Does anyone remember Stryper? These guys sold tons of records to kids in the 80s who craved glam rock, but who had parents that did not permit them to listen to Poison. Similar sound, similar look, but way different lyrics. Instead of "Talk Dirty To Me," they rocked to "Talk Jesus To Me." Instead of "Shout at the Devil," they'd opine, "To Hell With the Devil." But they laughed all the way to the collection box, even scoring a top 40 hit with the God-awful (no pun intended) power ballad, "Honestly".
In 1994, Michael Sweet put out this solo record, which stays true to the Stryper creed, both lyrically and musically. Sweet's voice is still theatrical and over the top, the guitar volumes could raise the dead, and an altar boy gang joins in to chant through most of the choruses.
For fans of Stryper and the Christian AOR genre, I think they will largely be pleased with this record. For me, the music sounds very dated for 1994...Sweet is clearly stuck in the 80s here. The horrific ballad "Tomorrow, Tonight" even has saxophone! You can't get any more 80s than sax. On most of the tunes, Sweet's vocals are just too dramatic...even more so than Dennis DeYoung. There are some tracks however, where he sounds more like Richard Marx (e.g. "Together" and "All I Wanna Do").
The record kicks off with "Together," which is the best track on the CD. "Together" is a testament to AOR perfection, with plenty of na-na's and A-B-C lyrics. "Take Me Home" continues in the big and bold arena rock mode, with so many hoot-hoot's that an owl might mistake this song for a mating call. "Someday" is a pleasant piano driven ballad, but ultimately forgettable. "J.E.S.U.S," which shows his obvious love for spelling bees, starts off like Hysteria-era Def Leppard...a "Pour Some Jesus On Me" if you will. "All I Wanna Do" is another song that, if you didn't know better, you'd swear was recorded circa 1987. With acoustic guitar driving "Forever Yours", this track sounds considerably less dated and shapes up to be a fine, albeit simple love song. "I Think You Hear Me Knockin'" brings out the na-na gang again, but actually has a decent hook and toe-tappin' beat. In contrast, his ode to abstinence, "Ain't No Safe Way" tries to rock out but just falls flat. Besides, if we were to apply this same narrow minded logic to listening to rock music, we'd have quite the conundrum: rock and roll is of the devil; hence, his Christian listeners should abstain from even listening to Michael Sweet.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 4, 9
Michael Sweet: Official site.
Check out the video for "All This And Heaven Too":
3 comments:
Whoever wrote this is a friggin' idiot. Michael Sweet has something very valid to say through his music, and that is that Jesus was, is, and will always be the king. You don't like it, get lost and join the rest of the morons who think that right now is all we have. I'm sick of people bashing awesome, inspiring music because they think they,re critics. They know nothing. I have been a fan of the music and vocal stylings of groups like Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson for more than half my life, and I can say that Michael Sweets music and vocals are every bit as good and even better because of the message. So if all you can do is bash it, get lost. I stand for all true Christian music. If it teaches that Christ is the truth, the life, and the only way to salvation and redemption, I am for it. Ever so sincerely, StryPet # 1.
St. Peter -
Thanks for the lovely sermon. It is so eloquently written, and expresses a level of tenderness and respect for another’s opinion that would make any Christian proud. But I don’t think Jesus converted people who held a different opinion by referring to them as “friggin’ idiots” and “morons”. Where is that in the Bible? Lighten up, my friend…no offense was intended.
I meant no insult to anybody. I am just tired of Christian music being bashed. It seems like a lot of it goes on, and instead of appreciating the lyrical content for what it says, people only concentrate on the music. I apologize for any disrespect. Sincerely StryPet#1.
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