| Music
Review – Sixpence None the Richer "Divine
Discontent" |
|
Sixpence None the
Richer
“Divine
Discontent”
Squint Entertainment
Curb/Reprise Records
review by Tom Gilbert
 A title like “Divine
Discontent” immediately
raises eyebrows. Anyone who has been honestly
seeking a real relationship with the Divine
will discover the tension that creates. We
can’t help but feel discontent as we
struggle with how to connect better with
the Mystery of a God that loves and cares
for His creation so deeply that He never
gives up on it, even when so many of us turn
our backs to Him.
Is Divine discontent something God or we feel? Ah, there is
a topic for discussion. Exploring that might be a life long pursuit.
Who among us doesn’t feel the discomfort
of grappling with personal faith? Sixpence
None the Richer lets us dwell in this question
while drifting peacefully along to the
sublime music they make on this, their
fourth full-length release and first in five years.
There is dreaminess to singer Leigh Nash’s vocals and Matt Slocum’s writing
and strumming. This adds to the irony of the reflective subject matter of the songs.
The irony is especially evident in “Don’t Dream It’s Over”,
the Crowded House hit they cover on the album. This song clearly shows how sometimes seemingly
innocuous lyrics can be an expression of spiritual longing: Now
I’m towing
my car/There’s a hole in the roof/My possessions are causing me suspicion, but
there’s no proof.
Sometimes songs, even those “secular in nature”,
can be a meditation, even a prayer.
This is the path of Sixpence None
the Richer. They’ve
managed to straddle the Christian music and secular market
without feeling like they belong to one or the other. I wish there were more artists
willing and capable of taking such risks.
The record opens with “Breathe Your Name”, homage to the Divine presence
in everyday living. Connecting to God is as natural as breathing, but you don’t
know that until you experience it. On those days when you feel unworthy or incapable
of being loving to others you may find that you, too, “can only breathe
your (God’s) Name”.
The theme of waiting — upon the Lord, a friend or life's mysteries to unfold —
comes across in the expectant and hopeful songs “I’ve Been Waiting” and
“Waiting on the Sun”, the latter penned by Lifehouse's Jason Wade and Ron Aniello.
The struggle of what to do next and what we are supposed to know is nestled in the
twanging guitars and Nash’s plaintive voice on “Tonight”.
Sixpence None the Richer is not transcending or expanding musical
boundaries so much as settling into a groove. Their songs
are like leaves floating down a sun-soaked river, sparkling like jewels in the bright
shining of the Spirit that gives it’s warmth to all, irregardless of status or
religious affiliation. Believers and agnostics can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these
tunes and gently sway to the lush acoustic beat. This doesn’t imply the group
is pop fluff, nor apathetic about faith, just that they aren’t heavy-handed.
You can’t deny the boldness of their
beliefs. The appearance on the “Late
Show with David Letterman”
when Dave asked Leigh Nash about the origination
of the group’s name (it
comes from C.S. Lewis’ “Mere
Christianity”), the groups involvement
in DATA to bring attention and active concern over
the AIDS
crisis in Africa, or their support
of the East Nashville Center for
the Creative Arts attest to that.
Modern pop radio gives the band a platform
that results in more people being exposed
to this group’s music than if they
were confined to the play lists of Christian
radio. As Nash stated in a CCM
Magazine feature, “we
just wanted to make music that conveys
our faith and uses our talents. This resulted
in success on the ‘other side.’”
This is a good thing. So, too, is “Divine
Discontent”.
|
| As printed in the March issue of CCM Magazine,
Sixpence None the Richer is calling it quits. - Founding
member Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash, detail their past
and future in a letter to their fans. Rread the full
story in CCM Magazine or visit www.ccmmagazine.com for more information. |
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Scripture
taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of
International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering
of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International
Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights
reserved.
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