Dave's Review

Label: Daywind Records
Website: www.greatervisionmusic.com
Song Titles: "I Was Blind But Now I See," "Faces," "Is It Just Me," "He'd Do It All Again," "There's Still Room, There's Still Hope, There's Still Time," "He'll Carry Me," "The Blood Medley," "Only Through The Blood," "The Other Miracles," "How Much More," "Samaritan's Heart," and "It Is Well With My Soul"

David Bruce Murray: James Hales joins me for this "tag team" review of Faces, the new CD by Greater Vision. Faces re-visits the musical territory of past GV projects like Perfect Candidate and Far Beyond This Place . . .mostly new material with lots of orchestra used for the tracks and the definitive songwriting style of Rodney Griffin. The final retail version of this CD was not provided to us in time for this review, so we are attempting to be as descriptive as possible while lacking the benefit of liner note information . . . who played, who wrote the songs, final sequence of songs, etc.

James Hales: As David said, this newest release doesn't venture far from the tried and true sound that had made Greater Vision so popular. Whereas many groups are defining, or re-defining their style, Greater Vision sticks with consistency and provides their fans with what has continually worked for the group in the past. There are no real surprises on this recording; only exceptionally strong songs, wonderful music tracks and stellar vocal performances. David, what are the songs that stick out to you?

DBM: I really like "Is It Just Me." This is a medium tempo song with a relatively simple accompaniment, but that allows the lyrics and vocal performance to be front and center. "I Was Blind But Now I See" has a similar treatment. One aspect of Faces I noticed right away was the abundance of slower tunes, though. This is definitely a more laid back approach.

JH:I agree that the pace of this recording isn't as upbeat as some past Greater Vision recordings. Anyone looking for another "He's Still Waiting at the Well" or "He'd Still Been God" will be sorely disappointed. But, that isn't to say there aren't some truly remarkable songs on here. I find myself listening to the uptempo "I Was Blind, But Now I See" over and over again. I love the unique rhyming of the verses and the continual key changes. The title song, "Faces" also struck me as being very poignant. I have always loved Greater Vision's power ballads and this recording definitely has no shortage of them. "He'd Do it All Again" and "He'll Carry Me" are but two excellent examples of how they successfully tackle a power ballad. "He'll Carry Me" is quite stunning all the way around and is my favorite on the entire recording.

DBM: In addition to ballads, there's also a couple of slower paced hymn tracks. "The Blood Medley" combines "Nothing But The Blood," "God Leads Us Along," "Oh The Blood Of Jesus," and "Whiter Than Snow" in an a cappella arrangement that serves as an extended introduction to "Only Through The Blood." The other hymn selection is "It Is Well With My Soul." This tune showcases Gerald Wolfe's vocal abilities. Also, one ballad ("The Other Miracles") quotes the chorus of the hymn "Only Believe." Fans who enjoy traditional church music should appreciate the inclusion of these tracks.

JH: I know it seems we're going on about the slower songs; ballads and hymns and such, but there are some excellent medium to uptempo songs as well. Aside from the songs we've already mentioned, the songs "There's Still Room, There's Still Hope, There's Still Time", "How Much More" and "Samaritan's Heart" all offer a change of pace from the slower tunes. I did notice that the songs that are generally upbeat seem to have some country overtones to them, but all done with the dignity and class that is distinctively Greater Vision.

DBM: Previous Greater Vision projects have at least one or two songs that really grab your ear the first time you hear them. Faces is top quality in that every aspect of the CD is very polished and well produced, but it's begging for a song with the potential impact of "Just Ask" or "My Name Is Lazarus." My rating for Faces is 4½ stars. This is an excellent CD, but a year from now it's probably not going to be the first GV CD you grab when going on a long trip. Still, I highly recommend this recording.

JH: I agree with David. When I just sit and listen to the CD, I thoroughly enjoy it and I find myself going through a range of emotions with each song. But, I did find when I took a trip a couple of weeks ago and brought this CD with me, I found myself hitting the skip button on a few songs, so I have concur with David that for a long trip, this may not be the CD to take. But nonetheless, I believe this will go down as one of Greater Vision's greatest recordings ever. The tracks are simply amazing, the vocals are superb and the lyrical content of the songs are as strong as ever.

Rating: 4½ stars (DBM), 5 stars (JH)

--- by David Bruce Murray and James Hales