Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!
Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!

JFH Music Review


Nichole Nordeman, The Unmaking - EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Nichole Nordeman
The Unmaking - EP



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Pop
Album length: 6 tracks: 23 minutes, 17 seconds
Street Date: August 28, 2015


READER RATING:   


Oh, Nichole Nordeman, how we have missed thee. Brave was released a decade ago. Yes, there was the collaborative project The Story in 2011, and it was excellent, but that voice, that piano, and most of all those lyrics are bright spots in Christian music, and their absence has been palpable. And so, finally, The Unmaking has arrived, a 6-song EP of new studio music. The first notes of the first song remind any listener who might have forgotten that Nordeman is a treasure.

Released with relatively little fanfare, there are curiosities about The Unmaking. Why an EP? The format has tended toward interstitial releases between big projects, and the timing here doesn't quite qualify. Perhaps it's another indication of the slow death of the full-length. If we pretend for a moment, though, that this was a vinyl LP, it would be a story of two sides, with three songs each.

Side one is the title track, "Not to Us" (a vocal duet with Plumb), and "Name," each one a fine song. "The Unmaking" highlights Nordeman's ability to take a familiar concept, in this case, the need to lose oneself to find God, and illustrate it with vivid metaphor and personal connection. The opening verse is really quite wonderful, which makes it more of a disappointment when, one minute in, the production switches gears to fairly routine CCM pop mode.

"Not to Us" invokes Psalm 115:1 and hints at the sentiment of "Tremble" to once again turn our gaze away from self and to the Almighty. The singing tradeoff is interesting; Nordeman and Plumb are not too dissimilar vocally, but they pair remarkably well. Rounding out our artificial side one is "Name," an effective "don't get down on yourself" song, once again ironically dulled by a too-bright pop sheen. The second verse in particular is a perfect message for many who struggle with assurance of salvation; don't miss it through the gloss.

It's on the flip side where the EP becomes a full realization of Nordeman's profound talents. "Love You More" opens to strings that at first feel a bit overwrought until the tender vocal speaks line after line of biblical stories of failure. In the first verse alone, the listener is deftly led through ten remarkable summaries of emotional collapse, disappointment, and sin. A prechorus makes the song personal, and the plaintive vocal of the chorus declares this powerful prayer: "I love You. I'm trying to love You more." This is Nordeman at her best.

Next, "Something Out of Me" jars the listener a bit with honky-tonk piano and a tantalizing first line: "Just you and me on a hillside / And four thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-nine." The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is told from the perspective of a random person in the crowd marveling that the same Jesus who can turn a paltry bit of food into a bounty can make "something out of me." Here's a fun line, recalling the container of the loaves and fish: "I see impossible but / You see a basket full of / A little bit of 'This sounds crazy!' / A little bit of 'Just maybe…'."

Nordeman saves the most emotional track on the EP until the end with "Slow Down," a parent-child song co-written with Christopher Stevens. It's a sweet journey from infanthood to the point when "you were trying to free your fingers from my hand." The song is particularly poignant in our overscheduled and distracted society, and though it's sentimental, it is never maudlin.

Throughout the EP, Nordeman's vocals are artful, switching effortlessly between registers and conveying honest emotion. If there's fault with this collection, it's that one wishes it was a full-length album, and that the pop production at times diminishes the lyrical depth and insight and the evocative vocals. When the songs feel more organic is when they are most effective.

These are minor quibbles. Nordeman remains head and shoulders above much of her genre, and it's a delight to see new music from her. Here's to the hope that the EP is indicative of a steady stream of thoughtful, well-crafted songs that make us think, touch our emotions, and enrich our relationship with God.

- Review date: 8/28/15, written by Mark D. Geil of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: Capitol CMG
. Album length: 6 tracks: 23 minutes, 17 seconds
. Street Date: August 28, 2015
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. The Unmaking (3:47)
  2. Not To Us (feat. Plumb) (4:39)
  3. Name (3:02)
  4. Love You More (4:21)
  5. Something Out Of Me (3:30)
  6. Slow Down (3:59)
spacer     Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics

 

 

 

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images