Description
To the Ends of the Earth is the 11th studio album by the American singer and songwriter Scott Wesley Brown, released on Word Record in 1988. The album was produced by Greg Nelson.
While it is perhaps a bit premature to hail the resurrection of the concept album, there does appear to be at least mild interest for the 20th century’s version of the song cycle among a handful of Christian artists – Michael Card, Rich Mullins (to a degree), and Scott Wesley Brown, for instace. The latter’s ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ conveys his deep passion for the mission field, and the 10 songs therein paint a vivid picture of the work being done and the work that is yet needed to be done.
Unfortunately, unlike many concept albums, Brown and a list of MOR stalwart co-writers too numerous to mention (trust me, it reads like a MOR’s Who’s Who) abandon allusion-laden lyrics and plow straight ahead most of the time. «Things» is the sole exception, and lines like “For discarded in the junk-yards, rustling in the rain/ Lie things that took the finest years of lifetimes to obtain/ And whistling through these tombstones, the hollow breezes sing/ A song of dreams surrendered to the tyranny of things,” leave one longing for more songs with that type of imagery.
Ballads dominate throughout – and not without reason, as ballads are probably the best way to communicate the seriousness of Brown’s message. Several bouncy pop tunes and a hysterical spoof entitled «Please Don’t Send Me to Africa» keep things from bogging down musically.
A few flaws notwithstanding, Brown’s ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ takes us there and back again. [Warren Anderson, CCM, February 1989]
CD tracklist:
01. All Creatures – 3:02
02. Look What God Is Doing – 4:04
03. Things – 4:37
04. Blessed To Be A Blessing – 4:37
05. Please Don’t Send Me To Africa – 4:24
06. He Is No Fool – 4:16
07. They That Wait – 3:32
08. My Eyes Have Seen Salvation – 3:08
09. God’s People – 3:31
10. Still Another Miracle – 5:25
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Word Records.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.