Search - Joseph Arthur :: Redemption's Son

Intensely personal and deeply moving

bluebeddy | 01/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I weary about whether Redemption's Son would be as amazing as Come To Where I'm From, but I was truly blown away by the variety of styles and songs in this new Joseph Arthur work. Not only is is amazingly sung and played, but Arthur seems to project a depth that makes the music feel so personal. The best songs on the disc would have to "September Baby", "Nation of Slaves", "Blue Lips", "You've Been Loved" as well as the title track. For anyone who wants to be emotionally moved, this is the disc to submerse yourself in. A musical wonder."

Struggles with Faith

WrtnWrd | Northridge, CA USA | 01/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's no getting around it: regardless of his actual faith, Joseph Arthur is a Christian folk rocker. Nothing wrong with that, just a fact that grounds the sixteen stellar tracks of his third release Redemption's Son. Though his belief runs deep, the thrill in his work is that his faith doesn't come without continuous struggle. Like his idol (and label-owner) Peter Gabriel, Arthur turns experience of the day-to-day into the epic. Unlike Gabriel, his music is still in touch with the simple verities. He keeps his progressive tendencies in check, relying on solid narrative details and the ragged beauty of his countertenor. The title cut, "Dear Lord", "Evidence" - each root their moral struggle in a recognizable situation: absentee father, social estrangement, addiction. The drawback is that every song reaches the same conclusion - there's nothing that God can't put right. Still, it's a testament to Arthur's gifts that the end doesn't nullify the journey."