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Chris Rice - Amusing
eb+flo records/INO Records, 2005
Reviewed by Lowell Hansen
August 29, 2005
He has 10 Dove nominations and was 1999 Male Vocalist of the Year for the Dove Awards. He has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide and penned 11 No. 1 radio singles. We know him today as Chris Rice.
I cannot say that I am familiar with him but I am certainly impressed with his music and his honey-smooth voice. Rice says that the most important element that built his faith was the people who were a part of his life. Therefore, he likes to be involved with and be surrounded by people and to help them in their lives. He had not planned on having a music career or to work with youth but gradually wandered into both and found his calling. (He had taken piano lessons as a youth and used his musical talents while attending Union University in Jackson, TN to lead college worship services and retreats.) For the past two decades Rice has spent his time as a youth pastor and playing for high school and college conferences nationwide.
Entering The Album
As I slipped
Amusing into my portable CD player and took off on one of my walks, I was a
bit apprehensive of the first track, “Love Like Crazy.” It was very up-tempo
and had the kind of guitar business going on that I don’t care for much. The
song has some very meaningful lyrics, however it’s not my favorite.
A favorite of mine on this CD is the love song “When Did You Fall.” The lyrics go through a list of possibilities when you fall in love. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a song like this on a Christian CD. Rice paints a mental picture that gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling. I always think that if there is a song that you’ve heard and you find yourself humming the tune or singing the words later, then it was a good song. That’s how I feel about this one. As he sings:
Was it at the coffee shop
Or was it that morning at the bus stop
When you almost slipped and I caught your hand
Or the time we built the snowman
The day at the beach, sandy and warm
Or the night with the scary thunderstorm
“The Final Move” reminds me of “Alone Again” by Gilbert O. Sullivan and it has a Phil Collins style. It talks about an old man playing chess and deciding his next move on the board. The main idea is that “love has the final move.” I think you will have to hear it to understand it completely, but it’s a mellow song and kind of sad with some great lyrics:
I saw an old guy today
staring on at a chess game
Looked like it was half played
Then his tears splashed between the bishop and the king
He turned his face to mine I saw the question in his eyes
I shrugged him half a smile and walked away
It made me sad and it made me think
“Tick Tock” is another favorite. It talks about the countdown to the rapture. It seems we don’t hear about this as often as we did in the past. The lyrics are catchy and quick, so you have to listen carefully. Check it out:
Got our heels dug in for
time is dragging us toward
A time when time won’t matter anymore
They say life is but a vapor just a blip on the radar screen
Not the dates on your tombstone but the dash in-between
And In Conclusion
I believe you
would enjoy adding this album to your collection. It’s the kind of CD that you
listen to when you don’t have to think about anything important. Its lazy,
laid-back easy listening music is just, well, plain relaxing. Except, of
course, for the first song.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2005, Lowell Hansen
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Lowell Hansen lives in the great Northwest where the summers are short and the rain is wet and in abundance. Hopefully he can live in a warmer, dryer climate some day.
You can find out more at www.chrisrice.com.