- Spoken Word
- Sarah McIntosh & Phil Wickham—Eyes for You (Psalm 141)
- Building 429—Come Close (Psalm 69)
- Phillip LaRue—How Faithful You Are (Psalm 89)
- Jeremy Casella, Sandra McCracken & Andrew Osenga—Last Chance (Psalm 88)
- Spoken Word
- Over the Rhine—Flown Free (Psalm 129 & 124)
- Chris Rice, Matt Wertz & Dave Barnes—Can't Get Enough (Psalm 63)
- John David Webster—Run to You (Psalm 31)
- Kendall Payne—Wait (Psalm 40)
- Spoken Word
- Shawn McDonald—Salvation (Psalm 71)
- Rachael Lampa—Flag (Psalm 57 & 108)
- Venus Hum with Ginny Owens—To You God on High (Psalm 92)
- Spoken Word
- Natalie LaRue—Who Can Compare With God (Psalm 113)
That rock-star-and-common-folk accessibility inspired Phillip LaRue (formerly of brother-sister duo LaRue) and producer Monroe Jones to serve as project visionaries for The Message: Psalms, a concept album where a number of artists recorded a song based on their favorite Message translation of one of the Psalms. But the producers didn't just call on any artist. Most "special event" albums rely on big players and music hotshots, but
The Message: Psalms resembles the classic multi-artist compilations
"Eyes for You," for example, is a haunting, dreamlike supplication where Sarah McIntosh (of now defunct Chasing Furies) teams up with indie artist Phil Wickham for an almost word-for-word translation of Psalm 141. It's a plaintive, fervent plea to God, accentuated by McIntosh's angelic whispers and Wickham's impressive, vibrato-rich voice. This song sets the tone and theme for the record, which maintains a somber and dark mood for most of it, with very few uptempo numbers or "happy" melodies.
Only the Word of God can bring artists like Over the Rhine and Building 429 under the same roof, and the results are not at all forced. The husband-and-wife duo offer another beautiful piano-based composition that would sound perfectly at home on their
Rachael Lampa builds on the alternative pop of her self-titled album with "Flag," an atypically structured semi-rocker that almost doesn't have a hook, but still has a strong arrangement to accompany words from Psalms 57 and 108. Building 429 turns in a passionate, melodically vivid ballad that easily surpasses the post-grunge excesses of the band's own material. And Ginny Owens temporarily plays frontwoman to the electronica trio Venus Hum in the tune "To You God on High (Psalm 92)," sounding much like Icelandic innovator Bj?
But strong as these collaborations and contributions are, none matches the weight of the text itself. The artists didn't make up any of the words, but simply adapted Peterson's vibrant prose to the music. Ultimately, it's the barebones humanity of the author that makes the album. The songs are given added intimacy and immediacy with lines like the following: "If God hadn't been for us/When everyone went against us/We would have been swallowed alive" ("Flown Free"), "Be kind to me O God/I'm in deep trouble again/I've cried my eyes out" ("Run to You"), or "Do my words even matter at all?/Do You still hear me when I call?/Are You as deaf as I'm blind?" ("Last Chance").
At the same time, some might find the indie-styled production and the solemn atmosphere somewhat inaccessible. The blame rests not on the execution, but the lyrical context of these Psalms. Perhaps the album would've benefited from portraying not only the darker aspects of human existence, but also the moments of joy, gladness, and praise that are prevalent throughout the Psalms. That's the only qualm with a compilation that otherwise shows that you need not have a blockbuster film or a huge recording budget in order to make a killer concept record. Sometimes God's Word is more than enough.