This is the album that bridges Goldie's Last Day and Them. A listen to this album and you can hear how some songs were precursors to Them and seemed like leftovers from Goldie's. Some songs were a bit harder around the edges but still retained some of the great qualities from the previous album. But some tracks are gritty and rough enough to fit on their next album. What's amazing about Great Lengths is how much the songs vary in sound. This is evident in the first three songs when it goes from the title track with its smooth strings and Patrick Andrew's familiar vocals to "Wonder Why" and Joel Hanson's smooth voice and electronic keys. "Merry Go Round" follows the rock theme but not before they throw in a piece of an actual carousel tune. While I can't decide if it's annoying or not, it sets the track apart and adds to my respect for PFR's experimentation and risk taking. "The Love I Know" is a ballad that immediately changes the tempo, similar to "Great Lengths," and servers as of my favorite PFR songs ever. The harmonies and even the lyrical style are reminiscent to something from their previous effort Goldie's Last Day.
"It's You Jesus" is a song that sounds like something U2 listened to before making their album Pop. While it treads different ground for the trio, it still keeps the PFR staple harmonies while keeping the music simple yet unique. The next two songs, "Trials Turned to Gold" and "Blind Man, Deaf Boy," follow the format of The Beatles' "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" from Abbey Road, leading into each other. "See The Sun Again" sounds like another track that could have been on Goldies. Even lyrically it offers the same message of encouragement and never giving up. "Grace of God," the first PFR song ever written by drummer Mark Nash, precedes the dark and edgy "Last Breath" a pre-cursor to Patrick's post-PFR project Eager or even an early musical format to "Daddy Never Cried," the darkest song from PFR by far. Before the album draws to a close, they throw a curve ball with "Life Goes On," a beautiful, slow song built around nothing but a cello, piano, acoustic guitar and the occasional chime.
This album defines what makes PFR great. They had an uncanny ability to be so versatile with their sound while keeping the basics and fundamentals of what some of the greatest blues musicians have said all along - "Less is more." They are my favorite band of all time because of all the songs I've heard them make, there isn't one that I listen to and think to myself that there is too much going on in the background. The combination of Joel and Patrick's vocals as well as the ability to change styles flawlessly and still keep the listener engrossed, has made PFR a band that I still hold close to my heart. Sadly, though, PFR has left us, but not before releasing The Bookhouse Recordings just a year and a half ago. Hopefully it won't be the last project from this amazing trio.
- Review date: 3/6/06, written by Kevin Chamberlin
|
|
David And Nicole Binion Release First of Three New EPs Today Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:19:00 EST |
iNTELLECT Shares How Christ Took Away His Blame On New Single Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:15:00 EST |
Spoken Worth Debuts New Double Single Bundle, "Holy Week" Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:05:00 EST |
Jeff Deyo, Brenton Brown, Charlie Hall, and More Reimagine Powerful '90s Worship Songs on "Break Through the Stars" Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:55:00 EST |
NEEDTOBREATHE's Sold Out Red Rocks Performance Set to Stream Globally May 19 Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:25:00 EST |
Hezekiah Walker Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Love Fellowship Tabernacle Wed, 27 Mar 2024 14:15:00 EST |
Alex Henry Foster Announces New Album, "Kimoyo" Wed, 27 Mar 2024 13:55:00 EST |
Demi-Leigh Tebow to release debut book this August Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:20:38 +0000 |
LIFELINE CHILDREN’S SERVICES, GRUPO NELSON PUBLISHERS CO-HOST BOOK LAUNCH AND SIGNING FOR “WHOSE AM I?” Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:49:00 +0000 |
EEM’s Bibles for Kids Initiative to Provide 570,000 Free Bibles to Children & Teens in 2024 Mon, 04 Mar 2024 22:33:43 +0000 |