Caedmon's Call
40 Acres
Album · CCM · 1999 · Brentwood Music
It’s fitting that a band inspired by England’s first Christian poet should take their mission seriously. Caedmon’s Call tackles day-to-day spiritual issues with a thoughtful air on 1999’s 40 Acres. This doesn’t mean that this album is aimed only at the head — the group’s acoustic-based sound has an insistent melodic drive that recalls early REM and 10,000 Maniacs. Banjos, accordions and even a Mellotron are employed to add shape and texture to their guitar-based tunes, and the songs here reflect the festive live sound that made them a popular college act in the early ‘90s. Caedmon’s Call applies this energy here to songs dealing with spiritual weakness and doubt — “Shifting Sand” and “There You Go” for instance. The struggle to find love and commitment finds expression in “Table For Two” and “Daring Daylight Escape,” and the title track is a wistful invocation of the band’s Texas heritage. Rural in atmosphere and universal in theme, 40 Acres is one of the band’s most appealing releases.
40 Acres
Caedmon's Call
It’s fitting that a band inspired by England’s first Christian poet should take their mission seriously. Caedmon’s Call tackles day-to-day spiritual issues with a thoughtful air on 1999’s 40 Acres. This doesn’t mean that this album is aimed only at the head — the group’s acoustic-based sound has an insistent melodic drive that recalls early REM and 10,000 Maniacs. Banjos, accordions and even a Mellotron are employed to add shape and texture to their guitar-based tunes, and the songs here reflect the festive live sound that made them a popular college act in the early ‘90s. Caedmon’s Call applies this energy here to songs dealing with spiritual weakness and doubt — “Shifting Sand” and “There You Go” for instance. The struggle to find love and commitment finds expression in “Table For Two” and “Daring Daylight Escape,” and the title track is a wistful invocation of the band’s Texas heritage. Rural in atmosphere and universal in theme, 40 Acres is one of the band’s most appealing releases.
