Description
Streets of Mercy is the seventh studio album by the American singer and songwriter Randy Matthews, released on Refuge Records in 1987. The album was producer by John Thompson.
In 1972-73, when I was discovering rock music by Christians in the cultural wasteland that is Western New York, there were three names that meant something: Larry Norman, Andrae Crouch, and Randy Matthews. Norman and Crouch went on to attain certain levels of acceptance and are often remembered as forefathers of the genre; for Matthews the road was less satisfying.
Before his career took a sharp left turn into limbo Matthews recorded ‘Eyes to the Sky‘ with his own epitaph in «Pennsylvania Song»: “You pulled the plug and drained my soul but I know I left a ring/ Around the tub of tradition, I saw some dance and sing.” Those of us who remember ‘Son of Dust‘ and the live ‘Now Do You Understand?‘ as two classics of early Jesus Music, remember Matthews as a consummate poet/lyricist/storyteller, a pioneer, and folk singer/troubador without parallel. We who danced and sang along always understood.
Now, after several comeback attempts – ’76’s ill-fated collaboration with veterans Danny Taylor and Mike Johnson for NewPax Records, and two promising releases, ‘Randy Matthews‘ and ‘Plugged In‘, on the now-defunct Spirit Records – Matthews is back with ‘Streets of Mercy’, but it’s not all good news. After a short reprise of «Amazing Grace» played over a bed of «Under the Boardwalk» comes «Hearts on Ice», with the album’s best lines in its two short verses: “Designer love, they make it look so nice/ But the blood runs blue/ On Madison Avenue.” The straight-ahead slow rocker epitomizes Matthews’ gravelly vocals at their best with a sweet sax refrain.
But «Grumble Alley», a fast-paced horn-driven 12-bar, opens with a dippy a cappella chorale, and «Ti Chape/Kum Ba Ya» heads off in another direction: children’s choruses. While no one can fault Matthews’ sensitivity to Third World children, nor the title track’s awareness of God’s concern for folk on city streets, what’s lacking is a clear artistic vision and a unique musical style.
Matthews was at his best telling a story over an acoustic guitar pattern, before launching into a poetic folk/rock song that dealt with his own “peculiar” vision. On ‘Streets of Mercy’, especially «No Cross, No Crown», «The Day Death Died», and «Nuclear Hymn», that vision settles for what is Commonplace – what will appear on two dozen Christian LPs this year. «Eyes of the Heart» comes closest to matching the artistry of the man who wrote «Bad Has Made It Better», «Wounded Warrior», «Oh, My», and «Didn’t He». All in all, it is great to have Randy Matthews back, but I’ll hold out for a comeback. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, November 1987]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Amazing Grace” – 1:15
A2. “Hearts On Ice” – 3:22
A3. “Grumble Alley” – 3:30
A4. “Ti Chapé-Kum Ba Ya” – 4:33
A5. “Eyes Of The Heart” – 3:34
Side Two
B1. “Streets Of Mercy” – 2:57
B2. “I Wish It Were Only Make Believe” – 3:55
B3. “No Cross, No Crown” – 3:04
B4. “The Day Death Died” – 3:52
B5. “Nuclear Hymn” – 3:27
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Refuge Records.
A full-page advertisement for various new releases on Refuge Records, including Randy Matthews’ Streets of Mercy, was featured in the July 1987 issue of CCM Magazine.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.