Michael Sweet

Item: Real
Author: Robert Berman

Real

(1995)

Reviewed by Robert Berman

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Label Benson Music GroupThe LighthouseJanuary 1996

acoustic rock hard rock pop rock

Many of us whose interest in music hatched in the mid-1980's have strong feelings about a certain band that made its name and fame by mixing dueling guitars, flying Bibles, and enough eye shadow to keep Estee Lauder solvent indefinitely. The band was Stryper, its chief Bible flinger was Michael Sweet, and they mowed a path through mainstream music that inspired many Christian musicians-and horrified others. Now, ten years after he declared himself a Soldier Under Command, Sweet returns for his second solo effort. The spandex is gone, the mascara washed away, and it's time for the Real Michael Sweet to stand on his own sound.

The Unplugged revolution has awakened many an ear to the sound of hollow-body guitars once again, and this album proudly advertises itself as acoustic pop. But the "trend" is nothing new, as Elton John or John Cougar Mellencamp would quickly point out. A prominent acoustic rhythm section firms the spine of Real, abetted variously by accordion and piano. It's all kept pretty upbeat, with none of the piano ballads that propelled Sweet's early career into crossover pop prominence. Sweet's relentless tenor punches power songs like the opener, "Color Blind," in the way we've come to love and expect from him. But when he reins his larynx, as on "Why" or "Heaven Waits For You," the results are even more pleasing, without becoming too schmaltzy in the process. Gone, too, are the great, big background vocals which undergirded Stryper's songs as well as previous Sweet solo hits like "J.E.S.U.S."

But Sweet hasn't totally abandoned his roots, as evidenced by the mellower remake of "Always There For You," the mega-crowdpleaser from In God We Trust. The fake-violin keyboard solo halfway through the song seems like ballast intended to prolong the song for radio play, but aside from that, it translates quite well to an acoustic medium. This song also illustrates the two lyric themes Sweet has woven throughout his career: Christ's invitation to the world and marital affection. Seven of the ten songs on this album fall into one of these two groups, and one of the remaining three songs is "Second Chance," as in "Oh baby, please give me a..." Sweet expands his palette on the album's bookend songs, between the racial equality plea of "Color Blind" and "Heaven Waits For You," which may be Sweet's best philosophical song yet, with its ponderings on the patterns of life.

I'm a little disappointed that such a talented guitarist as Sweet somehow managed to avoid including even a single finger-picking song on an "acoustic" album; the acoustic guitar is almost completely occupied with heavy chord strumming of the sort mastered by most second-year guitar players. But Sweet continues to prove that his heavy mettle extends beyond his glam beginnings into the land of popular music. I don't doubt that this album will give his many fans another reason to get Real.