Hey, I know those guys!

Tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 29th), Third Day is the musical guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  With the exception of the Spin Doctors and actor David Keith, this will be the first time I have met the people performing on a major network show.  I could not be more excited!  I hope everyone tunes in. 

P.S.  I don’t think I’ll ever talk to Mr. Keith or the Spin Doctors again, but I certainly plan to see Third Day…soon.

Summer Book Club Vengeance Comeback

As part of the SRC, this week I read, Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture by Daniel Radosh.  Radosh, who has very little experience with American Christianity, spends a year exploring all its facets.   I had an idea what to expect, and was eager to go along for the ride.  I laughed and sometimes winced at Radosh’s commentary on “Jesus Junk”.  As an evangelical, I sometimes see the leaders and spokespeople of the American Church and yell, “Don’t be on my team!”  Naturally, these people are discussed in the book, but Radosh also seeks out those on the more cutting edge of Christian pop culture. 

I was surprised to find myself adopting a defensive posture when the author left his commentary on how Christianity was presented and began to dispute the tenets of my faith.  I was especially offended when Radosh suggested that Christians believe in Creationism because biology is too difficult for most people to understand so we reject evolution (and people call me arrogant!).  He did redeem himself a bit at the end when he concluded that mainstream pop culture open itself up to the better parts of Christian pop culture.  I agree that most Christian pop culture is cheesy and shouldn’t be given much credence; but there is good stuff out there.

At any rate, this is a quick read (Radosh has an almost conversational writing style) and makes some excellent points. 

Welcome To The Revelation.

By now, there have been numerous reviews of Third Day’s new album, Revelation.  Most of them point out things such as producer and guest artists.  Any song descriptions are musically vague and focus on the lyrics and meaning.  I’m going to go another way.  I’ll state some summary conclusions at the end (you can skip there if you like). Anyway, here is my song-by-song analysis.

This is Who I Am

This is a fantastic opening rock song.  The verses feature some Peter Buck jangle guitar and a bit of funky bass. Buoyant drums with a seriously popping snare are present throughout and the chorus consists of powerful vocals backed by a wall of guitar.  This song is a statement to prepare you for what is to come.

Slow Down

Here’s a mid-tempo rocker with punctuating guitars in the first verse.  There are some interesting guitar moments in the second verse and you have to love that sustain in the chorus; as well as the great solo. There is an interesting bass line that drops down in the middle of the chorus along with Mac’s voice. Get ready for an awesome rock moment after the solo when everyone drops out then comes back in.

Call My Name

This is the best first single ever on a Third Day album.  While there is nothing musically adventurous, it is all done perfectly.  It features great guitar lines and a beautifully placed solo.  The final chouses are so strong and on target that if you don’t sing along you need to stop now.

Run To You  

Whoever decided the track order here knew what they were doing as this flows beautifully from the previous song.  Again everything is simple but well done.  It starts off with a great drum intro and the music backs the plaintive vocals perfectly.  There is some good percussion on the bridge, and the ending of this song makes a statement both musically and vocally.  

Revelation

This song is so good it is almost painful.  I’m calling it a Worship Power Ballad and it is one of the best songs Third Day has ever recorded.  Seriously, this is the kind of tune I could listen to over and over.  The song is anchored by solid bass and drumming with a great guitar line underneath the chorus. That riff that follows the first chorus is enough to make this song awesome on its own.

Surprisingly enough, this song is even better live; as the staccato guitar drives the second verse and the band extends the ending into a fantastic rock jam.

The Other Side

This is my favorite song on the album.  Even without the slide, this would be awesome but the addition of Robert Randolph’s screamin’ steel takes it to a whole other level.  If you love rock guitar this song is for you: pick slides, power chords, vibrato filled solo, hammers, pulls, it’s all there. My favorite part is the bit of fuzzed-out guitar halfway through the second chorus.  I think I found my new “driving too fast on a curvy back road” song.

Let Me Love You

Again, we have another great rock ballad.  A song like this should be simple and it is. The strings are a nice touch, being barely noticeable until the final choruses when they lift the vocals.  David Carr’s snare is perfectly placed in the verse and I like the way the cymbals rise in the chorus

Always Be True

When I first heard this live, I thought the melody sounded like early Steve Earle.  Now I find it would have fit in nicely on Bon Jovi’s last album (then again, considering what that album sounded like, those two things may not be that far apart).  The great bass line keeps your feet tapping and the chorus forces you to sing along.  Mark Lee’s slide solo adds to the joy.  This song will bring a smile to your face and is destined to become a live favorite.

Born Again

The vocals are appropriately the focus of this song.  Both Mac and Lacey go far beyond their normal work to tell a story.  The rhythm guitar chords are well done and Tai Anderson’s bass is surprisingly subtle, yet seems to hold the song up in places.  You hear some excellent percussion in the chorus.

Give Love

Ah, some back porch on a summer evening music.  I’m looking for watermelon and lemonade. After the intensity of the previous tracks this is a great place to relax. I love the banjo and the drum shuffle.  Mac’s vocals are softer here than usual and there is a fun bass line.    The wife says this song is full of sweet innocence.

Caught Up In Yourself

Mac’s vocals take on a different tempo here. The song is driven by quick drums (check out the percussion on the bridges) and highlighted by straightforward guitars on the chorus and the solo.  The bass seems to be more upfront than on other tracks.

Ready

Those are some sweet opening guitar chords.  As this is an anthem-like “message” song, the vocals are definitely at the fore. I love the bass on the verses and I like the way the song ends the same way it starts; after all that, we’re still ready.

Take It All

The closest thing to what people would call a “worship” song on the album.  It seems that the trend lately is to close with a more melodic track and this fits the bill nicely.  We find some great finger picking on the first verse and the closing chords. I really like the simple percussion on the bridge.

Shake

This pre-order bonus track is definitely something different for Third Day.  You got funky guitar on one side, swirling guitar on the other.  Is that Earth, Wind, and Fire’s rhythm section?  I can’t wait for the dance remix. 

Conclusions:

To begin with, this is the best album Third Day has recorded!  Mac does things vocally he has never done before and he sounds better than ever.  The band has never put this many consistently good songs on one record before.  Nothing seems out of place and everyone’s performances are near perfect.  Third Day fans have always differentiated between their “rock” songs and the “worship” songs.  Here, the band has crafted something so right that those discussions are moot; it is all that good.  Revelation has already gone to second place on my favorite Third Day albums list and has a good shot at taking number one.

This is also the best sounding album Third Day has done.  I suppose the credit goes to Chris Lord-Alge who mixed it.  Everything is done just right (although I always wish the guitars were more out front; but that’s a personal taste issue).

This should be the biggest album of the band’s career.  I count at least 8 singles in the 13 songs here.  The only legitimate complaint people can make is that this music isn’t cutting edge or progressive enough.  Well, there’s nothing edgy about my mother’s cooking but you won’t find anything better.  If you want some well done, straight up, no-frills rock, then Revelation needs to be your next purchase.

One last thing:  Did you notice how often I mentioned drums or percussion in this review?  There is a reason for that.  David Carr has never been as strong or spot on as he is here.  My vote for Revelation MVP is David Carr!

I'm only a helping hand.

Today, Slate.com posted an article entitled, “Hot for the Wrong Teachers: Why are Public Schools So Bad At Hiring Good Instructors?”  Let’s go ahead and agree on a few points made in the article.  Yes, there are some bad teachers; but there are people in every profession who have no business being there.  Yes, it is incredibly difficult to remove a teacher once they have tenure and the teachers’ unions are certainly largely to blame. 

The main point of the article is how hard it is to predict who will and will not be a good teacher.  First, I disagree with the criteria used to decide who is or is not “good”.  We have decided that the only way to decide is by students’ test scores.  The article does point out that there are other ways to decide who is good (love of learning, comprehension of course material, and I would add success in college in the same subject).  Here is where I have a problem: 

“What economists have found is that only one thing tells us how much a teacher will boost his students’ test scores next year: the amount he raised test scores in previous years. A good teacher this year will very likely be a good teacher next year.”

I realize that this is going to be anecdotal, but this would not apply to me.  I have been given Value Added Scores for the past 5 years.  For three of those years, the difference between what my students were predicted to score and what they actually scored was less than 3%.  I received a score of NDD.  That stands for “No Discernable Difference”. In other words the State Dept. of Education said to me, “It really didn’t matter if you were there or not, they were going to do that well anyway”.  Thanks.  Anyway, for the other two years, I have received scores above a 3% difference.  One year I scored a +6.  That is considered phenomenal by the way. 

The first problem is that we have decided that standardized test scores are the best way to judge a teacher’s effectiveness.  The article does make the point that some teachers are just good at teaching to the test.  Personally, I think if you aren’t, it is your responsibility as a teacher to figure out how to be effective at that if those scores are the measurement.  Anyway, I don’t think those test scores are the best measurement; it’s the easiest.  Just last night, a former student walked up to the table and said hello.  She then said, “I just want to thank you for everything you did for me in English.  I had to take the Compass test this year for school and I blew the top off the English part.  I couldn’t have done that without you”. Not to brag, but that kind of thing makes me want to take my Value Added Scores and make a government official eat them.

This brings us to the second problem.  What do you think I did differently the two years I was a “good” teacher?  That’s right; absolutely nothing.   Same lesson plans, same curriculum, and same grading policies.  The only difference was – wait for it – the students.  Guess what?  The two years I scored the big numbers I had honors classes.  They are generally more concerned about their education and work harder.  We have removed the students from the equation.  I have access to every test score my students have ever accrued.  The last one they take before their sophomore year is in the eighth grade.  Do you remember how much you changed between eighth and tenth grade?  Most teens that use alcohol or drugs do so for the first time during these years.  It also the time most begin sexual activity (although not intercourse; that usually doesn’t occur until age 17). 
            Here’s my point:  Teachers can only do so much.  True, most of us could do more.  I am not trying to shirk any responsibility.  I take great pride in believing I do the best I can for my kids.  All I’m asking is that they meet me half way. 

SRC wks 4&5:

The past two weeks I have not really read a book per se.  What I have read is Year’s Best SF 13.  Real science fiction fans know that some of the genre’s best write short stories and this series mines all the mags and solicits original entries to find the gems.  Since there are 25 stories here, I thought I’d review one I didn’t like and two I did.

“Baby Doll” by Johanna Sinisalo.  I was a tad worried when the first story in the book had such a negative effect on me.  It’s not that this translated from the Finnish tale is poorly written; it’s the subject matter that got me.  Set in a not-too-distant future, this is a cautionary tale about kids growing up too fast via the sexualization of young girls in the media and the real world results.  I think it disturbed me because I can imagine it happening in my lifetime.  It did not make the wait for my delayed flight any more pleasant.

“Objective Impermeability in a Closed System” by William Shunn.  Hector Baratoux has always knows his daughter was not actually his.  After the death of his ex-wife, he is saddened by the fact that they don’t have a real relationship.  How do you fix that?  Build a time machine and change the starting point.

“Third Person” by Tony Ballantyne.  Hey, it’s a futuristic war story hiding it’s real purpose; discussing the best point of view for writing fiction.  What’s not for a lifelong geek/English teacher to like?!

Honorable Mention; the poem “They Came from the Future” by Robyn Hitchcock.  Yes, that Robyn Hitchcock.

I hope this qualifies for the Summer Reading Club. 

Urges Indeed.

"The Most Beautiful Girl"

SBC: wk3(a)

SRC: wk3