My Mockingbird Obsession

Every once in awhile, I hear an album or musician that I become obsessed with. Usually, the obsession escalates into outright fanaticism over the following weeks or months. We've all been there. It starts with an "I luv (enter their name here)" tattoo on your butt cheek, and ends in police car outside of said musician's home where you were digging through their trash, hoping to find some personal artifact, or maybe a Nair strip with some of their hai... uh, well, I've heard some people get pretty intense about it. Anyway, that obsession for me, of late, has been Derek Webb's "Mockingbird" album.

I'm not going to take hours and hours to write a lengthy review of the album, but let me just say, it really is worth your time. It's like a good steak that you can just chew, and savor, and all throughout the saliva and chewing more and more flavor comes out, until finally your head explodes with sensory overload. I've listened to this album way too much, but I'm amazed at the things I still get out of it, or am still pondering. It's not that it's the most amazing music I've ever heard, but more that the lyrical content of some of his songs have themes I connect with very deeply.

Some songs from this album are in the stereo system in the menu above - so settle down, hit play, and enjoy.

A word of advice: one of my favorite songs, "A New Law" - will be much easier to understand the first time around if you know in advance it's sung sarcastically - as a commentary on the way so many followers of Christ forsake their freedom for security and control of a new system of rules.

Great lines to listen for:
In 'A New Law':
Don't teach me about moderation and liberty - I prefer a shot of grape juice...
In 'King and a Kingdom':
There are two great lies that I've heard: 1) The day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die, 2) and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle class Republican, and if you want to be saved you have to learn to be like him...
-and-
My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood - it's to a King and a Kingdom.

Sing on, brother - sing on. Hope you enjoy.
P.S.: While the music in the Living Room can be listened to temporarily while I've got it up, you can't download it for a reason. I strongly believe in putting your money to things that are worthwhile, so that those things continue to reproduce. If you like Derek, pick up "Mockingbird" here.