The Hope of a Man

Description

The Hope of a Man is the sophomore solo album by the American singer and songwriter Bob Carlisle of Good News and Allies fame, released on Sparrow Records in November ‎1994. The album was produced by Bill Deaton.

With Bob Carlisle’ second solo album, ‘The Hope of a Man’, the artist’s multi-faceted musical background and eclectic output through his former band Allies comes into sharper focus, continuing in the soulful pop musical vein of his first self-titled solo effort and zeroing in on what may be the center of his spiritual calling; a strong and uncompromising message to men, to humble themselves before God, that they might be exalted and used by His purposes.

The album opens with a couple of uptempo R&B/pop numbers that serve to let the supercharged singer “warm up” his listeners for the deeper stuff to come. Musically, «The Rest of All Time» is a killer ballad with lyrics subtle enough, to be heard by a wider audience than the gospel market alone. But it’s the next two songs that define both the title and the purpose of this album. On «Man of No Reputation», written by Rick Elias (who co-wrote four additional songs here with Carlisle), Carlisle lays out the standard by which a man is measured, namely Jesus Himself, in a compelling arrangement of a song that should bring more than a few of my gender to our knees. That done, Carlisle and Elias deliver the second part of a one-two punch with «When a Grown Man Cries», encouraging that “He’s a powerful man/ With a weary soul/ And his tears can touch the very heart of God,” with a vocal performance passionate enough to loosen the stiffest of necks. The remainder of the album deals with related themes, and realized with similar musical arrangements, though a more traditional gospel take is taken on the closing «Last Train to Glory».

‘The Hope of a Man’ is an important album, both to the rapidly growing ministry to adult men through organizations such as Promise Keepers, and to the musical career of Bob Carlisle. Personally, I wish he would record an album that paid homage to his early pop and jazz influences, with Bob playing his own guitar parts; and I think that, although Donna McElroy belts it out with Bob admirably in «Somewhere on the Other Side», a duet with Crystal Lewis would be double dynamite. But those are minor criticisms for an artist who is arguably one of the greatest white soul singers living today. Sooner or later, somebody’s gonna notice… I’ll be waiting. [Thom Granger, CCM, November 1994]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-hope-of-a-man/716558708)

CD tracklist:

01. Walkin’ Up The Steps Of Faith
02. Real Love
03. The Rest Of All Time
04. Man Of No Reputation
05. When A Grown Man Cries
06. One Step Closer To Your Broken Heart
07. Somewhere On The Other Side
08. Hold On
09. Take Me As I Am
10. Last Train To Glory

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Sparrow Records.