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| Jeremy Riddle |
|
1. Christ Is Risen
2. Prepare The Way Of The Lord
3. Prayer For The Church
4. Bless His Name
5. As Above, So Below
6. Among The Poor
7. One Thing
8. To Be Like You
2. Prepare The Way Of The Lord
3. Prayer For The Church
4. Bless His Name
5. As Above, So Below
6. Among The Poor
7. One Thing
8. To Be Like You
The Now and Not Yet
[Release Date: March 3, 2009] (Varietal Records)
Track Listing:
Track Listing:
9. Surrendered In Praise
10. The One, The Only
11. Joyful Noise
12. I Am Redeemer
10. The One, The Only
11. Joyful Noise
12. I Am Redeemer
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
4.0 out of 4
2.5 out of 3
2.0 out of 2
1.0 out of 1
9.5 out of 10
Message
Music
Production
Creativity
Overall Score
| 95% A |
I’m not sure if you’ve heard the song by Jeremy Riddle’s called “Sweetly Broken” from
his debut album, Full Attention, but it’s pretty amazing and has been on regular rotation
on my iPod for a while. That was the case at the time I was asked to review Jeremy’s
latest release, The Now and Not Yet (due in stores March 3rd).
Jeremy’s voice and message on this album are powerful. He’s a former pastor and with
that comes a real heartfelt passion for the Word. The gospel message is driven in every
song I’ve ever heard from him. To me, Jeremy’s style echoes qualities of some of the
great alternative acts like Aaron Shust, U2, Bush, INXS and Cold Play. In his latest
release, Jeremy is again true to form. The Now and Not Yet is raw, soulful and heavy
on the salvation message. Passion is carried forth with piercing vocals and clever
phrasing. The music is selective, timely and monumental.
Jeremy’s classic, authentic and alternative sound make him unique amongst Christian
artists today. Like other well-crafted albums, this one is designed to provide you with a
listening experience from beginning to end. The songs add layers to the story as they go
along, ending the album in a way that makes you want to start the journey all over again.
As Jeremy focused on delivering serious biblical messages, light and upbeat songs are
mixed in with the more slow, serious ballads to maintain a balance as the tracks
progress. Listeners should be aware however that like Aaron Shust, many songs play
out in the mid-range (sometimes disappointing to a younger crowd). The great thing
about this album though is that Jeremy never fails to provide a successful praise hook
and that creates expectation for what’s next.
The Now and Not Yet as a whole has become one of a handful of favorites for me since
the release last year of Above the Golden State and the recent release of CompassionArt
(note there is no comparison stylistically between any of these). Every song is good on
this album, but here in my opinion are some of the highlights:
Track 1: “Christ Is Risen” begins the journey. “Quickly now, go tell the world that
Christ the Lord, He has risen. The power of God forever raised him from the grave!”
The high vocals, building chords, stinging guitar solos and marching drums create a
dynamic call to modern day Christians.
Track 2: “Prepare The Way of the Lord” is reminiscent of great INXS. The low vocal
intro with a backdrop of electric club synthesizers and paced out drums. The guitars
kick in…the build-up starts, and then the scream: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!...
Yahweh, Yahweh!” It’s very thrilling.
Track 4: “Bless His Name” is U2 sounding on the intro. It starts off slow with heart
pulsing drums and a simple lyric that is turned completely upside down when met with
faster paced distortion guitars that drive the melody throughout the rest of the song.
After the intro the song takes off like a rocket and then slows back down to repeat the
heartbeat again on the bridge; then a sudden build-up and you’re off again: “Come…let
us sing for joy. Let us shout aloud to our King…” This song demonstrates a great
delivery and is radio-friendly.
Track 6: “Among The Poor” is a ballad from Jeremy’s heart and experience. It is a
reminder for us of who the Jesus of the bible really was - a man of compassion for the
least among us. Listen to this lyric: “Lord I’ve said I want to serve you. I’ve been so
eager to love. How I’ve longed so much to find you; just to be where you are. But it
seems I’ve forgotten where you are and what you look like. I hear your words speak to
me as you remind me again. You’re among the poor. You’re close to the broken…and
as I do unto them, I’ve done unto you.” …Powerful!
And I could go on... There are at least two or three more tracks that deserve praise
here, but I’ll stop and just recommend that if you want something that will touch your
heart for Christ, go ahead and give this one a try. I personally loved it.
Closing Thoughts:
Classic alternative rock with a solid salvation message. A raw, heartfelt and unique
sound that stands out in today’s market. You’ll like this if you’re a fan of the style of
music played by artists like Aaron Shust, U2, INXS or Bush. One of the best albums so
far this year. Don’t miss it.
his debut album, Full Attention, but it’s pretty amazing and has been on regular rotation
on my iPod for a while. That was the case at the time I was asked to review Jeremy’s
latest release, The Now and Not Yet (due in stores March 3rd).
Jeremy’s voice and message on this album are powerful. He’s a former pastor and with
that comes a real heartfelt passion for the Word. The gospel message is driven in every
song I’ve ever heard from him. To me, Jeremy’s style echoes qualities of some of the
great alternative acts like Aaron Shust, U2, Bush, INXS and Cold Play. In his latest
release, Jeremy is again true to form. The Now and Not Yet is raw, soulful and heavy
on the salvation message. Passion is carried forth with piercing vocals and clever
phrasing. The music is selective, timely and monumental.
Jeremy’s classic, authentic and alternative sound make him unique amongst Christian
artists today. Like other well-crafted albums, this one is designed to provide you with a
listening experience from beginning to end. The songs add layers to the story as they go
along, ending the album in a way that makes you want to start the journey all over again.
As Jeremy focused on delivering serious biblical messages, light and upbeat songs are
mixed in with the more slow, serious ballads to maintain a balance as the tracks
progress. Listeners should be aware however that like Aaron Shust, many songs play
out in the mid-range (sometimes disappointing to a younger crowd). The great thing
about this album though is that Jeremy never fails to provide a successful praise hook
and that creates expectation for what’s next.
The Now and Not Yet as a whole has become one of a handful of favorites for me since
the release last year of Above the Golden State and the recent release of CompassionArt
(note there is no comparison stylistically between any of these). Every song is good on
this album, but here in my opinion are some of the highlights:
Track 1: “Christ Is Risen” begins the journey. “Quickly now, go tell the world that
Christ the Lord, He has risen. The power of God forever raised him from the grave!”
The high vocals, building chords, stinging guitar solos and marching drums create a
dynamic call to modern day Christians.
Track 2: “Prepare The Way of the Lord” is reminiscent of great INXS. The low vocal
intro with a backdrop of electric club synthesizers and paced out drums. The guitars
kick in…the build-up starts, and then the scream: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!...
Yahweh, Yahweh!” It’s very thrilling.
Track 4: “Bless His Name” is U2 sounding on the intro. It starts off slow with heart
pulsing drums and a simple lyric that is turned completely upside down when met with
faster paced distortion guitars that drive the melody throughout the rest of the song.
After the intro the song takes off like a rocket and then slows back down to repeat the
heartbeat again on the bridge; then a sudden build-up and you’re off again: “Come…let
us sing for joy. Let us shout aloud to our King…” This song demonstrates a great
delivery and is radio-friendly.
Track 6: “Among The Poor” is a ballad from Jeremy’s heart and experience. It is a
reminder for us of who the Jesus of the bible really was - a man of compassion for the
least among us. Listen to this lyric: “Lord I’ve said I want to serve you. I’ve been so
eager to love. How I’ve longed so much to find you; just to be where you are. But it
seems I’ve forgotten where you are and what you look like. I hear your words speak to
me as you remind me again. You’re among the poor. You’re close to the broken…and
as I do unto them, I’ve done unto you.” …Powerful!
And I could go on... There are at least two or three more tracks that deserve praise
here, but I’ll stop and just recommend that if you want something that will touch your
heart for Christ, go ahead and give this one a try. I personally loved it.
Closing Thoughts:
Classic alternative rock with a solid salvation message. A raw, heartfelt and unique
sound that stands out in today’s market. You’ll like this if you’re a fan of the style of
music played by artists like Aaron Shust, U2, INXS or Bush. One of the best albums so
far this year. Don’t miss it.
Review Written By: Aaron Hassen [aaron.hassen@christianmusicreview.org] Date Written: February 28, 2009
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