My #1 Album

of 2008

Released

in 2006 on

Levantar

Records

     This is the most conservative album ever to top my annual music awards.  In a way, I myself am a bit shocked to see such an album hit the top.  But then, it’s Michelle Tumes!  I can’t think of anyone else in Christian music who has a sound quite like hers, a sound that wraps around me and soothes me with its beauty.

     This is her fourth album, and my fourth album of hers.  Every album of hers is good, but she seems to get better with each album that comes out.  Her third album, Dream, was my favorite, but now with this fourth release, Dream gets pushed down to second place.  Dream was the album that turned me into a Michelle Tumes fan, even though I already had an album of hers, because Dream dropped the sometimes “inspirational” sound and went all-out pop, sometimes even incorporating a bit of a dance pop beat.  Apparently this didn’t sit well with a lot of her long-term fans, but that’s the sound I needed to completely win me over.  On this fourth album, the dance pop beats are gone, but also there are no songs that lean toward “inspirational” like her first two albums had.  This album has that sound of hers that is reminiscent of Enya, but she has developed it beyond what it was on her previous albums.

Michelle Tumes is part of my Hall Of Fame.  To see the story of how I became a Michelle Tumes fan and why she’s strong enough to make my Hall Of Fame, click here.

EXCERPTS FROM THE LYRICS

Here are just a few excerpts from the many great lyrics on this album.  Note: These are random excerpts; the lines printed here are not necessarily in the same order as they are within the songs.

From “Introit”

There’s a table laid for all who hunger

There’s a feast for every soul in need

There’s a sacred place for all who wander

There’s a Savior in the barren land of thieves

From “Fair Weather”

In feast or famine of my soul

I know You will remain

The least of me You love the most

When all have gone away

In the silence when the fear calls

And the tears pour, You carry me home

You’re the windfall in the rainstorm

Stay with me...You are never fair weather

From “Far”

I feel so far away, far away from You

All the while You were closing in

All that I long for is all that You give

All that I run to is there where You live

All I can handle is falling apart

When I feel so far

All that I’m missing You’re giving

I’m dying to reach You

From “Gypsy Heart”

Oh the path I’ve paved

Veiled your name

Regret is the cost

I cried an ocean today

There’s a river of faith winding back to Your name

And it’s taking me to where you are

All of these moonless nights

Have ransomed moments by Your side

You’re home for the gypsy heart

See my review of this album at Amazon, and if you think it’s a good one, please give me a vote!

This page was first posted August 2, 2009 with a new hit counter added July 15, 2012

    One of my favorite songs on the album lyrically is “Fair Weather.”  Many times when listening to this song, I experience worshipful moments as I ponder how God is never a “fair weather friend”; how he sticks with me through all my failures.

     These lyrics are so rich...song after song, line after line, pour out deep longings of the soul in relationship with God and the struggle of our hearts.  Top notch.

   I’d like to turn back to talking about the music now.  Something that makes this album stand out from her previous ones is that has more of a classical touch to it.  One song of note for its style is “Gypsy Heart,” which has an interesting, brief bridge with a classical-sounding choir vocal touch.  “Caelum Infinitum” opens with classical-influenced strings and piano and carries that feel throughout.  The piano accompanying “Fair Weather” has a classical-influenced touch to it.  The vocal melody in “Break Through” feels a bit classical influenced to me.  I don’t recall these classical touches on previous albums, except for “Chant” on her second album.  It’s not that it’s “classical crossover” music; these musical touches just give a bit of a classical feel to her dream pop sound.

     One more note about the music: there is one song on here that is not mellow like the others.  Track #7, “Lovely Day,” jolts you out of your peaceful mood with its jubilant, high-spirited uptempo pop sounds.  I really like this song, though sometimes I end up skipping it because it’s too different from the rest.  However, I have put this song on one of my spring sunshine mix tapes, and it fits perfectly there.  It is sugary sweet, delightfully playful music that makes me want to dance with glee under a bright warm sun.

     Every song on this album is excellent.  This is an album that will stand the test of time, even more than her previous ones.  I highly recommend this album if you like smooth flowing sounds, as well as if you are looking for strong lyrics for communion with God.

     There is just one annoying thing about the lyrics:  In “Fair Weather,” a song whose lyrics I like overall, there’s a line that says, “Seasons change and rearrange.”  That is so annoyingly trite!!  Way back in 1976, I remember being annoyed by Larry Norman rhyming those two words in his song “I Am A Servant.”  Since then, I have heard countless songs that rhyme those two words.  If Michelle Tumes were some kid, I’d say, “Well, she hasn’t had a lifetime of suffering through those overused rhymes.”  But she’s not.  I can’t believe she did this.  It bugs me every time I hear the song.

     The album opens by fading in with a very Enya-like sound, then Tumes begins her engaging, gentle melody as she sings, which immediately draws me into the wonderland that is a Michelle Tumes album.  And this is not one of those albums where you’re wowed by the first song then it’s all downhill from there.  Every track here is as pristine and entrancing as the opening one.

     As perfect as the music is on this album, there is something else that has helped to make it my favorite Michelle Tumes album (and my #1 of all albums in 2008).  This time around, her lyrics are their strongest ever.  I like to listen to Christian music because I use much of that listening time to help me connect with God, and when the lyrics are vertically focused like that, it adds to my enjoyment of the album.

     The lyrics on this album are rich with communion with God, looking to Him for love, for help, for fellowship, in such a way that you feel like there’s a wave going vertically back and forth as the love flows both ways.  On this album, there is more depth to the lyrics than on previous releases, a depth that comes out of the longing of the soul.