I saw Wisdom open up for Daniel Amos, The Daniel Band and Mylon LeFevre in Houston, Texas in 1984. I came away with the impression: "Wow! Those guys are talented. They could be the next Triumph. If only they had more consistently-good songs." It's two years later and their album, Face to Face, is out. Their talent is evident here. They play the style of music I really love: folky acoustic stuff mixed with multiple harmonies, spacey keyboard interludes, driving guitar rhythms and singing guitar solos. "Devil's Lies" starts off similar to the acoustic rhythms in "Magic Power" by Triumph. (The guitarist even looks like Rik Emmett.) The band unifies to sing, "Stop! Believing in the devil's lies." There's a subdued Eddie Van Halen-style hammer-on lead break near the end of the song. "In the Air" is one of the album's high points. It starts off with a great acoustic rhythm and some echo effects for a mesmerizing sound. "Lord, (Lord) I really do believe/ that You died for me/ Help me to see/ through Your eyes/ what's pleasing in Your sight." "Ready or Not" starts off with a great hammer-on intro that lasts 48 seconds. When I first heard it, I knew I had to buy it so I could turn you on to it. The end of the song returns to the neck of the guitar for a few seconds. These three songs are the highlights of an 8-song album that glorifies our Lord Jesus. This album could really be the start of a great band! If they start crankin' out some killer songs, they'll be no stopping 'em. The radio stations will have to play 'em.
