Still Waters

Description

Still Waters is the sophomore full-length album by the American pop duo Say-So (husband and wife Jim & Kim Thomas), released on Organic Records in 1999, a Pamplin Music label, manufactured and distributed in the US by Pamplin Music Distribution. The album was produced by Jerry McPherson.

While the second Organic release by Say-So – also known as the husband-wife team of Jim and Kim Thomas – may bear the title Still Waters, repeated listens will reveal something of an irresistible musical undertow churning beneath. The lyrical intricacy and solid melodic craft may not hit home on the first dive, but listeners who keep coming back will be rewarded.

To begin with, Kim Thomas’ vocal style pleasantly suggests the likes of Kirsty MacColl (of «Walking Down Madison» fame) or vocalists from the Sundays and the Katydids, with perhaps a dash of Sixpence‘s Leigh Nash thrown in for ethereal measure. And her prowess as a poetess comes across on «Job’s Mile» and «Talking Stones», the latter a meditation on God’s intentional, loving artistry in creating humanity: “The way we have our life and being/ Was planned in God’s own mind/ It’s not just lovely happenstance/ How else but by design?”

Musically, Still Waters encompasses influences from Celtic folk to organ-driven rock reminiscent of Counting Crows or the Wallflowers. While that’s nothing new, Still Waters showcases it with sublime, loving energy. Case in point: The climactic drum fill on the pretty piano ballad «In Between» pulls an anti-Barry Manilow, timidly coming to the fore without any bombastic reverb.

That said, Still Waters does have its awkward moments. The ballad «Because You Loved Me» suffers from peek-a-boo cuteness. And the two poetic interludes on this album, while well-crafted, are one too many. «We Believe» mixes seemingly – disparate elements – a cheesy church organ and the breathy sensuality of its verse – and hits the mark. But the same tactic on the album’s coda, «Comfort», comes across as flat (for one thing, it’s only four cuts after «We Believe»).

But those are minor complaints given that Say-So has turned out a polished effort that transcends any dreaded sophomore slump. To wit: Come on in, the water’s fine. [Lou Carlozo, CCM, April 1999]

Poet, painter, and author Kim Thomas is a Christian multimedia artist in the best sense of these terms. Instead of figuring out how to maximize the bells and whistles on a desktop computer, she refuses to be confined to an easily definable box. In partnership with her husband Jim, her most visible effort is their duo Say-So, where firmly woven lyrical thickets gain color and motion from rock settings as contemporary as this year’s flower garden.

This mature couple’s second major release is another solid listen thanks to a host of backing musicians, drummer Dan Needham’s never failing beats, and sensitive direction by producer Jerry McPherson. The accompaniments are so well executed that it’s easy to forget that Say-So is just a husband and wife duo – especially when the guitars begin to soar on «Job’s Mile», «Perfect Love», and «Remains of the Day», or an accordion adds a rollicking backdrop for a spoken poem about a day in the park in «Souvenirs». This ensemble even executes a near-perfect homage to John Lennon on «In Between».

Like Kim Thomas’s painting and poetry, few of these songs will be certified as masterpieces by future generations. The topics are easily forgettable, but the thoughts are conveyed in lovely, artistic ways. By freely taking the risk of offering her best to the marketplace she is well on her way to greatness, and this project’s playful use of color, shape, adjective, noun, and rhyme elevate it from average to artistry. [Linda T. Stonehocker, The Phantom Tollbooth, 5/23/99]

CD tracklist:

01. Perfect Love
02. Remains Of The Day
03. Still Waters
04. Because You Loved Me
05. Talking Stones
06. In Between
07. Job’s Mile
08. We Believe (Poem)
09. Souvenirs
10. How Could We Know?
11. Carry On
12. Comfort (Poem)

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