Description
Portrait of a Spirit, sub-titled “…an intimate Musical Vocal Journey into the Heart of a Ministry!“, is a multi-artist praise & worship project featuring various Pakaderm Artists, released on Pakaderm Records in 1992, manufactured and distributed by Word. The album was produced by John and Dino Elefante.
It’s no longer a novelty to recast one’s music in an acoustic format; in the past couple of years, artists as diverse as George Michael, Queensryche and R.E.M. have had a great success with “unplugged” tunes. But with ‘Portrait’, the Pakaderm artists get a chance to cast off two sets of shackles: the frequent criticism that they hide behind a lot of bombast and studio hoopla on their records, and the idea that a worship-oriented album must conform to a very rigid set of criteria. The “Heard” is largely successful on both counts.
Right off the bat, ‘Portrait’ offers us two wonderful singers who’ve been “missing in action” of late – former Imperials vocalist David Robertson and Richie Furay, possessor of one of popular music’s purest and most emotional voices. Furay’s «Man of Many Sorrows» is more of a solo effort, while «Song of the Lamb» is fashioned as a congregational chorus. But it’s the metal and rock acts whose fans will be most impressed by their contributions. Brighton turns in a country blues number called «Taking Back the Land», Guardian‘s Jamie Rowe and Tony Palacios rip it up on the bluesy shuffle «Take Up Your Cross», and a real departure for X-Sinner is «Shelter Me», which generates considerably electricity with only one guitar, organ and voice. The album concludes with a stirring remake (from ‘Rock Power Praise I‘) of the anthems «We Need Jesus», with many of the guest vocalists taking the mic in round-robin fashion. The commendable project offers convincing proof that even when the Marshalls aren’t set on “11,” the Pakaderm posse can create a ruckus with a good deal of substances. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, April 1992]
CD tracklist:
01. David Robertson – The House Of The Lord
02. Richie Furay – Man Of Many Sorrows
03. Brighton – Taking Back The Land (Jericho)
04. Sara Tennison – What Did I Ever Do
05. X-Sinner – Shelter Me
06. Mark Pogue – Thou Shalt Love
07. Richie Furay – Song Of The Lamb
08. Guardian – Take Up Your Cross
09. Halo – Real Life Conversation
10. The Heard (various Pakaderm artists) – We Need Jesus
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Pakaderm Records.
“We Need Jesus” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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