Description
CHRISTIANsongs is the fourth full-length album by the American synthpop band Joy Electric, released on BEC Recordings in 1999, a division of Tooth & Nail Records. It was May 1999 Pick of the Month at The Phantom Tollbooth.
Featuring a cover of “Make My Life A Prayer”, a song written by Melody Green and originally recorded by her husband Keith Green on his 1978-album No Compromise.
“We use keyboards from the mid-1970s, like the MiniMoog and Roland System 100 – the first modular system Roland ever made. A lot of it is trial and error, and with this old stuff, you’ve really got to work overtime on it. The album took seven or eight months to do,” Ronnie Martin told CCM Magazine in the August 1999 issue.
Ronnie Martin has finally grown up. That’s not to say Joy Electric’s previous albums weren’t enjoyable – quite the contrary. Their delightful, “smiley” synth-pop was always good when you are in the mood for something non-aggressive. Seemingly infatuated with fairy tales, Martin sang off-kilter songs about gumdrops, trolls, and castles.
CHRISTIANsongs is not like that. Although it is still basically synth-pop, there aren’t any conventional instruments, only synthesizers (Martin prefers to say “synth-pop” rather than techno). Of course, Martin still sings beautiful melodies in an English accent. Lyrically, however, CHRISTIANsongs is as far from «The Cobbler» as one can get. Martin has been quoted as saying this is Joy Electric’s most important album ever – believe it. The lyrics all center around Christ, yet manage to stay away from cheesy clichés. Here is a good example excerpted from «Lift Up Your Hearts»:
The lackluster play hide and seek
The faithful share the truth of Christianity
Why don’t you see?
Are they ashamed to bear the name?
When all the while they fool themselves
With fake acclaim they never get.As you can see, Martin has traded in the sunshine for brutal, yet truthful, attacks against hypocrisy in the church. His knowledge of Christian music history is also evident in the liner notes acknowledgment section, where he thanks such pioneers as Larry Norman, Daniel Amos, and Resurrection Band – he even covers Keith Green’s «Make My Life a Prayer to You».
In case you’re not familiar with the delightful style of music known as “synth-pop,” here’s a brief description. It’s completely synthetic. There are no guitars, pianos, drums – nothing but synthesizers. People are usually quick to call it “techno” or “electronica,” but Martin has been vehement in his objections to these terms.
CHRISTIANsongs is still not an album that should make up the majority of one’s musical diet, nevertheless you’ll find that there’s still quite a bit of nourishment in the sugary music. [Michial Farmer, The Phantom Tollbooth, 4/23/99]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/christiansongs/724748432)
CD tracklist:
01. The Voice Of The Young – 2:49
02. Children Of The Lord – 3:21
03. Disco For A Ride – 3:36
04. Lift Up Your Hearts – 2:09
05. I Sing Electric – 3:42
06. Make My Life A Prayer – 3:09
07. Singing In Gee – 5:18
08. True Harmony – 2:03
09. The Magic Of – 5:04
10. Synthesized I Want You Synthesized – 3:48
11. Birds Will Sing Forever – 4:40
A full-page advertisement for Joy Electric’s Christiansongs was featured in the August 1999 issue of CCM Magazine.
A full-page advertisement for various new releases on BEC Recordings, including Joy Electric’s Christiansongs, was featured in the April 1999 issue of CCM Magazine.
“Children of the Lord” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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