Description
Temptation is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band Vector, independently released on Liquid Disc in 1995, distributed by Diamante Music Group. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by band member Steve Griffith at Gaga Studios in Franklin, Tennessee; with additional studio assistance by Dave Frank.
I addition to Vector – guitarist Jimmy Abegg and bassist/vocalist Steve Griffith – the album features Dave Frank on keyboards, Phil Madeira on Hammond B-3 organ, and Steve Brewster on drums and percussion. Backing vocals prodvided by Davia Vallesillo of Dakoda Motor Co. fame as well as Dave Frank and Steve Murray.
There are many Christian performers capable of making great music, but relatively few capable of making great art. Near the top of that list would have to be Vector, the California-bread band which was launched by Steve Griffith, Jimmy Abegg and Charlie Peacock nearly 15 years ago, and now features just Steve and Jimmy. Fans as well as peers are continually drawn to the soaring vocals of Steve Griffith and the musical inventions and guitar experimentations of Jimmy A.
Now, one could argue that if you only release an album every five years (their last disc, Simple Experience, came out in 1989), you had better make it good! Griffith and Abegg rise to the challenge; this massive album (14 songs) contains no clinkers and several moments of brilliance. Temptation is driven by world beat-influenced rhythms and arrangements and fleshed out with solid pop melodies. Its subtle complexities draw you in with dense instrumental textures and capture you with poetic lyrics.
The lead-off track, «The Power of Love», sets the tone for the disc, opening with insistent percussion parts and a melodic bass line, a Griffith trademark. Steve’s vocal lines are punctuated by Jim’s graceful, distorted guitar fills. This cut features the core musicians on Temptation – drummer Steve Brewster, organist Phil Madeira and keyboardist/backing vocalist Dave Frank. But the ad hoc third member of Vector is guest vocalist Davia Vallesillo of Dakoda Motor Co. – you’ve never heard her wail like she does on this album! Davia contributes a variety of challenging parts, from singing simple harmonies to what amounts to a duet or second lead vocal parts. For instance, her voice both echoes and underpins Griffith’s in «It Comes Down to You», spurring Steve to some of the best singing he’s ever accomplished and establishing her as a premiere vocalist in her own right.
Other highlights among the remaining dozen tracks include «Let It Slide», an encouragement to forgive one another (“Bring your brokenness / Bind up all the wounds with a kiss”), which is built on a driving percussion and bass pattern, Jimmy’s scratchy guitar riffs and Madeira’s bluesy organ; «My Own Eyes», a song about a glimpse into heaven that’s both majestic and a bit scary and «She Won’t Say Goodbye», a melancholy, acoustic-oriented look at a loved one’s passing from this life to the next. The evocative cover art by Griffith, Abegg and photographer Ben Pearson only enhances the feeling that this is Vector at its best. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, February 1995]
The latest from Vector – ‘Temptation’, their first real album in years – is the sort of album that is every reviewer’s worst nightmare: I can’t stop listening to it.
Granted, it doesn’t have the brilliant, nervous energy of ‘Mannequin Virtue‘ or the hypnotic new wave pop qualities of ‘Please Stand By‘ (both of which qualify Vector as a pillar in the architecture of modern Christian alternative music); instead, the duo of Steve Griffith and Jimmy A have reunited to form a pop disc that combines the rhythmic qualities of recent Peter Gabriel, the pure pop melodies of Cliff Richard, with the sweet, layered background vocals of, well, Prince. And while Gabriel, Richard & Prince is not your usual pop music trio, Vector make it work somehow. Added to the mix are the percussive help of Steve Brewster, vocals from Davia Vallasillo (formerly of Dakoda Motor Co), Dave Frank and Stephen Murray (Curious Fools) and keyboards from both Phil Madeira and Dave Frank.
The end result lacks the passion or warmth of a “band” project (perhaps a casualty of Griffith’s extensive production portfolio) but tracks like «Let It Slide», «10,000 Wishes» and the title track are certainly strong entries for the sophisticated pop arena in the mainstream.
Lyrically, the album is surprisingly overt in its Christian mindset – the album touches on such topics as God’s love, forgiveness, and the Second Coming, all in ways that are refreshingly clear-cut, without all of the baggage of cliché phrases and dumbed-down bumpersticker theology.
With 70-plus minutes of solid music (surprisingly free of filler) – 45 minutes or so of progressive pop and 30 minutes of nods to the old time fans of classic Vector – ‘Temptation’ is an album that could simultaneously please and frustrate. Some will not consider it worthy of the legend … but if you are a modern pop fan looking for slick pop production and strong performances, some ‘Temptations’ are worth giving in to. [Scott W. Christopher, Syndicate Magazine, Issue #43, 1995]
CD tracklist:
01. The Power Of Love
02. It Comes Down To You
03. All I Need
04. When It All Stops
05. Watch Over Me
06. Can’t Get Enough Of You
07. Let It Slide
08. Mr. Color Wheel
09. Rhythm Of Life
10. Temptation
11. Why Do We Wait So Long
12. 10,000 Wishes
13. My Own Eyes
14. She Won’t Say Goodbye
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Liquid Disc.
A full-page advertisement for Vector’s album Temptation was featured in issue #43 of Syndicate Magazine, 1995.
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