Love and Thunder

Sarah take me by my arm… tomorrow we are Caanan bound

From the first lines of Andrew Peterson's 4th CD, you get the feeling that you are listening to someone who knows what he is doing. By the time Alison Krauss comes in with harmony halfway through the song, you are certain. Andrew Peterson is the real deal.

I can remember when I first heard Andrew's music. It was a few months after Rich Mullins had passed away and I was about to give up on CCM in general, if only because I knew that nothing could compare with Rich's work in terms of lyrical depth and honesty. I bought a sampler CD from Awakening Records and Andrew's song "3 days before autumn" literally brought me to tears. For those who haven't heard this song, it tells of the day when Andrew found out Rich had passed away. I filed it away as a great song from an obscure artist who I would hope to hear from again.

Three major label albums (and one indy release) later, I sincerely believe that Andrew is filling the gaping hole left by Rich Mullins, and filling it quite nicely. While I felt that Andrew's first release (Carried Along) was wonderful and his second (Clear to Venus) was a bit overproduced, he has clearly hit his stride with "Love and Thunder".

The album opens with the aforementioned "Canaan Bound" which is a simple piano song telling the story of Abraham and Sarah and their incredible faith. It is profound in its simplicity. The first half of the disc also includes the haunting minor-key-bluegrass of "Serve Hymn" and the wonderfully produced (by Steve Hindalong) "Pillar of Fire".

The album's three highlights for me fall in the second half of the disc. "Family Man" declares:

I am a family man… traded in my Mustang for a Minivan… This is not what I was headed for when I began… This was not my plan… I am a family man.".

Anyone with a family will be hard pressed to not choke up during this one. "High Noon" is an amazing Easter Song (and as a worship minister, I can assure you, compared to Christmas songs, we need more Easter music!) that compares the resurrection of Christ to an old west showdown. That said, this is not to be confused with Carman-esque cheese. This song is masterfully done and reminds me a lot in its scope of the best of Rich Mullins' work.

Finally, the album closer is probably the best track on the disc. "After the Last Tear Falls", written with Andrew Osenga, formerly of the Normals, is a haunting song describing the heartache of the world and what is left (love, love, love) when all of this passes away.

As a person with a short attention span, I can honestly say that very few CDs ever get "stuck" in my CD player. This one however, has been hard to avoid listening to on repeat for hours. Highly, highly recommended.

Review by Greg Adkins