Description
Redeemed is the fourth solo album by the American singer, songwriter, and blues guitarist Larry Howard, released on ForeFront Records in 1991, distributed in the US by The Benson Company. The album was produced by Ron W. Griffin.
Larry Howard has received far too little attention from the Christian media based on the calibre of musician he is. In fact, Howard’s 1989 album, the wonderful ‘Into the Light‘, wasn’t even released in the United States. Fortunately, Howard has developed a devoted following, both among fans hungry for blues-oriented music, and contemporary Christian artists who were influenced by the sounds of the Delta. His performance on Eddie DeGarmo’s «There’s Something About That Name» (and subsequent cameo shot in the video) led to a well-deserved contract with ForeFront.
However, that’s were the happiest part of the story ends. Yes, ‘Redeemed’ is a top-notch recording, with several finely-crafted songs, and first-rate musicianship. But it’s not the blues tour-de-force you might expect. ‘Redeemed’ is more along the lines of a recent Robert Cray recording. As with Cray, Larry Howard’s blues roots are obvious, but it is the Memphis/Stax-Volt sound that sets the overriding musical tone. The album opener «Look to the Sky» serves up a gospel-inflected chorus and singing guitar tones from Howard, and he also peels off some choice licks during the bridge. Michael Tait from DC Talk joins Larry on the slow rocking «Holy Anger», which may remind some of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. But it’s not until the fifth song, the acoustic «Evangelistic Blues», that you get a true sense of how deeply Howard has lived the blues. Fortunately, God has helped Howard transcend those blues, as he sings in his best world-weary voice on «Freedom». «Dangerous Situation» and «God’s Word Will Renew Your Mind» sound more like latter day Steve Winwood than anything related to the blues. But the melancholy solos on the closing «Seeds of Victory» lead one to believe that Howard has the potential to capture a larger audience by simply playing the pure blues which is his forte. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, May 1991]
CD tracklist:
01. Look To The Sky – 4:06
02. Holy Anger – 4:21
03. Calling On Love – 4:15
04. Somebody Prayed – 4:25
05. Evangelistic Blues – 2:50
06. Freedom – 3:49
07. Power Of Love – 4:12
08. Dangerous Situation – 4:20
09. Heartbeatin’ – 3:41
10. God’s Word Will Renew Your Mind – 5:01
11. Seeds Of Victory – 5:27
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by ForeFront Records.
A full-page advertisement for Larry Howard’s Redeemed was featured in the April 1991 issue of CCM Magazine.
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