Commentary on jubilee, God not caring what color skin and/or plumbing your have, Psalm 42, and fighting depression. (more…)
Tag: Daniel Amos
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Cephas Hour
Episode Eleven
Release Date: April 23, 2021Commentary on death, the false gospel of CRT, and the real problem of whataboutism. (more…)
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Cephas Hour
Episode Eight
Release Date: March 30, 2021Some discussion about how Jesus understands the small stuff, Psalm 123, and the need for loving each other in the present while waiting for love in the eternal. (more…)
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Cephas Hour
Episode Seven
Release Date: March 22, 2021Some discussion about not making yourself into a living cliché, not pursuing happiness at the expense of others, and the need to comfort those facing loss. (more…)
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Cephas Hour
Episode Five
Air Date: March 6, 2021Some discussion about taking the long view of things, the need to put Scripture into action by taking care of one another, and the need to better know Scripture period.. (more…)
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Cephas Hour
Episode Four
Air Date: February 27, 2021Some discussion about the wages of sin, politics (sorry), and coping with COVID cabin fever. (more…)
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Cephas Hour
Episode Three
Air Date: February 14, 2021Some discussion about relationships and helping each other. (more…)
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Cephas Hour Episode Two
Release Date: February 8, 2021Some discussion about sex (calm down), parenting, and grace. (more…)
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Looking Back: “Dig Here, Said the Angel” by Daniel Amos A Music Masterpiece
(This review originally ran in July of 2013 on examiner.com.)
There’s good. There’s great. There’s brilliant. And then there’s instant timeless classic. “Dig Here, Said the Angel” by Daniel Amos is the latter, and then some.
The band’s first release since 2001’s “Mr. Buechner’s Dream,” “Dig Here, Said the Angel” finds Terry Scott Taylor and compatriots exploring a musical mix fusing various flavors of late ’60s psychedelia with the shimmering combination of power pop and Bakersfield country/latter-day Laurel Canyon Mafia country/rock fusion exemplified in earlier Daniel Amos releases such as “MotorCycle.” The emphasis is on the psychedelic, sometimes basking in musical sunshine such as ‘Jesus Wept’ and other times menacing such as on the title track. Throughout, Taylor and the band’s melodic sense reigns supreme, with nary a tuneless or throwaway track to be found.
Lyrically, the album pierces mind and soul with purposeful intelligence. Taylor has long been one of Christian rock’s premiere lyricists. This time through he has outdone himself, exploring grace’s enveloping nature, the nature of suffering and meditations on his own mortality among other topics. In ‘We’ll All Know Soon Enough’ he challenges non-believers not with Bible-blasting broadsides, but with a quiet reminder of mankind’s common fate. On the flip side, ‘Now That I’ve Died’ comes from the viewpoint of how entering heaven entails the ultimate self-improvement movement. The pure anthem ‘The Sun Shines on Everyone’ is a gentle yet forceful reminder that God’s love extends to everyone and He alone reserves judgment. These are but a few of the terrific songs from start to finish on this superb album.
It is no exaggeration to say that “Dig Here, Said the Angel” is Daniel Amos’ greatest work. It is also no exaggeration to say that in the annals of Christian rock, only “Only Visiting This Planet” by Larry Norman is a more masterful work. It is that good.
The album is available on the band’s website.
