Caedmon's Call

Item: Intimate Portrait
Author: Linda T. Stonehocker

Intimate Portrait

(1997)

Reviewed by Linda T. Stonehocker

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Label Warner AllianceThe Phantom Tollbooth1997

acoustic rock ccm folk rock

Welcome to the neighborhood of Caedmon's Call. Here comes the Houston Metro Bus! Should we hop on and talk to the passengers or check out that gallery across the street? Funny, this whole scene reminds me of a song. . .

The latest release by Caedmon's Call is an enhanced, extended-play CD that includes a CD-ROM's worth of bells and whistles to accompany their down-to-earth, acoustic, college rock style. The main interactive screen has lots of nooks and crannies to explore. There's an art gallery of candid shots, and be sure to check out the guitar lying on the sidewalk in front of it. Jimmy A decorated it, and the late Rich Mullins strums it in the first Caedmon's Call music video, Mullins's "Hope To Carry On." Back on the street, there are three additional unplugged live numbers: "April Showers," "The Truth," and "Piece of Glass." I almost overlooked the button for "Bus Driver," inconspicuously placed on the side of the Houston Metro bus before you climb on board. It's the only number without footage of the band, but having to stare at the mundane side of a bus drove home the message even more for me.

The disk functions equally well in my CD player and mid-range Pentium computer, and a suggested retail price of $8.98 makes it a real value. Despite the high tech media, this is a solid project that captures the same essence that makes their live shows such a hit on campuses.

5 tocks