 |
|---|
Back Issues
Reviews
CD Review
Bethany Dillon
Bethany Dillon
© 2004 Sparrow Records.
Review by Jo van Leerdam
Bethany Dillon’s debut album is amazing. Bethany wrote or co-wrote all
but one of the songs on this album, so its message is both personal and
revealing. Its hallmark is honesty and openness about living life as a
young person in this world. While many artists share their joys and
victories, Dillon also shares her struggles and her pain in a way that
lays bare her thoughts and prayers, private conversations with the Lord
shared with the listener. The picture this album paints is that of a
young woman, struggling to get through the pain and hurts of life while
at the same time focusing entirely upon the Lord and trusting Him to
help her do so.
It is hard to believe when you hear this album that the singer/writer was only 15 when this album was recorded. Her voice, her attitude and her expression all indicate maturity and wisdom beyond her years. This young woman has learned that even if we don’t have all the answers to all our questions, and even if we encounter some problems that we fail to resolve, we have the only answer that matters – when we belong to Christ, our identity is in Him and our future is assured. This world is not all there is, and this world does not have the right to dictate to us how we should live.
Among all the great songs on this album, there are two which I find outstanding. ‘Aimless’ expresses the aimlessness and emptiness of a person who has pursued the pleasures of the world, and finds it totally unfulfilling. The music complements the frustration and despair of searching for a love that eludes us and never satisfies us, and the knowledge that anything the world offers cannot compare with the true Love and the perfect home that we know we have in Christ. ‘Beautiful’ is also a compelling song, poignant and powerful in its rejection of beauty as the world perceives it, and its expression of desire to belong and be found beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.
The soul searching of songs such as these is countered by the confidence of ‘Exodus’ and ‘A Voice Calling Out’ which declare the faithfulness of God and the hope that young people will rise up and reject the world, claiming instead the truth of the Gospel as the standard for their lives.
Bethany has a rich and slightly husky voice, at times
sweet and at other times powerful and full of emotion. Her musical style
is reminiscent at different times of Jennifer Knapp, Sheryl Crow and The
Corrs, with an emphasis on acoustic guitar and piano (although other
instruments are used) in the accompaniment to Bethany’s soulful and
expressive voice.
I believe Bethany Dillon is really going to have an impact on the
contemporary Christian music market, as she has proven here on her first
album that she can not only communicate a message, but really stir the
soul of those who listen to her. I would recommend this album
particularly for girls aged pre-teen through teens and twenties, who
will readily be able to identify with Bethany Dillon and her songs. I
suspect there may be a lot of older girls out there who might like it
too.
Return to top of page
Books
Music
Movies
All material on this site © 2004 Trowel & Sword