Description
Angels Unaware is the fifteenth studio album by the American pop/rock band David & the Giants, independently released on Giant Records in 1995.
‘Angels Unaware’ is the latest installment in a long, 18-plus year litany of solid projects from this band. (The only major change in the veteran line-up card is brother Clayborn Huff has been replaced by new kid axeman Dennon Dearman.)
What David and the Giants offer is a sound that may be the closest thing we have to classic Christian rock, in this case rooted in guitar driven, guttural blues and Southern rock moments with traditional, unequivocal Christian lyrics. Melodically, «No One But You» is reminiscent of 1989’s «Here’s My Heart», (which enjoyed some regional and national mainstream success) and «Inside My Heart» reminds the listener of White Heart’s ‘Don’t Wait for the Movie‘ era, illustrating that classic rock genre.
Lyrically, David and the Giants is consistently sincere, appealing for continued growth in their Christian faith. Consider these lines from «No One But You», one of only two ballads on the guitar/drum heavy release: “Lord you’re so patient/ With your power of forgiveness/ Between your mercy and grace I will stay/ And wherever life may lead me/ I’m committed to my promise/ To serve you and worship you forever.”
For those fans reeling over the break-up of DeGarmo & Key, David and the Giants may be your best alternative. I have only two problems with an otherwise fine project. First, ditch the na-na-na’s on the instrumental tagged «Selah». The musicianship of this band is good and the said distraction seem to be vying for a spot on the ‘Brady Bunch’ soundtrack rather than displaying another side of the band. Second, ditch the angels as hitch-hikers theme on the cover art. Television’s syndicated “Highway to Heaven” is he only safe place to pick up folks along the road. [Gregory Rumburg, CCM, April 1995]
Here’s a band who’ve been around since the early 80s, who, despite a string of fine, melodic rock albums, have never quite gained Premier League status on the American CCM scene. The band features the many talents of the Huff family – not Dann and David (ex-White Heart and, confusingly, Giant) but Lance, Rayborn and David, plus new bassman Dennon Dearman. ‘Angels Unaware’ is much rockier than their recent efforts with a real flavour of their early Priority releases (their ’83 release ‘Riders In The Sky‘ is an absolute AOR classic, if you can find it). It really couldn’t get any better than the opening quartet of songs. «Can’t Stop The Music» kicks in with a dirty, Eddie DeGarmo style riff and features a chorus line that’ll be sung by many thousands on the US festival circuit this summer. «Light The Fire» and «Somebody Tell Me» sound very much like Dann Huff’s Giant, with David Huff spitting fire from his fretboard, whilst «Writing On The Wall» is a huge slab of AOR genius that would not sound out of place on any White Heart album. I’m not too convinced with the slushy «No One But You» but the album’s other ballad «Inside My Heart» works perfectly as do the soothing acoustic tones of «I Was Made For You» before the rapid fire «The Beat Goes On» takes us on a magical journey back into the early ’80s, complete with swirling Hammond organ solo! A great album that fans of White Heart, Petra and Nouveaux should enjoy immensely. [Andy Barnes, Cross Rhythms, August 1995]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/angels-unaware/451204067)
CD tracklist:
01. Can’t Stop The Music – 5:05
02. Light The Fire – 4:40
03. Somebody Tell Me – 5:26
04. Writing On The Wall – 4:24
05. No One But You – 4:00
06. Dance Your Night Away – 3:56
07. Inside My Heart – 3:40
08. I Was Made For You – 3:47
09. The Beat Goes On – 4:43
10. Selah – 2:16
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Giant Records.
“Writing On The Wall” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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