What makes music great? Vocals? Song writing? Catchy beats?
If you said yes to any of those, then This Mystery could be the album for you. Nichole Nordeman's vocals are wonderful on this album, her sophomore effort. Her song writing, which is the real star of the show here, is top notch, and stands high above the song writing typically associated with Christian music these days. And although there are plenty of slow songs, Nichole shows us on This Mystery that she has her groovy, upbeat moments as well as her quiet ballads.
The title track opens the CD with a mid-tempo, piano driven tune about faith. Lyrically, the song reminds me very much of Switchfoot's "Learning to Breathe". "Fool for You" is another upbeat song, featuring a catchy chorus and some of Nichole's best lyrics to date. "Small Enough" finds Nichole getting some help from Fernando Ortega, while "Lookin' at You" is the most upbeat song on the whole record. It sounds a little bit like a teen pop song at times, but the lyrics are just as profound as the rest of the record.
Nichole and her backup band cover Stevie Wonder's "As" expertly. The vocals and instrumentation on this song are absolutely top notch. "Home" is a lyrical high point, and "Every Season" is slow and contemplative.
Nichole Nordeman's lyrics are absolutely fantastic. She touches on the subject of faith with some fresh new ideas and writes lyrics that are both personal and universal. Although rock fans won't find much here, anyone who loves great song writing needs to go buy this album as soon as possible, because Nichole Nordeman is becoming one of the most extraordinary song writers on the music scene today.
Josh's Score: 5/5
Nathan's Score: 5/5
Mark's Score: 4.5/5
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Stephanie K.Who would have thought that four very different music tastes could all be met by one artist? Nichole Nordeman's new CD, This Mystery, has managed to do just that. The CD is being played over and over again in the CD player in my apartment with the volume cranked up high. All three of my roommates have commented on how much they like Nordeman's music and lyrics. The opening song on the CD, 'This…Similar sounding releases
2000WatermarkAll Things New
2003Kristy StarlingKristy Starling
2003Twila ParisHouse of Worship
2003Brooke FraserWhat to Do with Daylight
1996Cindy MorganListen
2002Kathy TroccoliThe Heart of Me
