Search - Steven Curtis Chapman :: Heaven in the Real World

Jeremy S. (Bearjer) from WILLIS, TX
Reviewed on 1/26/2007...

yea...old christian music,if you don't know it alreaedy he's liek a giant in the christian music biz

Tahja B. from DE PERE, WI
Reviewed on 11/6/2006...

great christian cd

M L. (BooksGalore) from HOUMA, LA
Reviewed on 6/28/2006...

Really good music!

SCC takes on production chores

Greg Brady | Capital City | 07/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to believe it's the fact that he has more control over his own sound, but Chapman sounds like he's really having fun making this album and that makes it another step up for him. For the first time, SCC joins with Phil Naish to produce and his voice sounds stronger and he takes more chances with it (and with the music for that matter, including his first genuine rock number).



HIGHLIGHTS:

The title tune kicks things off with its call for life change NOW...rather than in a future paradise. ("Where is the hope?/Where is the peace?/That will make this life complete/For every man, woman, boy and girl looking for/Heaven in the real world") Knowing Jesus personally, of course, offers that "real world" peace. A percussive track is the foundation for "King of the Jungle"..the jungle being the "rat race" of modern life. It's Chapman's reminder that "the Lord of the gentle breeze is Lord of the rough and tumble",too. "Dancing with the Dinosaur" celebrates the "old fogey" label placed on those of us who assert traditional morality. ("Right is right and wrong is wrong just like it has been all along....") "Treasure of You" is an electric guitar charged self-esteem boost. ("You are a treasure/Worth more than anything under the sun or the moon/God's greatest treasure/the treasure of you...") "Remember the Chains" urges believers to remember their sinful pasts in order to better appreciate their freedom in Christ. ("Remember your chains/Remember the prison that once held you/before the love of God broke through/Remember the place you were without grace/When you see where you are now, remember your chains and remember your chains are gone..") "Facts are Facts" isn't very deep lyrically (more or less God said it, I believe it, that settles it..) but it's a quality rock-edged rave-up.



LOWS:

"The Mountain" is tuneful and "nice" but not especially memorable. SCC sounds remarkably like Dan Hill on "Love and Learn"'s call for marital reconciliation. Again, it's pretty but not really on par with past "love songs" like "I Will be Here" or "Go There with You".



BOTTOM LINE:

While I think those saying this is his BEST record are being too generous, (ALL THINGS NEW, SIGNS OF LIFE and DECLARATION are decidedly superior on all levels) Chapman does advance his craft again here and turns in a very solid disc. A must for all Chapman fans and most CCM fans in general will probably enjoy it."

Chapman busts out of his shell

Larry Hehn | Toronto, ON Canada | 10/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last, Chapman has progressed to the stage where I feel that he has thrown off most of his inhibitions and is really starting to have fun with his music. This album has a higher percentage of upbeat songs than previous releases, with an all-out celebration in tracks like Facts Are Facts and Treasure of You.



Of course, it wouldn't be a Steven Curtis Chapman album without a couple of moving slow songs as well. Offerings like The Mountain, Love and Learn and Remember Your Chains are much more than filler. There are no ordinary songs here - fast or slow, joyful or contemplative, each track is lyrically and musically strong, a pleasure to listen to again and again.



Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory"