It can be really frustrating to be a Caedmon's Call fan. The six records they've produced for a label thus far have played out something like this: (1) brilliant, (2) brilliant, (3) pretty good, (4) boring, (5) meh, (6) awesomely brilliant. Early on (up through Long Line of Leavers), they were the intelligent, college-friendly folk/rock band who could blend heady theology with lighter personal topics such as singleness in relevant ways, all the while adding enough color to the music to make sure they stood out in a genre that a million Christian bands have put their stake in ever since Jars of Clay became popular. Then the band discovered more large-scale success on Christian radio, and put out a rather uninteresting worship album called In the Company of Angels, followed by Back Home, a supposed "comeback" album of "normal" songs that turned out to be the "meh" entry in the above list. But then, against all odds, came the world beat-influenced Share the Well, an album which I thought was dazzlingly colorful and that hit home with its message of loving the poor in a much more artistic and vital way that most Christian bands could ever dream of doing. This was clearly their comeback album - it was far and away my favorite album by any artist in 2004. But I should have known not to get too excited about what would come next.

As if the "worship" trend in Christian music isn't bad enough, we've also been plagued with a sub-trend known as the "worship album sequel". For bands like Delirious? or the David Crowder Band who resided in that lyrical space to begin with, I can understand why most of their work is geared toward songs to be sung to God in a group context, and these guys are generally very good at that sort of thing. But for artists that have shown multi-faceted songwriting prowess, it's really annoying when they feel the need to scale back the intelligent lyricism and composition in order to make something that they think qualifies as "worship" music (the main idea apparently being that an idiot can pick up the tune in 30 seconds or less). And it's an absolute outrage when the hiatus from actual talent gets extended into a sequel project. You've got Third Day's Offerings II, Michael W. Smith's Worship Again, the Newsboys' Devotion, and now this, another Caedmon's Call worship album called In the Company of Angels 2: The World Will Sing.

You know what, I'd be fine with this new entry in their catalogue, if the band had actually taken what they learned from their little third world odyssey and applied it to this new batch of songs. Instead, it's like they never left Nashville. Friendly, pedestrian guitars and unimaginative, straight-ahead drumming push all of that pesky foreign stuff out of the way, and while the lyrics may have a few more reflective moments that work well for what they are, for the most part I feel like they've reverted to cheerleading with a lot of verbiage sprinkled throughout. It's one thing to revive old hymns; Jars of Clay did this to great success last year. It's another thing to totally alter their melodies and render them inoffensive, or to write new songs based on that same old jargon that don't distinguish themselves in any way. This is what Caedmon's Call does for most of ITCOA2, particularly the back half. Most of the album feels closer to bland pop, which can only be labeled folk/rock because it's played by a band and has acoustic guitars in it, and that's discouraging, given the diversity and talent that this seven-piece ensemble has showed us in the past, even on an album like 40 Acres that didn't have any "weird" songs.

Well, when all else fails, I guess you can blame the label. Lead singer Cliff Young (an increasingly bland personality if ever there was one) maintains that the band wanted to do this ever since they put out the first ITCOA, and that may be, but something tells me that the push from the label after a spoon-fed CCM audience failed to connect with Share the Well mandated this project getting done a whole lot sooner than the band intended, which means less thought went into it. I'm not sure that I wanted a Share the Well 2, either (the band is reportedly planning exactly that); I like for bands to continue to grow and change with every album, while not forgetting the good influences they've picked up in the past. There are a few true moments of musical joy here, a few tunes that I could see picking up and using for small group worship times. There's even one track that does seem to slightly recall the magic of Share the Well. But for the most part, I really wish that In the Company of Angels 2: The World Will Sing could have been less "company" and more "world".

Great and Mighty
So in You I will rejoice, make my life an offering
I'm enraptured by the mercies of my King
And I will sing...
The difference between Caedmon's Call's previous work and this opening track isn't earth-shattering, but it's notable enough to confuse the casual listener. Seriously, when I first popped this CD into the car, my wife asked who it was, and she couldn't tell that it was Caedmon's, due to the big, peppy electric guitars and overly poppy feel. Not that Cliff Young's voice isn't recognizable here - he's his usual well-mannered self, and his wife Danielle Young and Andrew Osenga blend well enough with him vocally. It's just that the main guitar and bass riff to this song has a very dorky way about it. It's hard to put my finger on it... it just makes me want to pump my arms and walk quickly down the street in a mocking, cartoonish sort of way. The lyrics are earnest enough, even if they're mostly just another variant of the magnetic poetry that generates a lot of worship songs these days. Cliches abound, so the strong vocal delivery is really the only thing that I can enjoy about this track. Normally the bass isn't that noticeable in Caedmon's songs, so I can see why Jeff Miller would want to stand out a little more, but something about the way he does so here just feels awkward. "Before There Was Time" was a much better example of the bass standing out.

Draw Me Nearer
There are great depths of love that I cannot know
'Til I cross that narrow sea
And there are heights of joy that I may not reach
Til I rest in peace with Thee...
An old Fanny Crosby tune (actually, I don't know how old it is, but the name "Fanny Crosby" sounds like someone who'd be old, so it's an educated guess) gets what I'm presuming is an overhaul here, with a medium-paced, high-capoed guitar strum driving it along, and the band already slipping into more of a reflective mode. Normally I'd complain about things getting so mellow when it's only track two, but this is actually one of the highlights. Again, that's mostly due to the vocals. Cliff and Danielle do a sort of duet here, with Cliff taking the lead and Danielle echoing or balancing him out with separate vocal parts that really help to fill in the gaps, and taking over for a fairly solid bridge. There's a sort of subtle intricacy to the way that the electric guitar delicately rings out, and Josh Moore's piano gets lightly sprinkled in here and there. Melody-wise, it's pretty basic, but this track is a good example of taking something basic and giving it a beautiful arrangement.

Sing His Love
Though the world may change its fashion
Yet our God is ever the same
His compassion and His covenant
Through all ages will remain...
Here we come across my favorite track on the album - probably from either of the band's worship albums. There's a quick, almost jangly acoustic guitar strum, with a little bit of tambourine to keep time before Todd Bragg brings in his shuffling percussion. The song is apparently based on an old Chinese hymn that Andrew Osenga refurbished to fit music that definitely doesn't sound Chinese. It just sounds like a wonderfully joyful folk song, which isn't at all a bad thing. The song is a celebration of the reasons why "the world will sing His love", and it becomes highly infectious near the end when the guitar strumming gets muted - effectively turned into percussion - and some quick hand claps join in to keep the beat. It invites participation without being corny, and it's an easy tune to remember and sing along with, without feeling like the band is phoning in. Truth be told, it's the one track that seems to fit well with their work on Share the Well.

Rest Upon Us
My soul is weary and my cup is dry
I am so in need of You
Though my righteousness is rags
Your mercies are new...
Another mellow track here - some pretty acoustic guitar picking and the ubiquitous egg shaker start us off, while Danielle takes the lead for a hushed but lovely meditation on the Holy Spirit. The song never quite makes the leap from pleasant to transcendent - it's mostly just mellow, but that's OK, I still like it for what it is. I've come to expect something powerful that makes you stop and marvel at its beauty and/or poignancy whenever Danielle takes the lead (see "Piece of Glass", "Mother India", "Shifting Sand", etc.), but hey, it beats the dull tracks that she fronted on Back Home.

The Story
And the bitter man is angry
Angry man just thinks he's right
Too right too see mercy when he's standing in the light...
A more standard and poppy rock beat gets this song going, and delightfully, we get to hear Andy take the lead for only the second time since he's joined the band (a brief hidden track on the last album notwithstanding), and while his voice is thinner and takes some getting used to, he tends to be one of the band's better writers. I'm not as captivated by the music here, since it seems to be a half-hearted compromise between upbeat rock and easygoing acoustic pop, but Andy sidesteps the usual rearranging of worship cliches and spends some time talking about the folly of man and how God turns it into something good. His tone is more conversational, so this isn't one you'll be singing along to on Sunday morning, but it's a refreshing break from the rest of the album for that very reason, despite the so-so music.

The Fountain
All the saints together form a garden
And beauty is the riches of its fold
Even in the rain, its beauty will remain
For water is its silver and its gold...
I've been fairly positive about the album so far (first track notwithstanding), so maybe some of you are wondering where the snark comes from. It mostly comes from the album's back half, and it kind of starts here, with a track that seems to have no objective other than to be mild-mannered. This is a song that kind of muddles along on too easygoing of a tempo, not really earning the half-hearted climax it tries to go for near the end. And of course, it's yet another metaphor about going to fountains and wells and having one's thirst quenched. It's an exercise in reaching for the low-hanging fruit, and it does nothing to warrant being paid attention to. (Humorously, there's a credit in the liner notes that says "Bass not played by Jeff Miller" for this song - so who did play it? Alan Smithee, perhaps?)

Be Merciful to Me
From the garden to the cross
Thy mercy did endure
My soul purged from all dross
In blood made pure...
Speaking of unusual album credits, songwriter Randall Goodgame is credited for playing "big blue piano" on that song. Not sure why Josh Moore couldn't handle those duties, but whatever, the tone of it is pretty enough, echoing off into the quiet. Percussionist Garrett Buell does a good job when the rain sticks and other assorted "peaceful forest" sounds here, and of course Danielle's lead vocal is gold. So what's not to like here, if everything is so pretty? Well, probably the fact that this song doesn't accomplish much other than being pretty. It kind of seems to be stumbling along without an idea of where to end up after about halfway through. That doesn't make it a terrible song - I enjoy it on most days - but again, Danielle has led on much more powerful songs in the past. Still, I'll give 'em credit for allowing their percussion department to really shine.

I Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly treasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus, take me now...
Oh, great. Another well-known hymn reworked to have a modern, radio-friendly, and ultimately dull melody. Not that I was ever much of a fan of the original melody to "I Surrender All", but still, it's a classic, you just don't touch it unless you know what you're doing. Didn't you guys listen to the travesty that was "It Is Well with My Soul" on an otherwise fine album of hymns by Jars of Clay? Maybe the record label forced their hands on this one, too. Somehow, despite Cliff's attempts to lead us all in a rousing chorus, and a nice organ interlude from Josh Moore (plus an inserted bridge that clearly didn't come from the original lyrics of the song), this track comes off like one of the less interesting tracks that bled together in the back half of Back Home. I'll take the original version - at least that sucker can soar when you get a bunch of people singing its chorus without being too dirge-like about it.

We Give Thanks
You chose the poor
You chose the lost
You chose the nails, betrayal, and cross...
Whoa, Andy gets to lead two songs? As much as I think Cliff has a great voice, too many tracks strung together with him singing lead can make a Caedmon's album feel like plain vanilla after a while. So this is welcome. Unfortunately, it's a much weaker track than "The Story", one which makes it sound like he, too, has succumbed to the habit of tossing off cliches as if he's not even really thinking about them "We give thanks to You, oh God, for Your name is near"? When you actually look at that sentence, what does that even mean? Anyway, there's a dull melody here once again, and while Andy's work with The Normals back in the day produced a lot of tracks that only revealed their subtle beauty after repeated exposure, this one has no such charm.

Fellowship So Deep
For His joy is in our laughter
And His comfort in our grief
Let His love here and ever after
Be the language that we speak
Another relatively dull song here - Caedmon's big failure on this album is that so many of their melodies are pleasant on the surface, but ultimately very leaden. This track at least has a bit of a folksy shuffle to push it along, but it ultimately sinks back into its own sluggishness with a chorus that sounds like it wants to soar, but once again resolves to remain very reserved and mild-mannered. Come on Clark Kent, where's Superman hiding? Not that I need bells and whistles and vocal theatrics to make a worship song great, but give me something I'll remember and want to hear again. OK, so maybe the bridge qualifies - I think I hear a banjo in there somewhere (almost as if the ghost of Derek Webb floated into help them out a bit, but I could be imagining things) as Danielle and Cliff's "hallelujah to the Lamb"s start to build in intensity. Transplant that bridge to another song, and we could have something as memorable and singable as "God of Wonders". Sadly, it wasn't meant to be.

Let Me Be
Teach me to be faithful to confess
In this way, my spirit will be blessed
Though my sins are daily, You have loved me greatly
Removing them as far as east from west...
And here the album ends, on another track that is so unmemorable that I couldn't even remember its title without looking at the album cover. That almost never happens to me. Spped it up a little bit and it might feel a little bit like "40 Acres", but even that was my least favorite track on the album it was named for. We've just had one too many boring Cliff songs at this points - at this point, I'm begging for the Cliff's Notes version of this album (which would essentially just include tracks 2-5, and 7). The plea to be "broken" and "humble" is heartfelt, but again guys, please do it against the backdrop of some instrumentation that makes me care, instead of loitering around with this boring slowness that just kind of sputters out, as if you had no idea how to end an album.

It's notable that on so many of these tracks, I said so little about the lyrics. They just aren't that interesting, in comparison to 20 other worship albums that I've heard which mostly say the same stuff. Caedmon's Call has a reputation for being a lot more well-read and intelligent than your average CCM, and it's frustrating that they can ride on that without having to actually put it into practice on such an album. Having said that, at least there's nothing as awkward as the undeserving hit "Who You Are" or as painfully cheesy and repetitive as "Warrior". There are no clumsily inserted live tracks either, thank God. So the sequel manages to outdo the original. But I still wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Even the diehard Caedmon's fan is likely to be disappointed here.

In an interesting turn of events, I found out earlier today that Caedmon's Call had parted ways with Essential Records. They seem to view this as a sort of "Emancipation", and they did quite well for themselves as an indie band before their self-titled album was released, so I think it'll be a great step for them. As much as I slag Cliff for not being that interesting of a guy (man, you should hear him ramble on in concert - well, actually, no you shouldn't!), he's merely a mouthpiece for some songwriters who can be really good when they want to be. So take that good songwriting and banish the need to please Christian radio, and hopefully whatever turn the band takes next will be an interesting one.

Guys (and girl), I'm let down by this album, but I'm still holding out hope for you. You made a stellar comeback once. Let's regroup and do something fantastic again next year, okay?

ALBUM WORTH:
Great and Mighty $.50
Draw Me Nearer $1.50
Sing His Love $1.50
Rest Upon Us $1
The Story $1
The Fountain $0
Be Merciful to Me $1
I Surrender All $0
We Give Thanks $0
Fellowship So Deep$.50
Let Me Be $0
TOTAL: $7

Band Members:
Cliff Young: Lead vocals, guitars
Danielle Young: Vocals
Andrew Osenga: Vocals, guitars
Josh Moore: Piano, Hammond B-3
Todd Bragg: Drums
Garrett Buell: Percussion
Jeff Miller: Bass

Website: http://www.caedmonscall.com

Recommended: No