It was bound to happen... If Clapton, McCartney, and 10,000 Maniacs can release "unplugged" records to success, it was a sure bet that in a matter of time someone from the CCM genre would be following suit.

But as predictable as the release was, it was uncharacteristically good, although not necessarily a record itself, but rather as a collection of songs. Browbeat suffers the disease of most various artist records, a lack of continuity. Thus, I recommend highly for CD programming and home taping. It is a must-have release for the genre, although not necessarily a disc you'll be tugging on as often as others.

The roster reads like a who's who of ACM:  

     The Choir's cut, "Wilderness" will be the big attention-getter, a wizened look at real Christianity and hypocrisy. Hindalong hasn't looked this unflinchingly at the church through skeptical eyes since "15 Doors." Daugherty hasn't tossed his guts in a line or two for emphasis for a while, but the lack of his swirls pretty much required that he create the tension between soft sounds and harsh words himself. And Michaels does saxophone parts that would have done Sting and Branford right. If you hear other publications hyping this cut, believe them. It's just as dark and moody as you would hope, yet wonderfully different musically for the band.

Poor Old Lu's follower is of a decidedly different nature, more seventies than all of the pseudo-seventies bands hiding behind their wahs and their clothes. These guys draw from Jethro Tull both for vocals and flutes, and the cut works, but after "Wilderness" it's kind of lost in the gears somewhere. The song, as would apply to most on Browbeat, stands better on its own or with others by the band than in its CD placement.

Mike Knott's "Deaf and Dumb" is one of those you'd expect to be outstanding and it is. In fact, all those that you'd predict to turn in stellar radio songs do. Terry Taylor's cut, "Have to Do for Now" is predictably Beatle-esque, at points more McCartney, and at points more Sgt. Pepper's. The BGV's are very akin to those on "No Room for Us" by Lost Dogs. One for the Best-Of tapes, Uncle Terry sets cellos aspinning.

Dig Hay Zoose turns in a quirky, falsetto cut with Piltdown Man drumming and The Throes do a harmonica-meets-acoustic song not at all unlike "Way Too Much." Lost Dogs submit a version of "No Ship Coming In" with dry vocals and guitars-and-percussion-only instrumentation. The loss of the wash of sound reveals textures that, while a little rougher, are far more engaging.

And then another incredible performance is turned in by Mortal, reminding me of work by Joy Division and Bourgeois/Tagg...piano, percussion, effects, acoustic six-string, and excellent bass playing and songwriting that turns the cut into a surprise song to return to and revealing the duo as musicians in any setting they choose, behind samples or not.

L.S.U.'s cut is also excellent, a Nirvana meets NIN gone acoustic experiment. Under's is Guns and Roses does Rick's Cafe.

But it is for the closer that I will return to the CD - Adam Again doing what they may be best at, slow, brooding, minor-key and emotionally wrenching music. This time, the tension comes from the understated lyrics and vocal performances offset by "Country Feedback"-styled strings ands simple, haunting guitar parts allowed to run long enough to burn their way deep into your memories as music often takes time to worm its way into our more guarded recesses. For this song, if not the Terry Taylor, Mike Knott, Choir, or Mortal cuts, get this CD. And look for it on my Top Ten of 1994.

By David Vanderpoel, Originally appeared in the Visions of Gray February 1994 issue

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