January 16, 2006 - Derek Webb

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Derek Webb - Mockingbird
2005, INO Records
Reviewed by Jamin Tuttle
January 16, 2006

Derek Webb is hoping people will listen and people will talk. Agreement on his views isn’t even required; he’d be happy if you listened to his sophomore effort titled Mockingbird. Webb brings up issues that aren’t always heard on your everyday CCM radio stations, including poverty in Africa and worldwide social injustice. Not one to shy away from stirring people up, Webb says, “Our country was founded on a culture of genocide.” He also states that “We haven’t loved well and people don’t like us, and we need to look at why.”

Mockingbird starts out with the simply arranged title cut, stating a desire to be like the mockingbird, and as Webb says, “mimic the songs of Jesus.” Webb takes shots at the seemingly right leaning churches in general in “A New Law” with lines such as these:

Don’t teach me about politics and government; just tell me who to vote for.
Don’t teach me about moderation or liberty; I’d prefer a shot of grape juice.
Don’t teach me about loving my enemies.
Don’t teach me how to listen to the spirit; just give me a new law.

Webb uses “Rich Young Ruler” to urge us to help the poor and move back to “Jesus neighborhood.” He essentially accuses the Church of moving across town to get away from the poor and urges us to sell our homes, stock, and sport utility vehicles. While one can understand his frustration, lumping everyone under the same umbrella is much like Webb’s accusations of the church’s attitude toward the poor. Other songs, such as “A Consistent Ethic of Human Life” and “My Enemies Are Men Like Me,” are sure to make some applaud and others drop their jaws in disbelief. “In God We Trust” reminds us that God is all we truly have. Webb gets his shots in with lines like “in God we trust, even if our hearts are bankrupt.”

The lyrics of this album are guaranteed to get people talking. And that seems to be Webb’s goal. When asked about being the one to start the political dialogue in Christian circles (I actually thought it’d been going on for sometime), Webb replied, “ I’m not sure I’m the best one to do it, but no one else is showing up.”

Musically, Mockingbird is a mostly folk album with a slight pop sound to some of the songs. Mostly sparse arrangement with just piano and drum, or piano, drum, guitar and bass, the album sets a tone that sounds like the lifestyle Webb would like us to lead. The problem may be that quiet message cutting through our clutter today. I, like many of you, live a very busy lifestyle, and it felt like the eleven tracks on Mockingbird were never going to end. While very well played and arranged, it was too many songs with the same sound and theme.

I know that there are injustices in the world, and I know that I’m not perfect in dealing with them in my town, let alone my world. And to be honest, I don’t enjoy a barrage of songs telling me about it.

If folk music with thought-provoking lyrics is your thing, then this may be for you. If Bono did folk music, this might be a U2 to record. At least their songs of protest and injustice sometimes ring hopeful, both musically and lyrically. Mockingbird doesn’t quite do it.

ninetyandnine.com

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Jamin Tuttle is Youth Pastor at Point of Grace Family Praise Fellowship and is very sad the Colts are no longer undefeated. His wife, however, is now hoping for a playoff loss so her house doesn’t get overrun for a Super Bowl party.