Big Daddy Weave

With Big Daddy Weave’s What Life Would Be Like, there’s a lot here to like—just not love. Let me explain: these guys aren’t terrible, as I’m sure you know. Big Daddy Weave has become one of the most popular Christian bands in recent memory. Their music will probably last in Christian circles long after this reviewer has been hated on, ignored and/or forgotten, but that’s not so much a testament to their originality as it is to mainstream Christianity’s love of all things standard.

To put it another way, once an artist has been around for more than two or three albums, criticism of their music becomes less and less valid to the people and eventually they’re an industry giant—regardless of whether or not they deserve the status. Think MercyMe or Casting Crowns, whose successes aren’t affected by the fact that they rarely garner critical praise. Big Daddy Weave meet the same qualifications as these other pop groups: passable hooks, radio success, and age in a business where many bands don’t stick around past their debut.

The hooks here aren’t particularly brilliant, but aren’t quite so run-of-the-mill that they alienate the listener through boredom. “You Found Me,” for instance, isn’t as poignant as it would very much like to be (suffering as it does from a hodgepodge of quality and mediocre lyricism), but it’s melody isn’t exactly predictable either. Of course, the lead vocals are what have made Weave such a big daddy in the first place, so its safe to say that this time around, they save a song that could’ve easily fallen by the wayside.

The title track doesn’t manage to work, however. The lyrics are dime-a-dozen, and while the hook isn’t horrible, it’s not as good as the album’s intro and just can’t save the lyrics. Sure, life would be better if we all loved Christ, but the fairy tale of worldwide salvation (which isn’t scriptural) and the harsh reality of our fallen, starving world are two completely different things, so the whole track seems a waste.

What follows is back and forth between good and “eh…” although I do want to make mention of the band’s cover of “Revive Us Again.” It doesn’t sound all that original, but the music stays out of the way of the vocals, and I absolutely love this hymn, so it’s worth a few listens for those particularly worshipful moments in my car.

No other highlights come to mind, but again, for fans of this band or simply people who happen to love Christian radio (they’re out there somewhere), be sure to check out this album, not because it’s particularly wow-ing, but it fits the requirements for this brand of art and doesn’t manage to embarrass itself despite an obvious simplicity.

The only track I particularly dislike would be “Right With You.” The funky/jazz nature of the song is awesome, particularly at the climax, but the lyrics are ridiculous. The idea of suppressing selfishness to preserve a marriage is great, and I’m sure this’ll be a hit with the Promise Keeper folks, but the whole thing kind of comes off as lame (rather than “cutesy” or romantic). Oh well, they do score points for trying, particularly considering that saxophone breakdown…

I won’t recommend this one to you, because I’m sure most readers already know whether or not they’re willing to spend the money for it. Fans, radio heads, worship buffs—check it out. The rest of you? Eh, there are better investments.

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