Roger: Cindy Morgan took a major step forward with her previous album, Under The Waterfall. That project showed a significant departure from the dance/pop of her first two projects; and while this new approach may have been a shock or disappointment to some, it was well received both critically and commercially. Morgan's latest and fourth release, Listen, widens this musical shift, advancing further down the path that Under The Waterfall blazed.
Vanessa: Unquestionably, Cindy Morgan is maturing as both a singer and songwriter. I applaud her for being willing to explore her musical boundaries. While there's nothing wrong with dance/pop, I have often felt that the depth of Morgan's lyrics and the approach of her writing made that genre an odd stylistic choice for her. It's obvious that she agrees. Listen extends the adult bent of Under The Waterfall even more-which is a better match. Using piano instead of synthesizer as the driving force, Listen's music is no longer just a backdrop. It is a palette from which Morgan paints pictures as evocative as her lyrics. With a feel that's reminiscent of a theater production, Listen delves into styles as diverse as rock, 1940's jazz, and adult-contemporary pop.
Roger: I agree with the "theater" analogy. On my first "listen" (pun intended), my response was: "This sounds just like a musical soundtrack." Not only does the project seem to flow uninterrupted, but it also has a performance-driven emotion behind it.
There are some significant "behind the scenes" changes that helped to form the environment for Listen. First, Morgan is now working with Brent Bourgeois as her producer. Morgan also wrote or co-wrote every cut on the project. However, what I think had the greatest impact was the "live recording" of this album-most of it was recorded in one take, without a ton of layering. In places this approach adds an unpolished feel (e.g. the numerous rough starts at the beginning of "The Promise" and a lighthearted delivery on several other songs), and in other places it conveys the image of Morgan center-stage pounding on her piano, backed by a string section, bearing her soul into the microphone.
I was pleased to hear that Morgan is getting away from the "wavering delivery" (a la Celine Dion) that she used on much of Under The Waterfall. I had been concerned that Listen would be as vocally overdone as the last.
Vanessa: Complementing Listen's more "real" production approach are the transparent, oftentimes vulnerable, and always inspiring lyrics that Morgan has penned. Among the qualities I appreciate most in Cindy Morgan is her consistent expression of the "heart" (even "hard") issues of this life. On this project, Morgan gives a tender touch to such themes as the pain of broken marriage vows ("The Promise"), the ache and urgency of our human condition ("Need"), and the struggle of daily life ("Moon Days"). Listen's lyrics, more than any of her previous albums, reflect Morgan's maturity not only as a writer, but also as a woman of God. From this standpoint, Listen is among my favorite albums to date.
Roger: Before I get into my impressions of Listen's lyrical content, I should say one thing-although this is a very good album, I don't like it very much. It's just not my style. I'm probably the only person in the world who has never seen "The Sound Of Music"-musicals just aren't my thing. Still, I can appreciate Listen as a quality piece of art.
With that said, the lyrics are what really killed this project for me. The topic selection, the intent, and the imagery she offers are all great. I just don't like the actual words Morgan used to get there. To me, they weren't engaging. All too often the phrasing is repetitive and contains an inordinate amount of clichés. Songs like "Listen" and "Moon Days"-while quite catchy musically-didn't even come close to grabbing me lyrically. In fact, this project is aptly titled-if I don't sit down and listen intently, the lyrics go right on by me.
Vanessa: Obviously, our individual perspectives and biases are quite a bit different, but I think overall we concur-we're excited about the daring direction that Cindy Morgan is taking with her music, yet feel that Listen could have been a bit more polished and cohesive.
To my ears, there were plenty of gems both lyrically and musically. Assuredly, Listen is a worthy purchase, but I think time (and more albums) will prove this to be more of a transitional effort than a bench-mark performance for her. I look forward to where she will go from here, as I consider Cindy Morgan one of the foremost singer-songwriters in contemporary Christian music.
Roger: Again, I, too, think Listen is a very good album.
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