Description
Undercover Christian is the sophomore and final album by the American rock band Heirborn, released on the Canadian gospel label New Born Records in 1981, a division of Praise Industries Corp.
Edging into a more cleaned-up mainstream 80s style where soft rock numbers with smooth background vocals are balanced with heavier rocking statements akin to Petra circa ‘Never Say Die‘ or ‘More Power To Ya‘. Plenty of in-between moods, a few lightly jazzed up with saxophone. Some of the guitar leads are pretty loud, particularly the fierce dueling riff exchange with organ on «Love Won’t Stop». Still it all comes across as a rather generic ‘Christian rock’ kind of sound – competent, but missing something. Title track discusses a lukewarm Christian lifestyle (‘like the Frito Bandito I’m incognito’). [Ken Scott, The Archivist]
Heirborn’s album ‘Undercover Christian’ is so smooth and laid-back that it’s almost too mellow for its own good. There’s suppressed jazz energy in many of the songs that is straining to break loose, but the band never quite lets itself go enough to capture the music’s full potential. In the same vein, the lyrics are adequate, but don’t break any new ground.
On the positive side, «Down On Your Knees» makes good bluesy use of piano and harmonica. «One Way Road» and «Born to Fly» also stand out, and «Love Won’t Stop» has lively harmonies.
The title cut is the cleverest track on the album and should prick the conscience of more than a few listeners with painfully right-on chorus: “Cause I’m an Undercover Christian/ Havin’ a secret affair with the Lord/ Now that I’ve got my salvation/ Why I can’t just be ignored.”
The album’s jacket is guaranteed to bring a grin to the sternest of faces. [Lori E. Pike, CCM, July 1981]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “One Way Road” – 3:00
A2. “Born To Fly” – 4:20
A3. “You Shall Be Saved” – 3:00
A4. “Falling” – 3:15
A5. “King And The Lion” – 4:58
Side Two
B1. “Undercover Christian” – 4:15
B2. “Love Won’t Stop” – 5:40
B3. “Down On Your Knees” – 4:44
B4. “Psalm 151” (Instrumental) – 2:56
B5. “Through My Tears” – 2:28
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