It's amazing how so much can be made of so little, like five loaves of bread and some fish in the hands of the Messiah. The miracle here is that Innocence Mission has made a mountain of music out of meager, well-played notes. Simple, elegant music which leisurely unfolds like flower petals greeting the sun. Sometimes it is the mere sound of a lone acoustic guitar--sometimes two. Mike Bitt's upright bass lines amble in and out on a few tracks like a welcome guest. Don Peris drifts in on a quiet flurry of drums and electric guitars for a few tracks and is gone. Karen Peris's unique, high-pitched voice floats like a balloon above this Spartan mix, bouncing playfully along to poetic reflections. Metaphors of snow and birds and healing whirl and inspire through these superiorly written songs, where the richest of memorable melodies find safe haven.
Birds of My Neighborhood is an invitation to happy places and melancholy spaces. Come into the quiet and find rest. Imagine; meditate; consider the lilies in the valley, green grass, red trees, and the possibility of a sure hope and reconciliation in the midst of longing and loneliness. Bring this Bird home to perch, and watch your nest grow placidly serene.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Jeffrey OverstreetImagine a girl and a boy sneaking into an empty cathedral, carrying guitars. They sit down beside some candles. The boy begins to play; the girl to sing in sweet ethereal tones the poetry of their personal praise to their Savior, the stories of their lives, the accounting of their trials...but all of this is done quietly, so as not to draw a crowd. That's the kind of thing you'll hear when you…Similar sounding releases
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