Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...Stimulates Ideas
Review: Relevant Books, once again, comes up with a title that stretches our understanding of faith in a secular culture. Their previous release, a book about U2, showed willingness to approach controversial issues with a loving and Christ-like attitude. Here, the collaborative authors explore the lives and beliefs of a dozen current music icons.The range is broad--Moby, to Al Green, to Beyonce--and the writing is smooth, for the most part. Although some of the chapters delve into personal stances of the authors, most stick to the facts, offering clear and unflinching portraits of names familiar to all. Like evidence in a courtroom of moral relevance, this book presents little known facts and rumor-busting explanations so that readers can judge for themselves these musicians' motives and methods. You may be shocked by some bits of evidence, assuaged by others, angered or swayed as well. But you will be challenged. In a world of tepidness, Relevant Books continues to turn up the heat. I am a writer. My wife is a musician. For other artistic souls, this book will stimulate ideas on how to merge vital Christian faith with the issues we face in this culture. Don't miss this "Spiritual Journey."
Rating:
Summary: A fasinating look "behind the music"
Review: Spiritual Journeys was so much more than I expected. It's basically a "Behind The Music" on each of these artists, but specifically telling the story of how faith has impacted each of their lives. I loved finding out about Wyclef's lifelong pulling between the influences of his Christian minister father and voodoo priest grandfather. Or, how faith has triggered the dramatic change in Lauryn Hill's life and career over the last few years. Or how Scott Stapp has questioned, tried to run from but never could quite shake the strong Christian home he was raised in. All of a sudden, I see so much more in Creed's music. I hate sounding like a commercial, but I loved this book. It's thick, so I got my money's worth, but it's written in a way that if I wanted to skip a certain artist (I haven't read T-Bone Burnett's chapter yet because, well, I don't know who he is) I can. The best chapters belong to Bono, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Al Green and Lenny Kravitz. If you've enjoyed any of these artists' music, you MUST get this book. It'll open your eyes to whole new levels in their art.
Rating:
Summary: A fasinating look "behind the music"
Review: Spiritual Journeys was so much more than I expected. It's basically a "Behind The Music" on each of these artists, but specifically telling the story of how faith has impacted each of their lives. I loved finding out about Wyclef's lifelong pulling between the influences of his Christian minister father and voodoo priest grandfather. Or, how faith has triggered the dramatic change in Lauryn Hill's life and career over the last few years. Or how Scott Stapp has questioned, tried to run from but never could quite shake the strong Christian home he was raised in. All of a sudden, I see so much more in Creed's music. I hate sounding like a commercial, but I loved this book. It's thick, so I got my money's worth, but it's written in a way that if I wanted to skip a certain artist (I haven't read T-Bone Burnett's chapter yet because, well, I don't know who he is) I can. The best chapters belong to Bono, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Al Green and Lenny Kravitz. If you've enjoyed any of these artists' music, you MUST get this book. It'll open your eyes to whole new levels in their art.
Rating:
Summary: microphone preacher
Review: The lights flicker, the crowd is screaming young girls are fainting and the preacher steps up to the microphone! Clad in black leather with an attitude and blue tinted sunglasses holding his hands up in the air he sings "I have climbed highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you" Call it a product of our Post modern or Post-Post Modern culture or call it raw spirituality the fact is that church services are being held nightly in a 30,000 seat stadium with names like the "Cow Palace" or "The Garden". With our world reaching an ever-increasing disdain for the "traditional" the youth of today seems to be gleaning more theology from the current Pop Icons than from the man that some of them call Pastor. "Spiritual Journeys: How faith has influenced twelve music icons" explores the personal journeys of the people that are shaping our culture one lyric at a time. From Bono to Moby and from Cash to Kravitz the reader is treated to a unbiased unapologetic look at the spiritual backgrounds of the most influential poetic singers and songwriters of the past as well as today's princes and princesses of pop. I'm sorry but until you become Dylan you still are just a Prince in my opinion. I need to be honest with you I was scared to open the pages of this book because I thought that I was going to be forced to see the spiritual in things that were never meant to be spiritual. I thought I was going to have to read another article about how Creed is a "Christian Band". I thought that this was going to be one of those books that was written for the sole purpose of allowing a teenager to justify to their parents that it was OK to listen to P. Diddy because he is a "Christian". I am so happy to say that I was wrong. Instead it is an honest look at the good and the bad with a healthy dose of the ugly. It is an honest portrayal of the excesses of Rock and Roll while still making clear that redemption in Christ is available to all and furthermore that those who in one breath spew profanity can in the next breath praise Jesus. This book is a beautiful glimpse into the human heart while giving a background that will help at least understand where some of the spiritual torment that we so often see in lyrics comes from. More than that though it is worship in the purest form. I almost wept when I read about the amazing "Paul-like" conversion of Al Green. I closed that chapter and just thanked God for being willing to grab us when we are running so hard from him. I thanked him that he caught me when I wanted nothing to do with him. This book is a blessing in so many ways. Hopefully it will drive home the fact that God is a Sovereign God that can (and will) manifest himself in everything. Oh yeah and by the way Creed is not a "Christian Band" just thought I'd let you know.
Rating:
Summary: sex & drugs & rock n roll & Jesus? -- the ultimate taboo...
Review: This book is a fun and easy read that nonetheless has sufficient depth. This anthology thoughtfully explores the seemingly contradictory intersection of popular music and Christianity, and the ways in which that unlikely marriage has produced some of the most memorable artists of the last few decades. Overall, this innovative anthology contains a thoughtfulness devoid of the hype usually found in music journalism. Particularly notable are the sections on Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Al Green, Lenny Kravitz, T-Bone Burnett, Moby and Bono, all of which were enjoyable and illuminating. For some of the aforementioned artists, it answers the questions of: "Is he, or isn't he?" and delves into some of the thoughts behind their expressions of faith in music and the media. The section on Lauryn Hill was fascinating, as I'd always wondered about her reading of the Bible while accepting her 1999 Grammy award. In the section on Scott Stapp, frontman of Creed, I felt some things were missing; though his struggles with alcohol were noted, there wasn't any clarification of some of the recent rumors of his drug addiction, and rehab. I would have liked to read an evenhanded account of how he is dealing with that struggle, which, thus far, the popular media has not provided. I was surprised by some things I learned about artists that I'm not fans of, such as the stalwart Christian beliefs of bad boy impresario Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, and bootylicious independent women, Destiny's child, neither of which would seem to be obvious choices for the church choir. As for Wyclef Jean, he remains wrapped in the spiritual mystery of his own choosing. I highly recommend this interesting foray into the real, gritty, and sometimes unorthodox faith of some of the most influential musical artists of our time.
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