RELEASE DATE: MARCH 27, 2012
In the world of Contemporary Christian Music, it is all too common for an artist to sound like a spin-off of some more popular artist as if they are trying to emulate their predecessor’s success. Not so with Jimmy Needham. He has paved for himself a unique path with his distinctive voice, brilliant songwriting, and mixture of various music styles. And it works.
Honestly, I am not even really a fan of CCM, but I am a fan of good songwriting and music that has the ability to stand out in a sea of thousands of other artists. That is why I have been a fan of Jimmy Needham’s past work and why his latest release, Clear the Stage, is no exception.
From the first song, “I Will Find You”, Clear the Stage is in your face letting you know that this album will not be pigeon-held as any one genre of music. This song is a conglomerate of pop, funk, and hip-hop that blends together surprisingly well. Speaking from God’s perspective, Needham sings about God’s pursuit of His people. He even gets a little help from popular hip-hop artist Lecrae.
“If I Ever Needed Grace” is a perfect example of Needham’s unique style of songwriting. He takes three examples of his own life and describes how in those moments he was/is in desperate need of God’s grace. Hearing him talk about his need for God’s grace to lead his wife well or to be a good father to his daughter adds a personal touch to this song which is nice to hear.
Some songs have a more light-hearted and fun feel to them. “Daddy’s Baby Girl” has a strong acoustic lead that backs the tell-tell lyrics of all the things he does to make his daughter smile such as making funny faces and doing silly dances. Or “Arrows” that talks about how God is in various aspects of our everyday lives using these things to point us back to Himself. The vocals are smooth and soulful while the music is somewhat a mixture of pop and funk with just a hint of blues. And, yet again, it works well.
“My Victory” was a bit of a misstep for me. It is a worship song that if sung by another artist would probably be fine, but when the rest of the album sets a bar for being creative and noticeably personal, this song just falls short. Something else I noticed on Clear the Stage is that it is the first album from Needham to not close with a poem. I have come to enjoy the poetry of his past work and missed it on this album.
Clear the Stage is classic Jimmy Needham. If you have enjoyed his earlier work, then you will enjoy this album. His songs are still creative and personal, his sound still has a little bit of everything, and he still finds time to have some fun along the way. If you have not heard his music before, then this might not be a bad place to start.
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