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Dana Jorgensen
All Over Again
2005, independent
It‘s not often that sweetdisaster reviews something that most Christian-music retailers would file under the ‘Praise and Worship‘ heading in the racks, and for a very specific reason: I dislike most of it. I find it experience-oriented, over-emotive, over-wrought - whatever adjective one would like to use. That being said, there are exceptions to every rule. Hillsong: United down in Australia consistently puts out great "church" music, and acts like Jars of Clay, The Normals and Caedmon‘s Call have never succumbed to watered-down material, preferring instead to stand apart from their peers for the sake of their music‘s integrity. Though some might call me an elitist, I don‘t think of myself that way; I simply demand that my music doesn‘t pander to me - that it‘s good for the sake of being good artistry.
Okay. Now that I‘ve established my moral high ground and alienated a large chunk of the reading audience, let‘s get to the matter at hand. Ottawa singer-songwriter Dana Jorgensen has been honing his "praise and worship" chops for a few years now, with a three-song EP to his credit before this, his debut album; having lived(with fellow solo troubadour Phil Baquie) and toured in the United States for the last year or so to pay his dues has proved very helpful, as this is a well-done record. All Over Again keeps the schmaltz content low, sounding much more like solid veteran acts like downhere or Paul Colman. Breezy, intelligent pop is the order of the day here; this genre, as previously mentioned, usually bores me to tears, but Jorgensen keeps my interest through a combination of good songs and a fresh, easygoing sound. He‘s been blessed with a pure, clear voice, and while there‘s nothing too lyrically adventurous presented(a la Derek Webb), topics like God‘s faithfulness and self-examination are looked at honestly by a man who fully acknowledges his issues, instead of covering them with a bubblegum-pop sound, aiming to fill store shelves.
The title track stands out as a fine musical offering, and ‘Comfortable‘ excels dynamically, beginning as a soft piano ballad before building into a heavy, electrifying crescendo finale. ‘Gladly Worship‘ displays subtle electronic flourishes, and ‘Today or Tomorrow‘ emphasizes a rockier, rhythmic attack. Jorgensen has surrounded himself with good musicians to fill out his musical vision, and this is a very promising start. Keep your eyes peeled.
- Mike Postma
Copyright ©2006