It's been three years since Considering Lily's debut hit the shelves and the time has changed them. The departure of Serene and arrival of Jeannette Herdman alongside founding member Pearl Barrett has been accompanied by a move from the brash pop of the debut towards a seemingly more sophisticated sound.
The pop sensibility is still strong but the sound is more contemporary. So it is that producer Quinlan's programmed loops join the bright, jangly guitars on the opening track. The second track is closer to this album's predecessor, but retains the electronics. Generally, the soundscapes match the clear vocal harmonies well, but at times lack some substance. The music contains its hooks, but they don't sink in particularly deeply and after the track's end, they can fairly easily slip out again.
"Surrender to God" is the dominant theme through this album and all the songs have a sense of hope pervading them. There's nothing particularly revelatory but neither do they slip into over-reliance on cliché that such overtly Christian pop sometimes can. The twin lead vocals often sing separate parts, and this is sometimes pleasing, but it would be nice to hear a more adventurous use of the possibilities opened up by having two lead vocalists.
A most promising introduction comes on "Waiting For The Day" which is the musically darkest track on the album. In context, however, this darkness ends up sounding a little contrived. A few tracks, such as "What I Was Made For" and "Complete Me", are arranged in a somewhat leaden manner--their density pulls them down. The mix is often a little brighter than I would like, but there are some fun pop songs here that will no doubt please the fans and work well on the radio.
3 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #77Reviewed by Daniel JohnstonConsidering Lily's second album takes a turn for the worse as far as hard music fans are concerned. While their first album was a mix of pop and rock with promising glimpses of hardness, personnel changes have sent the group in a softer direction. Jeanette Herdman now joins Pearl Barrett on lead vocals, and despite some song writing by husband Bob Herdman (Audio Adrenaline), bass by Will…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Elisa MussoWith the departure of singer Serene Allison to be a full-time wife and mom, Considering Lily was in need of a like-minded singer to complement veteran Pearl Barrett, Allison's sister. ForeFront Records Vice President of A&R, Eddie DeGarmo, brought together Barrett and Jeannette Herdman (wife of Audio Adrenaline's Bob Herdman) thinking that perhaps something would "happen"--and it did. Herdman is…Similar sounding releases
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