Chris Sligh

It’s always a treat to hear something that exceeds your expectations, and that’s exactly what happened with Running Back to You, the excellent debut project from American Idol alumnus, Chris Sligh. While millions of viewers enjoy the drama and spectacle of the aforementioned singing competition, it’s also true that much of the singing involved is what I call ‘beauty pageant’ quality – the kind of performing that has more in common with artifice than art. Thankfully, there are occasionally contestants that inject a measure of fun and unpredictability to the show, and that’s exactly what Chris Sligh did last year. Sligh’s sharp sense of humor, excellent singing, and off-beat charm were almost enough to overcome the handicap of choosing two relatively unknown songs, dc Talk’s “Wanna Be Loved,” and Mute Math’s “Typical,” to perform in front of the befuddled judges. Of course, those in the know realized that those two songs represented the recent past and future of what some people call Contemporary Christian Music – it should be no real surprise, then, that Chris Sligh has drawn from the best of both worlds to produce an excellent album of contemporary Christian rock songs.

Technically an indie project, this album has all of the trappings of a major label release, featuring the impeccable production work of no-less-than Brown Bannister, and instrumental contributions by such industry heavyweights as Jerry McPherson (guitar), Jimmy Lee Sloas (bass), George Cocchini (guitar and ‘tone chaperone’), Blair Masters (keyboards), Eric Darken (percussion), and the ubiquitous Love Sponge string quartet. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Chris Sligh backed up, karaoke-like, by a group of generic Nashville studio musicians. Despite the impressive array of studio talent, Running Back to You still manages to sound like Chris Sligh and a real band (by the way, Chris, I’m offering – free of charge – two good band names: Chris Sligh & the Sligh Foxes, or Chris & His Sligh Guys). Sligh’s excellent songwriting is what keeps the project from becoming just another adequate but uninspired bit of CCM – he wrote, or co-wrote, every song on the album, and (in addition to providing vocals) played electric and acoustic guitar and piano, assisted with some programming, and even did some string arrangements.

Running Back to You gets off to a running start as the first track, “Arise,” thunders in with a drum lick that kicks you right into the song – a strong, radio-ready rock piece featuring a full band sound, driven by Sligh’s easy-to-listen to vocal delivery. “I’m Clean” follows, still in a strong, mid-tempo rock mode, and proving that Sligh can write memorable, hook-filled songs that have plenty of opportunities for funky guitar licks as well as full, commercially viable production values. Sligh doesn’t compromise the rock and roll, even when the lyrics get very explicitly Christian, as they do in “I’m Clean,” where he sings, “Love is just a picture of your glory / And my best tries at love have fallen short / I pretend these dirty clothes are holy / Knees patched up with grace from you, Oh Lord.” Make no mistake – the lyrics on this album are boldly Christian in nature. Sligh has clearly made a decision to be bold about his faith on this project, even though the big ballad, “In a Moment,” and the rocker, “Waiting For You,” could easily cross over to mainstream radio and, I think, get considerable attention.

From the straight rock of “Love is Raining down,” to the ‘Eleanor Rigby’-like string accompaniment of “Loaded Gun,” Chris Sligh is a powerful, expressive, credible rock/pop singer and has crafted a well-rounded debut project that shows us that there’s more behind that cherubic appearance than meets the eye. Hopefully, he’ll be running back to us again soon.

Does it Resonate with you?

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

URL