Identical Strangers

Item: Identical Strangers
Author: Roger Appelinski

(1997)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music

Label Damascus Road RecordsThe LighthouseUnsorted 1998

adult contemporary ccm pop rock

Oh great, another new band in Christian music... Well, maybe a new band, but there's nothing new about the duo: Andy Denton and Randy Thomas. These guys are pure Christian music veterans. However, since they came together from such different paths, they settled on the moniker Identical Strangers.

Thomas is most recently known for co-writing "Butterfly Kisses" with Bob Carlisle, but he was a major part of Sweet Comfort Band and Allies. He has penned more than a handful of #1 songs in Christian music and several songs recorded by notable mainstream performers, and he plays a pretty good guitar, too. Denton is known best for his killer voice that powered Ruscha and Legend Seven. He has also penned a few chart-topping songs as well.

With Thomas and Denton being renowned songmasters, you would expect an A+ songwriting performance here. And, you probably won't be disappointed. This album is chock full of lyrical gems. Some of their lines remind me of Steve Taylor's quick turns of phrase. Some of my favorites are: "like a noose around my tongue," "my pearls of wisdom come unstrung like bullets on the floor," and "how wonderful is the sound that changes the lost into the found."

If you miss the Gospel message in this project, you've definitely got a problem with earwax (or something else). It's layered, too, which is especially effective - sometimes the truth is the major line of a chorus repeated over and over, and sometimes it is a subtle expression that you have to really "dig in" to find.

Identical Strangers is great blend of rock and pop. It has heart and soul: soft acoustic parts contrasted by rocking guitars that shift the mood back and forth. The songs are written in fairly typical pop structures, but they keep it far from run-of-the-mill.

"Julianna Wilson" is beyond a doubt the catchiest song on the album, and maybe the catchiest song I've heard since "Butterfly Kisses." It tells a quick story of a popular young woman who wants to become a "beauty queen," but ends up finding "the beauty of heavenly love."

If you like hooky pop albums with rock leanings, it's hard to go wrong with this project. Great songwriting, musical diversification, solid hooks, and heartfelt vocals all add up to a great album.