Over The Rhine
Every once and a while something strikes me as truly great. The Over the Rhine concert I attended last night was one of those things. They were flawless in every aspect of their performance. I was amazed at their ability to take an easygoing song that seemed to be meandering along and open it into an anthem of such beauty that it was breathtaking. They sang some some songs off of an upcoming album to be released next year and each one was like a punch in the stomach, though I tried to breathe my breath was taken away. If the album sounds anything like the live performances, I will say that it will be their best album to date. All in all it was a wonderful experience. They epitomize what I believe Christian music should sound like. They write songs that everyone wants to hear not bubble gum junk made for "the Fish" radio station. Their lyrics speak of life from the viewpoint of believers, not about church from the viewpoint of the church.
On several different occasions, I felt as though I was listening to the Standards from 50's. There was not one song that did not posses such a quality to it. Some day 50 years from now people might be hailing them as the songwriting greats of our time, or any time for that matter.