The Quick and the Dead’s songwriting team could all be distant cousins of the great Contemporary Christian Music pioneer Steven Curtis Chapman, with earthly lyrics that strike a chord with the common man without being preachy. This is an poignant quality for a band that chooses to play on the streets and in crowded homeless shelters rather than staying in a comfortable church setting like so many of their contemporaries. While the octet’s music is appealing to the upright Christian, it’s the poor and destitute that can benefit more from the message of 10:42, and the band caters to these souls by showing up on their doorstep instead of foolishly hoping that these folks will saunter into their sanctuary.
Band leader Laurie Schwab opens the album with “One More Day,” a well-crafted tune reminiscent of the innocent pop rock of the early 60’s. Schwab’s delivery is clear and clean with excellent enunciation. Her Mama Cass vocals sing through Christian lyrics with substance, a trait some CCM artists lack by being too high and lofty. Unfortunately for this mostly good song, it gets a bit campy in the coda with the full repetitive chorus and the bass singer down in the low ranges.
In redemption, the male lead vocalist in the ballad “From the Moment” does a better job by not singing the slightly lilting melody too stiffly. The keyboards employ a reed patch that adds a nice touch to the opening, colors the bridge, and expertly leads the modulation into the final chorus. Another lovely ballad on the group’s debut is the duet “The Choice” co-written by Schwab and her husband Tim who handles the percussion duties for the band. The song is well structured and all the vocal harmonies blend together eloquently.
The vocals in “J.C.”, however, are muddy. This upbeat rock and roll BTO-sounding song driven by T. Schwab’s classic rock fills is too much for the layered vocals. The lyrics are unclear and the electric guitar is sloppy with poor tonality. The same problems seem to befall the group in the unexceptional cover of Robin Mark’s “Days of Elijah.” The tempo is a tad too quick for everyone to keep up with, and the busy orchestration adds to the sense of chaos. Between unison voices and guitars and keyboards all playing their hearts out, the music and the message gets jumbled. In the coda, a soprano is singing a beautiful countermelody, but she can barely be heard over all the other instruments. In “Fighting the Battle” the lead vocals again get covered up by the rest of the band and the tempo is noticeably unsteady.
The Quick and the Dead is a fabulous group of volunteers who are performing out of love for the music and the message they convey. Some of the songs possess wonderful moments, like the tasteful electric guitar embellishments in the dramatic number “Fathers Wake Up”, and the intricate instrumental coda in “Listen To Him.” The ballad “I Believe” boasts the best keyboard and electric guitar work on the entire album.
A little more polish could do The Quick and the Dead some good, but the originality of the songs. They are to be commended for writing intelligent Christian music that can appeal to the masses.
Review by Kelly O’Neil
