Everything’s So Clear - Mears and Lindemann

Heather Smith | 24 February 2008

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Everything’s So Clear
Mears and Lindemann
So Clear Music
2007

Mears and Lindemann have done a great job on their first CD release. The pair first collaborated to write Christian music towards the end of 2005. On this album they have compiled ten worship songs worthy of anyone’s collection at home.

The album’s title Everything’s So Clear complements the Christian’s experience of having been on a journey in their faith and now knowing the way ahead is clear with God at the centre of their lives.

On receiving the CD I was told it was Christian worship music. The cover design showed promise of a peaceful and contemplative album. It displays a crisp, clean, black and white photograph of a long stretch of road travelling alongside a body of water. As I turned on the music to hear the opening bars of the first track ‘You are worthy’ I was unexpectedly jolted to attention with the exciting sounds of saxophone, organ, electric guitar and drums, drums and more drums. This first song wasn’t slow and soulful. It was a fun, get up and dance, give joyful praise to God, type of song!

It is difficult to pinpoint Mears and Lindemann’s overall style. One moment I’m listening to a rock band, the next I am soothed with soulful melodic sounds of flute and instrumental guitar. Here you will find a mixture of dance songs and soulful ballads.

The aim for this duo as stated on their webpage is to “strive to write theologically rich and highly singable music that engages both the heart and the head!”

In one song the listener is invited to get down and groove with ‘When the trumpet sounds’. This song is based on the Scripture passage of Revelations, Chapter 21. With the electric guitar’s wah-wah effects you can’t help but feel excited at the prospect of meeting our Lord face to face. The song’s mood heralds the change that is to come for the earth…

The old order of things will soon pass away
For Christ draws close he won’t long delay

….and the worries of now will be long gone …..
forevermore we will be with God’s Son.

No more crying, no more pain, no more tears, no more death.
The Lord is coming, His return is near!

An exciting song for an exciting time that all Christians look forward to. The triumphant return of our Lord Jesus!

Vocalist Matt Roberts has a voice that has a unique sound. I describe it as being rich and penetrating tone that is instantly recognisable from song to song. He has a powerful vocal strength.

Female vocalist Melanie Pells has a beautiful clear voice that is a delight to listen to. Her style is smooth, rich and mellow. When the two sing together they perform great harmony. Matt’s voice at times can be too dominant in comparison to Melanie’s sweeter voice but they have managed maintain a balance in this selection of songs. Sara Lindemann is also delightful as the female lead on ‘That Cherished Cross’.

Complementing the main vocalists’ fine singing voices is a large number of band musicians and choral singers. Full use is made of electric guitars, saxophones, drums and keyboard. The big band sound of some songs is later counterbalanced with the clear crispness of classical guitar and flute or oboe solos.

The album title ‘Everything’s So Clear’ is the fourth track. It speaks of how God’s word makes everything clear. It points to the big questions of life. God’s plan for our lives, why Christ had to die, how we are forgiven, how to live with others, how to find contentment. All these questions are answered and made clear to us, as the song says, by reading the largest selling book of the world.

My favourite song is ‘That Cherished Cross’. The lyrics are delightful. Sara sings first with Matt joining in harmony in verse three. The words tell the story of how we should hold Jesus’ sacrifice with care. Death for anyone is a time filled with sadness but with Jesus’ death there is hope. In Jesus’ sacrifice we can cherish his act of obedience to His Father.

The song speaks how our Lord’s death sets us free from the slavery of sin. Each verse progresses to tell the story of accepting what Jesus has done for us so we can be reconciled to God. Jesus is a perfect sacrifice, he is the judge of the world, he has conquered death and Satan, and finally we can be set free from Satan’s stronghold when we submit our soul into Jesus’ hands. With a key change and cymbal crescendo the choir continue the story of submitting our lives to the lamb that once was slain. The track is beautifully delivered featuring classical guitar and oboe.

Overall there is a broad selection of songs that are great listening for the young and young at heart. In my opinion it would be difficult to teach and reproduce the polished sound in a church setting. But for those who are up for a challenge there are overhead masters and music sheet guides included. If your are blessed with professional musicians and good song leaders then you may be successful including them into your church repertoire.

An album such as this takes hours and hours of work to put together. Much energy has gone into producing a polished product and it is fantastic! Yet with my reviewer’s hat on I think there is room for something more from this duo. I am looking forward to seeing them hone their song writing skills further. They may not yet be thinking about their next album but I will look forward to seeing how this pair develops to write songs that delve deeper into the Christians’ experience of living a life for God.

You can purchase this album direct from their own website or from Moore Books and Matthias Media. You can also hear a sample of each of their songs from their Myspace site.