By: Kevan Breitinger
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Shawn McDonald
Roots
Sparrow Records
Pop
03-11-2008
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SCORE
94%
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My biggest hurdle here will lie in keeping a lid on my enthusiasm for Shawn McDonald’s third studio release. Not every listener appreciated the raw beauty of Scattered Pieces: Live as I did, but I think the harshest critic will find it difficult to resist the folk-funk charms of Roots. This thoughtful, artful collection of twelve diverse tracks reveals a singer/songwriter who has gone much further in finding his groove. Marriage, parenthood, and some significant traveling have only deepened McDonald’s already profound insights.
The bouncy acoustic opener “Clarity” gets right to it: announcing his imaginative instrumental and rhythmic experimentation. None of that straight-up guitar/bass/drums stuff; McDonald weaves together a rich tapestry of inventive sound using expressive strings, undulating percussion, and surprising instrumentation. A child’s toy piano tinkles beneath the pulsating bridge before “Clarity” builds to a rootsy tumult of beat-driven sound. The vibrant “Captivated” takes a different tact, its thick strings moving through melodic arpeggios into exultant worship. The artful “Wash Me Clean” comes across as a folk-funk prayer, accented richly by beat-box rhythms, cello licks, and imploring lyrics: “send a fire that ignites my bones/ send a water that’s life to my soul/ send the blood that washes me clean.”
McDonald fans will recognize the Psalm 23-inspired “Shadowlands” from Scattered Pieces: Live, and appreciate the skillful interplay between his raspy vocals and the track’s snaky funk nuances. Rich strings dance in ¾ time beneath his tender vocal on the lush “Waltz in 3,” a melodic prayer for God’s molding touch. The organic title track is irresistible, sheer smoky funk, enhanced by warm string accents, and the old radio crackles of “Slow Down” set a mood matched easily by the thick plucking strings. Written by McDonald and Ben Glover from the perspective of a musician’s wife, its lyrics and lulling tone are appropriately calming. “Greed” features McDonald’s signature dead-on honesty, challenging us to discern the difference between our wants and our needs, the compelling fruit of his recent trip to Africa.
Things wind down on a potent note, the last three tracks featuring hushed vocals, slower tempos, and strong Biblical drive. The syncopated rhythms and rootsy upbeat groove of “Time” front lyrics ripped from Ecclesiastes 3, and the sparkling ballad “Winter” openly and vibrantly expresses our utter desperation for the Lord. The soft opening of closer “Hallelujah” builds gently from an acoustic covering of the Beatitudes into a thick string-rich chorus of gratitude. Roots leaves you wanting only more. This may be the album that finally gets Shawn McDonald the props he so richly deserves.
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