Published on Feb 23, 1999
The temptation is great to dismiss this new incarnation of
Considering Lily (which is itself an incarnation of the former
Serene & Pearl) as nothing more than a way for ForeFront
Records to indulge Audio Adrenaline guitarist Bob Herdman. After
all, Herdman’s wife, Jeanette, is the lead vocalist and Audio A is
one of the labels premiere acts.
Plus, Jeanette has no previous recording experience – at least
that the label has mentioned.
So, the temptation is great – no denying it. However, to do so
would mean turning a deaf ear to Jeanette’s pleasing lead vocals on
The Pieces Fit. And so, Considering Lily (minus Serene
Allison, Pearl Barrett’s sister, who left the group to be a
full-time mother) moves onto the next stage. They do get a valuable
assist in the producer’s chair from former Audio A guitarist Barry
Blair and on bass from that group’s Will McGinniss.
This is a group that deserves a listen. Jeanette Herdman and
Barrett co-wrote every song on the album. More so than Considering
Lily’s previous effort,
The Pieces Fit seems an honest expression from these two
women’s hearts.
Considering Lily from 1997 tried too hard to be hip – and in
the end sounded like Alanis Morrisette-lite, which was in direct
competition with another premier ForeFront artist, Rebecca St.
James. The “Alanis” comparisons for St. James were unfortunate. Her
change in sound was more a maturing process, than any attempt to
copycat – but I digress.
Considering Lily’s new album has a decidedly modern-pop accent,
rather than an alternative sound to it. The disc is full of pop
songs that should be bubbling out of the radio speakers all summer
long. To achieve that end, the duo used a lot of drum loops and
programmed keyboards. Underlying, and supporting, it all are
Barrett’s soothing harmonies. Her contribution to this disc cannot
be minimized.
The disc’s first song, and first single, “Great Expectations,”
is based on the promise found in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No eye has
seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can conceive what God has
prepared for those who love Him.” Actually, it sort of reminds me
of Serene & Pearl’s “Crazy Stories.”
“Great expectations/There’s so much waiting for
me/Anticipation/As you reveal my destiny/I may not know every
road/But I know positively/Great expectations are what you have for
me.”
The song bounces along like a convertible Volkswagen Beetle on a
summer afternoon, fueled by the keyboard programming of Michael
Quinlan, who also produced the track. Truthfully, there’s not a
song on this disc that disappoints in a major way.
Oh sure, some of them have a certain amount of “school girl”
pretentiousness in the lyrics (“Still wishing/still dreaming/soul
searching/for meaning” from “Waiting For The Day”) and the sound
occasionally comes across as too much of a mix between Debbie
Gibson and Wilson Phillips, but, really, that’s being snooty.
Not every book you read is C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”
right? And you don’t really watch only PBS, do you?
This disc is fun. It’s celebratory. It encourages. It affirms.
It worships – in its own little cute way – and there’s nothing
wrong with that. Music is not this terribly serious endeavor that
you really have to suffer to create. Sometimes it’s just pure joy
and you just stand back and let it flow over and through you.
Enjoy
The Pieces Fit. You might as well, you’ll probably be
hearing the songs on the radio all summer long.