Description
The Great Exchange is the third album by the American singer and songwriter Bruce Carroll, released on Word Records in 1990. The album was recorded by Brent King at Quad Studios in Nashville, Tennessee; with Bubba Smith producing. Mixed by King at Digital Recorders in Nashville.
Is Bruce Carroll a country artist or what? That depends on your definition of country – and if you take a good listen to what’s coming out of mainstream Nashville, you can see why “new country” is a genre-busting term. Which means that Bruce Carroll and his mainstream counterparts have incorporated sensitive lyrics, clear-as-a-bell vocals, and some mighty fine guitar-based instrumentation for what is just plain old great music. Still, nobody’s quite sure what to call this music, since he’s stretched the boundaries of the very category he helped to create.
You might think of ‘The Great Exchange’ as Bob Bennett’s epic ‘Matters of the Heart‘ with swamp licks. At least in places. Lyrically, Bruce and writing partners have come up with accessible-yet-profound statements about life. «Living In The Pages» talks about the determination to stay in the Word, «Elm Street» is a lyrical twist on scary movies and the real-life horrors like child abuse that exist in our own neighborhood.
It’s not all serious – there’s a rollicking tune called «Wake The Dead» that features some guys from New Grass Revival (the world’s hippest pickers).
And how many country albums feature players like Phil Keaggy, Paul Leim, David Hungate, bluesmaster Kenny Greenberg, and Jerry McPherson? Prism guys Chris Harris and Mark Heimermann chime in on this too. It’s sheer beauty – from the chili-hot «Memory of Truth» to the powerful title track, a musically interesting ballad reminiscent of a Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell standard.
You’ll find this on the Word label instead of New Canaan, a move that is intended to solve Bruce’s stylistic identity crisis. Not that Bruce really cares what you call it. He’s just making the best music he know how to, which happens to be among the finest around, anywhere. No matter what you call it. [Bernie Sheahan, CCM, May 1990]
Now that a new breed of singer/ songwriters have brought their rich skills to contemporary country music, us good ol’ boys have found courage to don the stetson and swagger down main street at high noon. Classy cowpokes like Lyle Lovett, Dwight Youkam, etc. all have inspired a cluster of Christian counterparts offering New Country sounds which have progressed from the more “outlaw” orientation of fellow-believers Jerry Arhelger and Dennis Agajanian. Current top gun is Bruce Carroll, whose previous albums rank highly amongst my personal prize trophies. Bruce’s expertise receives creamy support from superstar session men in a lineup worthy of the giants of the genre. The New Grass Revival, remembered for their album with Leon Russell, and for my money the supreme hot pickin’ country band, weigh in too. It’s one mouth watering menu for country appreciardos. The ten songs are Christ-centred, whilst relating strongly in a non-escapist way to the gut level realities of streetlife. Some songs are red-dirt and rural, reminiscent of much of John Mellencamp’s work, others more smoothed-out and “back porch Sunday afternoon”. Yup, make room around the campfire boys, Bruce is on song tonight. [Tony May, Cross Rhythms, July 1990]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-great-exchange/1165945505)
01. Living In The Pages – 4:34
02. Lay It On Down – 2:47
03. Elm Street – 4:08
04. Who Will Be Jesus – 3:51
05. Average Joe – 4:07
06. The Great Exchange – 3:51
07. Wake The Dead – 3:05
08. I Can’t Live Without You – 2:55
09. Moment Of Truth – 4:47
10. You Never Know – 3:16
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Word Records.
A full-page advertisement for Bruce Carroll’s The Great Exchange was featured on the back cover of the June 1990 issue of CCM Magazin, and was featured in the October issue as well.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.