Search - Richie Mcdonald :: I Turn to You

McDonald's Lukewarm "Turn" to Gospel

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 06/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Hey God, Faith, Blessed Are the Hands That Give



McDonald's high soaring tenor was what carried hits like "Amazed" and "I Am Already There" to the apex of the country charts. After being the front man of multi-platinum act Lonestar for all these years, McDonald dropped the bomb last year of his decision to leave the group. "I Turn to You" is McDonald's ensuing result as a solo artist. Though this new disc is a contemporary Christian effort with themes that harkens back to McDonald's most cherished roots, his modus operandi of high charged rockers and passionately delivered ballads are still at the fore. Even when the fiddle and steel guitars have taken a back seat, this effort is not complete devoid of country leanings. Produced by Frank Myers, Myers as country fans may recognized as the writer of country hits such as Alabama's "Once Upon a Lifetime," John Michael Montgomery's "I Swear," and Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle's "Just You and I." Further, with country's amicability with inspirational material, tracks like the title cut, "Blessed are the Hands" and "What Would He Do."



"Hey God"--a former hit for Lonestar--gets an acoustic makeover with just an acoustic guitar netted scantly with strings, creating an even more intimate feeling than the original. McDonald's earnest and heartfelt vocals on this ode of thanksgiving to the Almighty really are the showstopper here. McDonald is again at top of his vocal best on "Faith," a ballast power ballad of the testimony of what faith in Jesus can do. The chimes of church bells with the shimmering strums of the electric guitar before giving way to a thundering rock of "Carry the Cross" brings McDonald squarely to the Christian pop arena of Steven Curtis Chapman. With Jesus carrying his own cross on the Via Dolorosa as our example, "Carry the Cross" with its weighty message of dying to the self bears repeated listens. Country fans would be delighted with the mandolin licks of "Blessed are the Hands that Give"--a gentle plea for Christ-like altruism that shows McDonald at his more reflective moments.



However, the biggest gripe with the CD is the lack of originality. It is not that McDonald and his cohorts have not tried: on "Handle with Prayer," McDonald tried to put a new swirl on the cliché "Life is fragile, handle with care." Nevertheless, such cleverness could not elevate this murky ballad from its lack of poignancy. "What Would He Do," again has the same trappings, it's one of those "what would Jesus do" when he sees a hobo on the street kind of songs. These songs are already so plentiful that they lack the punch. Though "Jesus is resurrected" is at the heart of the Christian message, on "He's Alive" besides narrating the Gospel truth, McDonald brings nothing new to the table. The title cut "I Turn to You" and "Stay with Me Lord" are essentially non-descript love ballads turned into prayerful pleas to the Lord. At the end of the day, they sound so sentimentally sugary that makes you may want to turn away and stay away from McDonald.



Since this is this former Lonestar member's first solo effort, he may not yet be experienced enough as a songwriter to penned 8 out of the 10 cuts here. A few more outside songs will give this CD more depth and dimension. Further, instead of just alternating between high-charged power ballads and propulsive rockers, more creative arragements will also help add more color to the set. Nevertheless, McDonalds is in fine form vocally and the energy he invests in his delivery elevates some of these songs above par. A pleasant record though not essential.

"

It's still Ritchie, just a bit different

CWC | Long Beach, CA | 11/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a fan of Lonestar and Ritchie McDonald's signature voice almost from the beginning of the groups's career. There are few singers that can put emotion and breadth of feeling into a song as he can. For many reasons, "Lonly Grill" is my favorite Lonestar CD because of its ensemble of songs including the song "Amazed" that finally gave this group the stature and spotlight it deserved for a long time. From my perspective the group was getting pigeon-holded too much into family songs. It was entertaining at the beginning and started to go stale for me. From my perspective, I think the apparent creative differences between the group and their record label contributed greatly to Ritchie leaving.

When Ritchie made the bombshell announcement late last year he was leaving the group, I was blind-sided as were many Lonestar fans. These guys just clicked to me as to how well this band functioned on all levels for so long, it just came as a surprise and disappointment to me.

There are still elements of Lonestar in Ritchie's first solo album. Ritchie appears to have created a somewhat introspective collection of songs that reflect his strong Christian beleifs. I liken this initial solo album to David Gates' initial album, "first," when Bread disbanded in the early 70's. A few of his penned songs, especially, "Do You Believe He's Comin'" has inspirational/religious overtones to it... seeming to be a bit of a catharsis from leaving his "family" Bread. While subsequent albums did reference inspirational tunes, David did get back to more of a diversity in his songs. I hope Ritchie does that too and doesn't again type-cast himself into a particular grouping of music.

Ritchie's voice has never sounded better. He penned eight of the songs in this collection, but the ensemble still seems a bit uneven to me. No one song is a standout to me with "Handle With Prayer" probably being my favorite. First solo albums are always a daunting task for success and I expect that as Ritchie gets more seasoned on this new path and relaxes we will see a bit more of the ol' Richie besides his new gospal side."

Lonestar Christian Music?

Gary A. Miller | Ocklawaha, Florida United States | 09/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I admit I was thinking what you were thinking "What will this cd sound like?" Will it sound good or be a cheap sounding cd that just doesn't sound good. The cd is hard to find so does that mean it sucks? I bought the cd and was really impressed. Sounds just like Lonestar but with the christian flavor to it. I listen to it all the time. The song "Measure of a Man" is just awesome!"