When you think of Memphis, you probably think of Elvis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and maybe Federal Express. But after this year, you may have to add Big Tent Revival to your list of "famous things from Memphis." This four piece band combines smooth acoustic rhythm with some fine Mississippi River blues into one of the more memorable debut recordings in recent CCM history.
The man behind the guitar, the voice, and the pen is Steve Wiggins--no stranger to the music marketplace. His hard rock/acoustic self-titled album failed to live up to its potential when he dove into the recording business on Sparrow Records several years ago. Wiggins returned to Memphis, honed his craft, and put in some time playing on Memphis' home of the blues, the world-famous Beale Street. He recorded some demos and even released them on a concert-only sales album called Steve Wiggins and Big Tent Revival.
The best songs from that demo album have finally found their way, in reworked form, to the rest of the world, accompanied by three new tunes. The resulting album is Big Tent Revival, and Wiggins will be the first to say that it's a true group effort, not a "me and the backup boys" affair. Dana Key presided over the album as co-producer and shares a co-write on one song.
Instead of the proto-acoustic grunge that characterized Wiggins' solo album, this project is grounded firmly in acoustic rock, replete with accordion, tasteful piano arrangements, and a practiced group harmony. "Two Sets of Jones'" is a ballad sure to please folk listeners from the James Taylor/Randy Stonehill crowd, while "Where's The Passion" echoes the livelier moments of Wes King. Overall, the album is one part Counting Crows, one part John Mellencamp, with 12 bar blues and Black Gospel thrown in for good measure.
And the Gospel is clear in every song. Wiggins has found lyrical maturity in his hiatus from recording, and it shines in "Faith of a Little Seed" and "Way It Ought To Be," which is a blueprint for marital reconciliation after a fight.
This album has an extra twist--in April, it will be the first CD ever released under the proprietary "AudioVisual CD" technology pioneered by Ardent Studios in Memphis. This format will allow the full album's worth of music to coexist on a compact disc along with an interactive CD-ROM featuring full music videos, interviews, song info, and more! A Macintosh version will be released first, with the PC version following. A normal CD/tape version will be available before then, however, and the music alone is reason enough to let Big Tent Revival revive your bored old stereo.
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