Features
Depending on the Distance, by Jimmy LaFave
The acclaimed Austin singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave sticks out from the country crowd thanks to his frayed tenor and penchant for taking chances. He strips the hair gel away from the John Waite pop hit “Missing You,” rubbing it in some honky-tonk dirt. “Red River Shore” succeeds as a ten-minute epic of lost love, grafting a Big Sky sound onto a stark folk song structure bereft of a chorus.
A land divided: The internal conflicts of Zionism
Renaissance Man, by Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band
Founding Allman Brothers Band drummer Jaimoe (aka Jai Johanny Johanson) treats listeners to an accomplished mix of blues, jazz-pop and jam-band music. The band covers the Allmans’ “Melissa” with sublime sweetness; lead vocalist Junior Mack also shines as a Dobro player on the instrumental “Simple Song.” And in a nod to the harmonic guitar runs gracing many Allman Brothers tracks, “Drifting and Turning” kicks off with flute and guitar galloping down a trail of descending triplets into a supple, jazzy groove.
Playing offense: It’s time to divest from the oil industry
Protesters in the pews: Young pipeline resisters come to worship
Psychedelic Pill, by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Low-tech Bond
Lullaby, by Justin Roberts
Cleverly disguised as bedtime music for young ones, Lullaby doubles as an album of exquisite, dreamy chamber pop that showcases Justin Roberts backed by a string quartet, trumpets and French horn. The plucked strings on “Heart of Gold” infuse the song with a playful sparkle that shimmers like summer twilight. Producer Liam Davis adds piano on “A Wild One,” a song about bedtime stories that recalls the feel of Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.” Highly recommended.
The postpartisan partisan: Obama as Christian realist
For a While, by Dolly Varden
Steve Dawson of the five-piece band Dolly Varden shows sharp lyrical skill on the plaintive “Del Mar, 1976,” which invokes water towers and “the sad songs of the ’70s playing soft from a radio at the bottom of her stairs.” Dawson and wife Diane Christiansen offer fine vocal interplay on the punchy rockers “Done (Done)” and “Temperamental Complement.” It’s smart, country-tinged alt-pop riding the wings of winning melodies. Highly recommended.
Books
Fervent and open
John Lennon's peace anthem "Imagine" can also be seen as an antidiversity hymn. Brian McLaren imagines something different.
Spirited remnant
Douglas Hall is likely the most influential North American theological interpreter from a Reformation perspective, especially with reference to Luther. He continues to filter his thought through his teachers Tillich and Niebuhr—but he is his own man and carries his inquiry toward the demise of Christendom.
Poetry chronicle
Philip C. Kolin is one of the growing tribe of very fine Christian poets whose work has often been sequestered in the limited venues of independent publishers. His newest collection is a beautifully printed, small hardcover volume that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand. But these are not small or comfortable poems.