Pettis delves deep; Cline skims the surface

By D.S. Martin and ChristianWeek | November 15, 2009

I knew before this CD was released—even before it was recorded—that the opening track would be a Mark Heard song. Pierce Pettis begins every album with a song from the final years of his late friend, who is one of the finest musical artists the Christian music industry has ever had. This time it's "Nothing But The Wind," a cover from Heard's final album, Satellite Sky (1992).

It's interesting that those who know best how to pick great songs to cover are often, like Pettis, fine songwriters themselves. There are two other covers on That Kind of Love. "Talk Memphis" from Jesse Winchester, a Memphis draft-dodger who moved to Montreal in 1967 and built his music career on this side of the border; and "Pastures of Plenty," a Woody Guthrie protest song about the plight of migrant farm workers (also recently covered by Alison Krauss and Union Station). "Talk Memphis" is recorded as an acknowledgement of Winchester's influence on Pettis' own writing.

Pettis shows us how songs ought to be written. Listen to the second track, "I Am Nothing" where he confesses, "I stumble when I try to walk the straight and narrow / I've heard it said, God's eye is on the lowly sparrow / Who, in spite of everything will sing for all he's worth / Sometimes you know I feel exactly like that bird." His lines remind me of the words of Jesus and also of Emily Dickenson's "Hope is the thing with feathers."

The sound on That Kind of Love is typical singer-songwriter fare. Pierce's rich baritone soars and crackles in just the right places over a bed of predominantly acoustic sounds: guitar, fiddle, accordion and mandolin augmented by Hammond B3 organ or tasteful electric, pedal steel or slide guitar. Again, it is the songwriting that makes this CD stand out.

There's a beautiful song about an ancestor who at age 16 was sent hundreds of miles to marry a man, twice her age whom she didn't know ("Farewell"), and another inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia ("Lion's Eye").

Faith comes through strongly on such songs as "You Did That For Me," where he sings: "Man of Sorrows / Well-acquainted with grief / Dragged to the city dump / Spread-eagle on a crossbeam / Propped up like a scarecrow, / Nailed like a thief..." or on the title track where he celebrates "That kind of love"—the type of love that Christ expressed for us.

I've been a Pierce Pettis fan for years, but this may very-well be his best album yet.

Buried thoughts not that deep

Songwriting is not the only reason to be drawn to a musical artist. The appeal of Cliff Cline's latest CD has more to do with performance.

Cline has a powerful crooner's voice which he applies to his own contemporary compositions. His rhythmic piano playing dominates the mix, and his melodies are catchy enough to keep spinning through your head. Sometimes he fills the transitions with scat singing, which may at first put-off those not familiar with the style, but I think it will win out in the end.

Unfortunately the lyrics take a back seat. They are not included in the packaging or on his website. Sometimes I'm not certain what he's singing, and when I am, I don't find magic. Too often he's sentimental or interpreting things for us, rather than inviting us into the experience.

Cline's best quality lyrically is his honesty. For example on "Kyrie" he sings, "So I pray to God to light the way / But I feel things will remain the same / What am I to learn from these twists and turns?" He testifies throughout the CD. On the opening cut, "One Night", he simply declares, "I know Jesus/ yeah, I love Jesus."

I suspect Cliff Cline puts on a good live show, but for long-term listening Buried Thoughts just doesn't go that deep.