Impressed by "The Beautiful Letdown"

By Mark Weber
Guest Columnist

CBN.com - "The Beautiful Letdown"

Artist: Switchfoot

Switchfoot’s new CD, “The Beautiful Letdown,” is a musically potent,
hopeful rock CD that revolves around the idea that life is hard but worth
living.

Hailing from San Diego, California, Switchfoot (the name comes from a
term used in surfing) has already seen some commercial success. Their
songs have been featured on several popular TV shows like "Dawson’s Creek"
and "Party of Five," as well as in Mandy Moore’s hit film A Walk to
Remember.

“The Beautiful Letdown” marks Switchfoot’s next logical step in
connecting with a twentysomething audience. Full of questions as the past
seems further and further away and the future still holds some promise,
life, for many young people experiencing the tumultuous transition to
adulthood, often seems like a beautiful letdown.

Switchfoot acknowledges the confusing, often overwhelming age we live in
while encouraging the listener to examine their own existence and press
on despite the lows.

“This Is Your Life” repeatedly asks the listener, “Are you who you want
to be,” while “More Than Fine” self-assuredly says, “I want more than
just okay, I’m not givin’ up.” “Dare You To Move” sums it up by saying,
“Welcome to the fallout, welcome to resistance, the tension is here,
between who you are and who you could be, between how it is and how it
should be.”

Jon Foreman, the group’s songwriter and frontman, describes “The
Beautiful Letdown” best when he says, “It’s an honest attempt to reflect
on the great and terrible aspects of being human, the tension of
existence.”

Rita MacNeil shares her Common Dream

If there is such a thing as Celtic country music, Rita MacNeil has
mastered it. Hailing from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, the popular
singer-songwriter captures the essence of small town sentimentality on
her collection of spiritual songs called “Common Dream.”

“Common Dream” is a feel-good record that uplifts the listener with
MacNeil’s ever-optimistic attitude shining through on every one of the
fifteen songs. She’s a trooper. You see, MacNeil is somewhat of an
anomaly in popular music. She has had to battle obesity, a harelip/cleft
palate and intense shyness throughout her several decade career. In our
increasingly image-obsessed society, it’s a wonder that she made it. But
make it she did, having sold millions of records, as well as hosting her
own successful Canadian variety television series.

Her simple-yet-eloquent melodies are timeless and easily accessible to many
ears. The way she sings a song as a woman who has been through tough
times-- but made it through--has endeared her to fans around the world.
You can’t help but feel like MacNeil is your favorite aunt, who has
wisdom, courage and experience, and wants to share it with you through
her songs. On “Common Dream,” she sings spiritual songs about love,
joy and peace.

“Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody” is an upbeat southern gospel song that
finds MacNeil testifying what the Lord has done for her. It’s a joyful
shuffle that will have you clapping to the beat. She repeats this southern
gospel feeling on “You Never Know” and “Higher Power,” two other
gospel-tinged “shake the rafters” soul songs.

Besides southern gospel, MacNeil explores other sounds on “Common
Dream.” “I Shall Not Walk Alone” is a piano ballad that showcases her
powerful vibrato. “Lucky Old Sun,” a jazzy nightclub duet with the
appealing gravel-voiced Geoff Arsenault, has soft brushes sweeping over
snare drums. And “He’s Leading Me On” is hand tappin’ country music with
a bluegrass feel.

To learn more about Rita MacNeil and buy her CDs, visit her website at www.ritamacneil.com.

Mark Weber publishes a weekly e-zine called Zeebo about Christian music and more. Go to www.geocities.com/mw6218 for more information, or email him at zeebozine@juno.com. To subscribe to Zeebo, send a blank email to: zeebo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.