Aaron Jeoffrey's first two albums fall more or less into the broad category of "inspirational" contemporary Christian music along with artists like Kathy Troccoli, Phillips Craig & Dean, Point of Grace, and a host of others. The group's self-titled debut album and its successor, After The Rain, with their soft pop-rock instrumentation, highly layered vocal work, straightforward spiritual lyrics and lush production, were fairly typical additions to the quickly growing inspirational Christian music catalog. And with the first two releases being hugely successful, producing five #1 singles between them, doubtless few people would have faulted the father-and-son duo of Jeoffrey and Aaron Benward for producing a third album of material very similar to that on the first two releases.
But the duo's third project, The Climb, is an altogether different proposition. Probably the most notable change for the new record is its grittier, more organic sound. This sound is certainly due, at least in part, to having the various musicians for this project playing together in a single room in the studio, infusing the entire effort with a more "live" feel. The song "Stranger," for example, was recorded in a single take. The instrumental and vocal work on The Climb also distinguish it from the first two albums. Both the title cut and "Jericho Faith" use a live drum sound played over a relatively muted programmed drum beat to achieve a raw, but infectious, rhythm track. "Jericho Faith" and "Moment Of Mercy," meanwhile, couple crisp Dobro guitar textures with wispy backing vocals to achieve a sound that is both earthy and ethereal. And the breathy, nearly whispered, vocal work on the verses of "God Has A Dream" sounds like equal parts of U2's Bono, Third Day's Mac Powell and Michael English. A rare combination, indeed, for inspirational music.
As with the instrumental and vocal portions of the album, the choice of lyrics also reflects careful selection and crafting. The fact that many of the songs on the album deal with the darker, more somber, aspects of the Christian experience isn't rare in itself. But the songwriters on this project manage, nearly across the board, to give these themes treatments that are at once starkly realistic without seeming either hopeless or self-indulgent; which is no small feat.
All of this is not to say that the album is flawless, but only rarely does the duo revert to trite lyrics or overused musical textures to make its point. On the contrary - from the laid back jazz vibe of "Unexpected Guest" to the classic '80s Ambrosia-like sound of "Wisdom Way" and pure power pop groove of "The Climb," the duo of Aaron and Jeoffrey Benward has succeeded in marrying eclectic musical styles with well-crafted lyrics to produce a delightfully unique and energetic third album.
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