Neale and Webb

Item: At the Cross
Author: Roger Appelinski

At the Cross

(1995)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

Discogs YouTube

Label Liquid Disc RecordsThe LighthouseJuly 1995

ccm gospel pop

I can describe Neale & Webb's debut, At the Cross, in one word: diverse. Okay, maybe that wasn't very funny, but I have struggled with how to describe this album. I just can't seem to put a finger on a concise description-it's just too spread out.

It centers around the upbeat CHR pop, but mixes in obvious jazz and gospel influences and some nice AC ballads.

Michael Neale and Devin Webb show that they aren't afraid to belt out some lines and make a few surprises. When I first listened to the project I was turned off by the way that many vocal passages took an unexpected turn. Instead of building and raising the melody going into a chorus, they'd soften and deepen it up-things like that. However, once I got used to that and changed my expectations, the album grew on me immensely.

The lyrics are straightforward, mature, God-oriented, yet not overly clichéd. The opening track, "The Way," starts by talking about the loss of morals, yet there is a Way to the path to God-Jesus. "Bigger Than Life" tells of how powerful God is, "At the Cross" reminds of the peace that occurs when we lay our burden of regret at the Cross, and "To The One" shares a dedication "To the One who gave life to me," just to describe a few.

Producer Steve Griffith called on some of his studio-player friends to lay down the musical bedding for the project: Dave Frank on keyboards, Mark Douthit on sax, Mark Hill on bass, Steve Brewster on drums, Phil Madeira on B-3, Mark Baldwin on guitar, and others.

I personally would've liked a little more organic music for the guys to romp around over, since one of their strongest performances is on the rootsy "Bigger Than Life" which has the Christ Church Youth Choir add a gospel accompaniment. Still, it is enjoyable and listenable for a wide range of musical tastes from pop to gospel to the AC crowd. There is something in this diverse album for almost everyone.