For the follow-up to her self-titled major-label debut, Sarah Masen could have played it safe and followed the same acoustic-pop formula that had already worked so well for her. After all, Sarah Masen was a critical and commercial success in the Christian marketplace, and even made some inroads into the mainstream, with Ms. Masen being featured in a tour of Borders bookstores and with songs from the album being used in TV shows like Party of Five and Dawson's Creek.
Instead, Masen has veered away from the hook-laden songs of her debut to produce an album that's perhaps a bit less radio-friendly, but one nonetheless rewarding to the careful listener. While the songs on Carry Us Through remain squarely in the mid-tempo pop arena, the musical palette is expanded to include touches of sitar, cello, flute, harmonica, banjo, and trumpet. Influences ranging from blues and gospel ("Carry Us Through") to modern rock ("Tears Like Flowers") are all evident on the album in various combinations, but none dominate the overall sound.
Lyrically, the album features more of the literate, poetic writing that is a Masen trademark. In "Fragrance of Pink," she writes "I'm crashed by the nature of freedom/I'm too cracked to thrice mend/ And I'm sweating my need for redemption/While guilt beads on my skin." For those unfamiliar with her previous work, Ms. Masen's voice falls somewhere near the smoothness of Lisa Loeb and Shawn Colvin, with a bit of the quirkiness of Victoria Williams, and she sometimes alternates between her normal range and a playful falsetto. Masen's earnest vocals, from the worshipful "Wrap My Arms Around Your Name" to the playful and soulful "Carry Us Through," breathe life and genuine emotion into her lyrics.
If there's a downside to the album, it's a lack of variation in the tempo of the songs and the aforementioned lack of "hooks." While this creates a project with a very cohesive, consistent sound that lends itself to straight-through listening, it also means that there aren't really any tracks that jump up and demand the listener's attention. But still, when the songs are this good, that's a minor criticism. Carry Us Through definitely shows growth and change in Ms. Masen's music, and that's to be applauded. Approach this disc without any preconceived notions, and you'll be rewarded with some of the most intelligent, artistic pop that the CCM world has to offer.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse Unsorted 1998Reviewed by Melissa KonieczkoSarah Masen is one of a select number of artists who have been able to gain support in the Christian AC market as well as the alternative/underground subculture. The reason for this is her ability to create heartfelt, emotional, and honest songs that are valuable in both their musical and lyrical qualities. Carry Us Through is an album that has Masen's heart written all over it. Though the songs…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Chris ParksThe music world is a strange place. With little or no warning, artists can be plucked from obscurity to become popular. Two years ago, Sarah Masen was a college student who wrote songs which she played at her church or in coffeehouses. Now she is a singer/songwriter with one indie album, a major label release that got her Dove Award nominations and a number one radio single, and now a new album…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartThe alterna-pop sounds of Sarah Masen's self titled release on Charlie Peacock's Re:Think label won Sarah a number of fans, and set up a great deal of demand for her previous indie release. This album looks set to build on that popularity--especially here in Europe where she plans to follow up appearances last summer with a longer tour this year. My one problem with the Sarah Masen album was that…Similar sounding releases
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