Jeremy Riddle - The Now and Not Yet

Track Listing

1. Christ Is Risen
2. Prepare The Way Of The Lord
3. Prayer For The Church
4. Bless His Name
5. As Above, So Below
6. Among The Poor
7. One Thing
8. To Be Like You
9. Surrendered In Praise
10. The One, The Only
11. Joyful Noise
12. I Am Redeemer

Score 95%/A

I’m not sure if you’ve heard the song by Jeremy Riddle’s called “Sweetly Broken” from his debut album, Full Attention, but it’s pretty amazing and has been on regular rotation on my iPod for a while. That was the case at the time I was asked to review Jeremy’s latest release, The Now and Not Yet (due in stores March 3rd).

Jeremy’s voice and message on this album are powerful. He’s a former pastor and with that comes a real heartfelt passion for the Word. The gospel message is driven in every song I’ve ever heard from him. To me, Jeremy’s style echoes qualities of some of the great alternative acts like Aaron Shust, U2, Bush, INXS and Cold Play. In his latest release, Jeremy is again true to form. The Now and Not Yet is raw, soulful and heavy on the salvation message. Passion is carried forth with piercing vocals and clever phrasing. The music is selective, timely and monumental.

Jeremy’s classic, authentic and alternative sound make him unique amongst Christian artists today. Like other well-crafted albums, this one is designed to provide you with a listening experience from beginning to end. The songs add layers to the story as they go along, ending the album in a way that makes you want to start the journey all over again. As Jeremy focused on delivering serious biblical messages, light and upbeat songs are mixed in with the more slow, serious ballads to maintain a balance as the tracks progress. Listeners should be aware however that like Aaron Shust, many songs play out in the mid-range (sometimes disappointing to a younger crowd). The great thing about this album though is that Jeremy never fails to provide a successful praise hook and that creates expectation for what’s next.

The Now and Not Yet as a whole has become one of a handful of favorites for me since the release last year of Above the Golden State and the recent release of CompassionArt (note, there is no comparison stylistically between any of these). Every song is good on this album, but here in my opinion are some of the highlights:

Track 1: “Christ Is Risen” begins the journey. “Quickly now, go tell the world that Christ the Lord, He has risen. The power of God forever raised him from the grave!” The high vocals, building chords, stinging guitar solos and marching drums create a dynamic call to modern day Christians.

Track 2: “Prepare The Way of the Lord” is reminiscent of great INXS. The low vocal intro with a backdrop of electric club synthesizers and paced out drums. The guitars kick in…the build-up starts, and then the scream: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!…Yahweh, Yahweh!” It’s very thrilling.

Track 4: “Bless His Name” is U2 sounding on the intro. It starts off slow with heart pulsing drums and a simple lyric that is turned completely upside down when met with faster paced distortion guitars that drive the melody throughout the rest of the song. After the intro the song takes off like a rocket and then slows back down to repeat the heartbeat again on the bridge; then a sudden build-up and you’re off again: “Come…let us sing for joy. Let us shout aloud to our King…” This song demonstrates a great delivery and is radio-friendly.

Track 6: “Among The Poor” is a ballad from Jeremy’s heart and experience. It is a reminder for us of who the Jesus of the bible really was – a man of compassion for the least among us. Listen to this lyric: “Lord I’ve said I want to serve you. I’ve been so eager to love. How I’ve longed so much to find you; just to be where you are. But it seems I’ve forgotten where you are and what you look like. I hear your words speak to me as you remind me again. You’re among the poor. You’re close to the broken…and as I do unto them, I’ve done unto you.” …Powerful!

And I could go on… There are at least two or three more tracks that deserve praise here, but I’ll stop and just recommend that if you want something that will touch your heart for Christ, go ahead and give this one a try. I personally loved it.

Closing Thoughts:
Classic alternative rock with a solid salvation message. A raw, heartfelt and unique sound that stands out in today’s market. You’ll like this if you’re a fan of the style of music played by artists like Aaron Shust, U2, INXS or Bush. One of the best albums so far this year. Don’t miss it.

For more on Jeremy Riddle and to see the full review, visit: http://www.christianmusicreview.org/jeremyriddle_thenowandnotyet.html