Darwin Hobbs

Gospel music just isn’t my bag. Most of it appeals to a culture that I’ve never been a part of. My parents were both in the ministry, sure, but I’ve always been the kind of guy to slouch in the back and hope to not be noticed. Participate in public worship? I’m too introspective! To his credit, Darwin Hobbs managed to illicit a positive reaction out of this metal-head and dance buff, so skeptics take note: this is strong effort that manages to transcend cultures, ethnicities, and personality types. Frankly put, I’m a fan.

Opening with the toy-like “pling pling” of a piano and Hobbs’ choice scriptures by way of soulful crooning, the mood is set with “Heal the Land” which explodes in sporadic bursts of organ and feminine vocal color, accented by claps and ecstatic bass thumps. It’s brilliant, and what makes it work so perfectly is how intricately the elaborate musical presentation is laid out. Nothing overlaps without purpose, and individual lines of musical thought have their own identity. Simply put? There’s order to the production design—not a hodgepodge of instrumentation that runs the risk of becoming noise.

“Heal the Land” transitions into the title track, which is inspired by Hobbs’ own experiences as a victim of sexual abuse. Lyrically, we’ve heard similar inflections before, but again Hobbs’ ear for a strong melody and impressive vocals lift the track out of the mire of sub-par “outreach music” and into a wholly new realm. The vulnerability is almost tangible, and as someone who’s seen the effects of sexual abuse first-hand, I can attest to the fact that Hobbs is spot-on in his approach.

Before recording their strongest album, Revolver, The Beatles were encouraged by producer George Martin to “think symphonic.” The approach did wonders for the band, and their impact on pop music can be felt after all this time, even on this album. Free thinks outside the proverbial box of “safe, straight-ahead” music. Each track has a unique identity, and even if some whiners will cry havoc at the simplistic lyricism, it’s obvious from taking a closer look at the orchestration on display that Hobbs is far from derivative and anything but lazy. From out-front strings and classical piano to funky bass, layered percussion, and electronically processed vocals (vocoders, baby!), Darwin Hobbs puts up a pretty good case for the remaining artistic relevance of select worship artists.

There’s not a substantially weak track on here, but “The Name of the Lord” and “Who You Are” as well as the title track are three great standouts that are worth a download even if you decide against purchasing the whole album. In summary? Darwin Hobbs made a total believer out of this cynic; check out this album if you’re losing faith in the worship scene. Free will open your mind.

↓ One comment

#1 Michelle on September 4th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

John,
Just wanted to let you know that the Darwin Hobbs album was produced by Nashville producer Aaron Pearce (AMP Music Group, Inc.). Aaron is an amazing talent and brought an energy and way out of the gospel music box production to this record. Aaron also works with acts such as New Kids on The Block, Jonny Lang, Jennifer Lopez, etc. So keep an eye out for him.

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