Soul Anchor
After 20 albums and 12 books, Michael Card still has new things to say. With Soul Anchor, the singer/songwriter presents a musical soundtrack for the book of Hebrews that, like the book, points us to our hope in Christ in the face of persecution, doubt and everyday life.Jars of Clay's Dan Haseltine sings on "By Faith," on which Card describes faith as a power that "can shut the mouths of lions." Longtime Card producer Phil Naish uses subtle programming on the song to reveal an edgier side of Card's music. But the majority of the album is typical Card: light acoustic pop in an adult contemporary vein.The disc's highlight is the remake of "He Was Heard," a song Card originally recorded for Known by the Scars (1983). It's a song he wrote while in college to summarize everything he knew at the time about Hebrews, and Card sings the 2000 version an octave or two below the original. The production is stronger, putting the song over the top.Unfortunately, the back half of the disc slows musically. But that doesn't mean that the lyrics suffer. Instead, Card pours his wisdom into each song, wasting no word on empty rhymes or predictable themes. --David Mackle(c) 2000 CCM Communications, Inc. --From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now!