The Choir: O How the Mighty Have Fallen

I've finally had time to listen to the new album (how old do you have to be to call it an “album” instead of a CD?), O How the Mighty Have Fallen. It is not a disappointment. Stylistically, this album fits right in with Flap Your Wings and Free Flying Soul.

Steve Hindalong's lyrics are as wonderful as ever, Derri Daugherty's voice is still clear and sweet and the production shows off just how talented they are in the studio. Adding Marc Byrd (formerly of the underrated Common Children, now working with his wife Christine Glass in Glass Byrd) on guitar was not a surprise since he's played with them in their rare live appearances since their “retirement,” and he blends in well.

I'm sure that the City on a Hill series of “praise & worship” albums have made Steve & Derri more financially secure than they ever were during all those years touring as Youth The Choir. That's great, their families need to eat, their kids need to go to college and they need to be able to really retire someday. Besides, the P&W stuff they have made is some of the rare “praise music that doesn't suck” of which I'd like to see more.

I don't know how many of the marginally-successful musicians that I've loved over the years can do what Phil Keaggy has done. Computer-based recording has made it possible to produce great-sounding music in small or home studios and the internet provides a way to do low overhead, direct marketing. Phil has a large enough fan base that he can use this model (along with what look like fairly well-paying one-man shows) to make a pretty good go of it financially. On top of all that, since he has a ready outlet for his creativity, it's probably easier for him to do the occasional album the old fashioned way, submitting to a record company's idea of what will sell instead of what he feels like playing. Other studio-savvy guys like Allan Holdsworth, Fleming & John, Ty Tabor could do this and I wish they would. I wonder if the one-man shows are an essential part of the Keaggy business model, since these other guys couldn't do that.

Neal Morse looks to be doing the same thing. In fact he's started a $10 per month service to provide new music on a regular basis. I like his stuff, but find his songwriting repetitious enough that I don't think I need something new from him every month. However, if F&J, AH or The Choir tried this, I might sign up.