Robert: Somebody had a great idea. John Michael Talbot and Michael Card are two of Christian music's most enduring artists, and their styles mesh like few other artists I can think of. Putting the two of them on an album together to play each other's songs is a nice variation on the "tribute album mania" which shows no signs of stopping soon. This album highlights their musical and lyrical similarities, but it also makes the differences between them more evident.
Beverley: Exactly. I found it jarring to some extent to find out exactly how much of a gulf there was between styles; Talbot seems best oriented to straight praise and he leaves Card's more passionate lyrics seeming dry and stilted; however, I much prefer Talbot orchestrations on Card than vice versa. The Celtic influence, which suited Card nicely in Poiema, does that much more with some of the older pieces.
Robert: The song selections also reflect the differences between the two artists. Talbot tended to put Card's songs through a "mellow machine," which worked pretty well as a change of pace for songs like "The Final Word" and "Live This Mystery." But when the songs were already slow, like "Why" and "The Word," making them even slower seemed a little much. On the other hand, Card really tears into the Talbot songs with a huge string section backing him on "One Faith" and "Advent Suite." The orchestral arrangements, I think, are one of the best things about this album.
Beverley: The orchestral arrangements are beautiful, and certainly infused life into pieces that might have otherwise been rather lackluster [something I noticed in listening to earlier Talbotry]. What I believe was attempted here was a marriage of passion and ceremony; whether or not this was a wholly successful marriage is left up to the listener. Ultimately, if the Celtic instrumentation could have been worked more seamlessly into the orchestration, perhaps it might have been less of a dimly lit mirror than it was, and might better have reflected the ideal of praise: the raw adoration and the majesty alike.
Robert: Overall, this was a decent effort from both men, coming across as a pleasant mutual admiration society. Card is almost certainly the more familiar of the two to most people, so while this album isn't quite up to the level of Card's Poiema, it's a pleasant overview of both men's musical history. Just don't save it for a sleepy night on the highway.
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