Secrets

Description

Secrets is the sophomore solo album by the American singer, songwriter, and session guitarist Jimmy A (Jimmy Abegg) of Vector fame, independently released on Liquid Disc Records in 1994, distributed by Diamante Music Group. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by fellow Vector member Steve Griffith at Gaga Studios in Franklin, Tennessee.

Although he stills puts some surprising twists in the arrangements, Abegg’s second solo project is slightly less eclectic than his underrated debut; Jimmy seems to have found a way to express his alternative rock bent in more traditionally pop arrangements without sacrificing his essentially bohemian attitude. «Perfect World», which opens the disc, finds Jimmy speaking the verses – hardly the stuff of Top 40 airplay; but then, he breaks into a killer chorus, joined on vocals by producer Steve Griffith, engineer Dave Frank and Kevin (DC Talk) Smith; «River Deep, River Wide», which features a backing vocal by Ashley Cleveland, is a more conventional pop song complete with memorable hooks; «Sweet Angel», a song about Abegg’s ambitions as a painter, takes a more rough-hewn approach – Phil Madeira‘s keyboards and vocals by Cleveland & Smith underscore Abegg’s soulful lead vocal and guitar break. The two songs which seems dearest to Jimmy are dedications to his family, «If You Only Knew» and «These Daughters». The former is a song to his girls about maintaining one’s innocence in the face of intense desire, while the latter is a simple song of pride in his wife and kids. Contributions from folks like Cleveland, Smith, Phil Madeira and Phil Keaggy complement Jimmy’s work without overshadowing it, and Steve Griffith does his usual superb production job, giving Abegg a great shot at reaching a larger audience. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, October 1994]

Mr Abegg comes forth with his second album, this time with Vector-mate Steve Griffith in the production seat. Last time up, the Flying A had a savoury pop debut, surprising people with a clear voice and a guitar which deserved ample raves. ‘Secrets’ takes a somewhat different turn, toward the guitar/rock side. On the rockier tracks, such as «(This Ain’t No) Perfect World», Abegg shows his great sense of what to play with his guitar and displays a harder edged side to his smooth voice. «Perfect World» and «Sweet Angel» continue one of his running themes, that of angels and angelic imagery to describe aspects of people and of life. The pop side of the A Man is well represented by «Rain» and «I Believe», which have distinct Beatlish overtones and «River Deep River Wide». «I Believe» should not be mistaken for the kind of creedal stuff that is the staple of Jimmy A’s current tourmate Rich Mullins; it has that element to it, but is more of a personal vision relating to his own life. Abegg’s mellow side comes through with a real winner in «Something’s Moving Over Me», with its joyous lyric and gently moving rhythm. ‘Secrets’ displays what must seem like a well kept secret to Abegg’s fans, the amount of common ground he shares with Phil Keaggy (who also plays on the album). They are each extraordinary guitarists, each has strong pop sensibilities, they each base their tunes on many of the same modes and each has their wife and children as a recurring theme in their music. One of Jimmy A’s distinctive characteristics is his use of the spoken word on his albums. The final track, «The Dream», is a spoken word tour-de-force which should win itself a solid place in that long train of songs of the faith which use the imagery of God’s railroad train to the Kingdom. The background wall of guitars and special effects provides a good modern backdrop for that old, old theme. [Bob Longman, Cross Rhythms, October 1994]

CD tracklist:

01. Perfect World
02. River Deep, River Wide
03. Sweet Angel
04. If You Only Knew
05. Love Is Longing
06. Rain
07. Pearl
08. I Believe
09. I Am Listening
10. These Daughters
11. Something’s Moving Over Me
12. The Dream

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Liquid Disc.

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“Sweet Angel” (MUSIC VIDEO)

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[responsive_vimeo 156627225]Peripheral: Painting in the dark / A 2016 documentary by Derek Pearson & Kevin Bouldin that explores the struggles of Jimmy Abegg, forced to adapt his craft in light of a disease that will rob him of his sight.