Description
40 Acres is the third studio album by the American folk-rock band Caedmon’s Call, released on Essential Records in April 1999, a division of Brentwood Music, manufactured and distributed in the US by Provident Music Distribution. The album was recorded by Steve Bishir, Mike Purcell, and Glenn Rosenstein at The Castle in Franklin, Tennessee; with Rosenstein producing. Mixed by David Leonard, Charlie Brocco, Mike Purcell, and Ed Szymczak at East Iris Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The album is said to have sold about 350,000 copies.
Comfortably settled in the acoustic groove that has made this band the darling of the college and coffeehouse set, the second major label effort from Caedmon’s Call finds the band squarely involved in the complexities that befall a band with three lead singers, two percussionists and a primary songwriter who’s not officially in the band. The long and the short of it? 40 Acres is good, bordering on great, but not as great as it can be.
That last fact is due in large part to the high expectations placed on 40 Acres. Caedmon’s seven-piece live unit presents its shows and songs (including tunes from this record) with such a crackling energy that anything less than that same energy level on a record is disappointing. And these recordings don’t come close to matching what the band does live.
Make no mistake, there are some great moments on 40 Acres. The opener, «There You Go», features Cliff Young in a loping, hooky exploration of mercy, while wife Danielle Young first gets into the act on track three, «Shifting Sand», a delicate look at the transitive nature of faith.
Wedged in between is guitarist/songwriter Derek Webb on the can’t-describe-it-as-anything-but-a-jam track «Thankful», where the acoustic guitars, bass, organ and percussion lock you into a groove so quickly that when you finally break down the message, a smile crawls across your face at the dual result the song generates: making you think and making you rock. (As a side note, and not that I would ever suggest breaking this band up, but I would be the first person in line to purchase a Derek Webb solo album. This guy is a major talent.)
The album continues on in the vein of a song swap, primarily because of the alternation back and forth between Webb-penned songs and those composed by unseen “eighth member” Aaron Tate. So 40 Acres becomes a back-and-forth affair of Cliff or Danielle singing one of Tate’s tunes (save for Danielle’s cover of Shawn Colvin’s «Climb On»), then Webb dropping in with his songs. There’s not a quality problem with one or the other’s tunes because both are excellent, thoughtful songwriters, with Tate’s highlights coming with «Where I Began» and «Petrified Heart» and Webb scoring big with the aforementioned «Thankful», «Table for Two» and «Daring Daylight Escape». But when you’re looking for a seamless album presentation, the notion of three lead vocalists is a little disconcerting.
Caedmon’s members have come up with a fine record they should be proud of and that fans and newcomers alike should endeavor to obtain. But here’s the danger: When people hear the added life imbued in the live performance, then go back to the record, they might be a smidge disappointed. But only a smidge. [Lucas W. Hendrickson, CCM, April 1999]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/40-acres/304767877)
CD tracklist:
01. There You Go – 3:20
02. Thankful – 4:21
03. Shifting Sands – 3:50
04. Faith My Eyes – 4:41
05. Where I Began – 3:43
06. Table For Two – 3:34
07. Climb On (A Back That’s Strong) – 3:52
08. Petrified Heart – 4:41
09. Somewhere North – 5:32
10. Daring Daylight Escape – 3:40
11. 40 Acres – 3:33
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Essential Records.
The April 1999 issue of CCM Magazine featured a cover story on Caedmon’s Call.
“Thankful” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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