The alterna-pop sounds of Sarah Masen's self titled release on Charlie Peacock's Re:Think label won Sarah a number of fans, and set up a great deal of demand for her previous indie release. This album looks set to build on that popularity--especially here in Europe where she plans to follow up appearances last summer with a longer tour this year.
My one problem with the Sarah Masen album was that it often felt over-produced, and I was glad that this album has taken a more rootsy direction. The strong production and session musicians are still here, but there is a more organic feel to a number of the songs. Victoria Williams has been a strong influence on Sarah (and she covered one of Vic's songs last time), but these songs are very much Sarah's.
Lyrically this album really shines, with a wonderfully poetic look at many sides of life:
Don't know much about Love
Think it starts with belief
I've seen it there for healing
Can feel it beneath my feet
Don't know much about Love
Don't think it can replace belief
I can feel it when I'm kneeling
Coming up from underneath
Wondering at the mystery
Hoping with a German grace
Because there's my cousin Jenni's face
She wants to do it right
(from "jenni's face")
This album isn't perfect, but it shows growth in Sarah Masen as a person and as an artist, and in her combination of those two through her music.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse Unsorted 1998Reviewed by Melissa KonieczkoSarah Masen is one of a select number of artists who have been able to gain support in the Christian AC market as well as the alternative/underground subculture. The reason for this is her ability to create heartfelt, emotional, and honest songs that are valuable in both their musical and lyrical qualities. Carry Us Through is an album that has Masen's heart written all over it. Though the songs…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Chris ParksThe music world is a strange place. With little or no warning, artists can be plucked from obscurity to become popular. Two years ago, Sarah Masen was a college student who wrote songs which she played at her church or in coffeehouses. Now she is a singer/songwriter with one indie album, a major label release that got her Dove Award nominations and a number one radio single, and now a new album…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Jerry B. Ray Jr.For the follow-up to her self-titled major-label debut, Sarah Masen could have played it safe and followed the same acoustic-pop formula that had already worked so well for her. After all, Sarah Masen was a critical and commercial success in the Christian marketplace, and even made some inroads into the mainstream, with Ms. Masen being featured in a tour of Borders bookstores and with songs from…Similar sounding releases
1998Margaret BeckerFalling Forward
2002Shana Morrison7 Wishes
1999Kendall PayneJordan's Sister
2000Brenda WeilerFly Me Back
2004Sara GrovesThe Other Side of Something
2003Jill PhillipsWriting on the Wall
