Portrait of a Spirit

Description

Portrait of a Spirit, sub-titled “…an intimate Musical Vocal Journey into the Heart of a Ministry!“, is a multi-artist compilation album recorded by various Pakaderm Artists, released on Pakaderm Records in 1992, manufactured and distributed by Word. The album was produced by John and Dino Elefante.

It’s no longer a novelty to recast one’s music in an acoustic format; in the past couple of years, artists as diverse as George Michael, Queensryche and R.E.M. have had a great success with “unplugged” tunes. But with ‘Portrait’, the Pakaderm artists get a chance to cast off two sets of shackles: the frequent criticism that they hide behind a lot of bombast and studio hoopla on their records, and the idea that a worship-oriented album must conform to a very rigid set of criteria. The “Heard” is largely successful on both counts.

Right off the bat, ‘Portrait’ offers us two wonderful singers who’ve been “missing in action” of late – former Imperials vocalist David Robertson and Richie Furay, possessor of one of popular music’s purest and most emotional voices. Furay’s «Man of Many Sorrows» is more of a solo effort, while «Song of the Lamb» is fashioned as a congregational chorus. But it’s the metal and rock acts whose fans will be most impressed by their contributions. Brighton turns in a country blues number called «Taking Back the Land», Guardian‘s Jamie Rowe and Tony Palacios rip it up on the bluesy shuffle «Take Up Your Cross», and a real departure for X-Sinner is «Shelter Me», which generates considerably electricity with only one guitar, organ and voice. The album concludes with a stirring remake (from ‘Rock Power Praise I‘) of the anthems «We Need Jesus», with many of the guest vocalists taking the mic in round-robin fashion. The commendable project offers convincing proof that even when the Marshalls aren’t set on “11,” the Pakaderm posse can create a ruckus with a good deal of substances. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, April 1992]

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CD tracklist:

01. David Robertson – The House Of The Lord
02. Richie Furay – Man Of Many Sorrows
03. Brighton – Taking Back The Land (Jericho)
04. Sara Tennison – What Did I Ever Do
05. X-Sinner – Shelter Me
06. Mark Pogue – Thou Shalt Love
07. Richie Furay – Song Of The Lamb
08. Guardian – Take Up Your Cross
09. Halo – Real Life Conversation
10. The Heard – We Need Jesus

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

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