Long Line of Leavers finds Caedmon's Call both expanding their sound and resting on the laurels of past accomplishment. Regarding the former, the Caedmon clan have gratefully experimented a bit more with a variety of styles, including the funky R&B on the opening track, "The Only One," and the retro-lounge-folk of the Danielle Young lead vocal track "Masquerade," both of which serve as welcome album highlights. There are also additional percussive and production flourishes hither and yon, such as on "Dance," that indicate more of a push toward the Jars of Clay sound.
On the flip side, much of the rest of the material deviates too little in tone and style from the folk pop territory the band has already traversed. Now there's nothing wrong with finding a style and sticking with it, and Caedmon's homey folk pop has been pleasing the masses for years. Regrettably, however, the result this time is that a few too many of these songs are not nearly as inspiring as one would hope. This situation is not helped by an increased slickness in the production that renders the band's sound more like a staple of the CCM scene than the risen wonders of the more organic indie world. Nevertheless, overall Long Line of Leavers retains Caedmon's Call's pleasant flirtation with relevant lyrics awash in an inoffensive middle-of-the-road sound that will undoubtedly continue to secure their popularity from college campuses to CCM radio coast to coast.
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Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Kevin D. HendricksWith the very first song on Long Line of Leavers the characteristic Caedmon's Call we've all come to love is tossed out the window. If you listened closely to their last album, Forty Acres, you heard the beginning of a band's refusal to be classified by one narrow genre. With Long Line of Leavers, that rebellion is underway. 'The Only One' starts with haunting electric guitar and keyboards, only…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Christopher BunnWhen I first picked up the latest release from Caedmon's Call, Long Line of Leavers, my mind automatically skipped to thoughts of liver and onions, which is not a meal that I usually enjoy. Thankfully, however, Long Line of Leavers is a pleasant album on the whole. I do have a few complaints, though. First of all, the thirteen songs wander through a fairly wide range of styles, meandering from…Similar sounding releases
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