Marc Byrd is an accomplished songwriter, producer, singer, and musician. He's married to Christine Glass, another accomplished songwriter, singer, and performer. With all that talent and gifting in one house, something pretty special comes out of the front door, or in this case, out of the window.
Byrd was the leader of alternative rock band Common Children and Glass comes from her own well-reviewed solo career. Now recording together under the moniker Glassbyrd (formerly Adore), the two have flown to heights and hype that neither knew separately.
Setting the scene for the record, "This Window" is a clearly different, highly stylized, alternative take on meditative worship music. The song speaks of opening a window to let in the fresh air of God's goodness. It seems that the window was closed and the shade drawn until the storm was over, the clouds broke and now it's time to open the window and enjoy the clean new scent of grace. The open window can let things in, but it is also a way out. The duo sings songs of taking one's faith into the world, to the one who needs to know that God is good. Songs like "Wake Up," "Wounded Healer," "Peace To You," call the listener to consider how God has touched and changed them, and how that can be the spark in another's healing. But mostly the window is open to let the light in. The bulk of the record is meditations and worship. "Weight Of The World" is a powerful song about the cross. Other song titles, "I Stand Amazed," "Everywhere I Turn," "I Love You More," "Mercy," "God of Wonders," "Jesus You Are Beautiful," give you some idea of the nature of the rest of the record. A beautiful blend of alternative and pop music, along with the combination of Marc Byrd's sandy smooth rock voice with Christine Glass's striking and trained voice make this a special record indeed. The last song out of the window is "Peace To You," a lovely benediction along the ideological lines of the Lost Dog's "Breathe Deep The Breath Of God," with the lyric:
For the weak and broken down
For the lost souls not yet found
For the hopeful left in doubt
Peace to you, Peace....
Glassbyrd opens the window to a pensive but gentle worship, flying high to meet the challenge of a cool praise record, Open Wide This Window is a star.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2003Reviewed by David MartinSo who remembers Christine Glass? Nobody? Okay, how about Common Children? Still nobody? Okay, how about the song "God of Wonders"? Yeah, that's what I thought. Sometimes an artist can toil in relative obscurity for years despite garnering a lot of critical acclaim. And sometimes, all it takes is one really good song to jettison that artist out of the dark corners of the music industry and into…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Noel LloydOpen Wide This Window, the Word Records debut of Glassbyrd, (the husband/wife team of Christine Glass and Mark Byrd) sure does not sound like a typical praise album. Hence, its appeal. Separating itself from the majority of worship music doled out to the churched faithful, Open Wide This Window offers thirteen tracks of well-crafted praise pop that avoids the trite and accentuates the profound.…The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Jeff ElbelMarc Byrd gained notice with Common Children, releasing two LPs on the Tattoo label before independently releasing The In-Between Time in 2001. Christine Glass also released her alt-pop debut Human on Tattoo, followed by Rustproof's Love and Poverty, co-produced by Byrd. Now married, the pair have found success writing/producing/performing with the gospel market's City on a Hill series. Open Wide…Similar sounding releases
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