Search - Amy Grant, Point of Grace, Maire Brennan :: Glory Grooves CD Various Artists

Soul-Shakin? Maybe not

Mark Bumgardner | Concord, NC United States | 10/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sub-titled "10 Soul-Shakin' Dance Remixes", this compilation doesn't quite live up to that promise, but it does have some good moments.



Starting off strong with Amy Grant's "Carry You" (a non-album track which I was unfamiliar with until buying this album), things stay interesting with Point of Grace's "Steady On", even though this is a much shorter remix than can be found on the CD single for that song. An unexpected appearance from Maire Brennan (of Clannad) is a plesant surprise, though "The Big Rock" may be a bit laid back for those looking for a typical dance track. After a few listens, it really grew on me and works well in a "chill out" kind of way.



The always excellent Code of Ethics is the only "Christian Techno" band represented here. This version of "Hallelujah" (named "Hallalujah Y2K") doesn't dissapoint, but I still prefer the verion on "Blaze".



The perponderance of female artists on the album is hard to ignore. Had the compilers left off the CoE track and a few others, this could have been quite a "Divas of Christian Music" aggregation. Cindy Morgan's "I Will Be Free" is similar to the Brennan track in that it probably won't have kids running to the dance floor, but is catchy in an ambient kind of way. Even the usually overbearing Sandi Patty is uncharacteristically restrained on "Breathe on Me", and the track works well. Helen Baylor's "More Than A Friend" is remixed from a live track and only loses steam during a spoken word segment. Otherwise, it's excellent. Maybe a "Divas" album isn't a bad idea.



I docked this album one star for the inclusion of three little known groups who added very little (if any) to the collection. Foreverafter, Skypark, and New Direction were all "budding" artists in the Word/Myrrh family when this album was released. The first few times I listened to this album, I wondered if the album's producers had just made up Foreverafter and Skypark (I had heard of New Direction) just to get a couple more songs on the album. I even looked them up in the Encyclopedia of Christian Music to verify that they were actual groups (they are). The Foreverafter track is a pretty simple call and response and won't be of much interest to anyone too old for grade school. The Skypark track is a rock song (and a pretty silly one at that) with a back beat added to it, which doesn't make it dance track. Of the three, New Direction's "Lighthouse" comes off the best, but suffers because it's a true gospel tune that probably works best in its original form, not remixed to dance to.



You can get this CD pretty cheap these days. Is it worth the investment? Yes. Why? Because there is a "hidden" track after the New Direction song ends - a second, much longer version of the Amy Grant track which is the best thing here. Don't miss it if you buy this album -it took me a few listens before I realized it was there and man, was I pleased I found it!"