Daily Staff Writer

“40 Acres”

Caedmon’s Call

When DC Talk made the big switch from hip-hop to alternative, the band’s groupies were OK with that. After all, Christian music can always use a little more flavor.

One flavor it has never been very accepting of is country music, but unfortunately, the Houston-based clan Caedmon’s Call hasn’t quite figured that out yet.

Caedmon’s Call, the used-to-be acoustic folk rock band from Texas, has turned country, an unwelcome switch that has puzzled its loyal fanbase.

True, it’s pretty hard to top the band’s first full self-titled album. However, “40 Acres” doesn’t come close the quality or genre of the band’s previous effort.

On its last album, the group exhibited its ability to switch from acoustic rock in songs like “This World” and “Not Enough” to dissonant alternative in “Not the Land.”

No one would have guessed from the band’s first two albums that it would later take a 180-degree-turn into the land of twang.

On “40 Acres,” the band’s sound not only incorporates traditional country music instruments such as harmonicas, lap steels, banjos and accordions, but the actual instrumental lines slip and dip enough to make listeners want to break into the boot scootin’ boogie.

To complement the instrumental flavor, the three alternating lead singers manage to alter their voices just enough to get those hollowed-out country slides.

In Danielle Young’s solo “Climb On,” she breaks her syllables and accents certain parts of her words for that Faith Hill sound.

The beginning of “Daring Daylight Escape” could be mistaken for a Little Texas hit with its repetitive guitar rhythm and old country saloon-sounding piano tinkling, and the title track, “40 Acres,” makes you want to hop in the car for a dusty summer ride down the Texas highway.

Despite Caedmon’s Call’s sound switch, the group’s reputation for expressive lyrics has remained intact.

On “Thankful,” the group expresses, “I’m so thankful that I’m incapable of doing any good on my own,” showing that humans aren’t capable of doing any good work without the help of the Lord.

Other notable lyrics are in “Somewhere North,” where lead singer Derek Webb asks, “I give you my life and all I am/ But what have I to give,” noting the insufficiency and worthlessness of man in comparison to God’s power and omnipresence.

Though Caedmon’s may want to mix and match its sound to keep things interesting, country music is not the way to go, especially if it wants to keep its fanbase.

Maybe the band should move “Somewhere North” for a while, until it gets rid of its honky-tonk fever.

2 1/2 stars out of five

— Ashley Hassebroek

“Rebels and Outlaws: Music from the Wild Side of Life”

Various Artists

“Listen to country? I’d rather get my wedding tackle caught in an industrial sausage grinder.”

That is just the kind of thing most hip young American alternative types like to say.

Well, this ain’t your grandpa’s country, chief. Unless Grandpa was a heavy-drinking wife-beater who spent a fair portion of his life in the joint and the rest blacked out after long nights of poker and short days of manual labor.

Not all country has “Garth Brooks” stamped on it, and “Rebels and Outlaws: Music from the Wild Side of Life” is the kind of country that would make Garth blush.

The theory here seems to be that in spite of the reputation country has for being about some hayseed’s woman leaving him broke, lonely and whining, there is a brand of country that has not seen as much airplay.

This is the rough stuff. What’s cool about this album is that the rough stuff is also the old stuff.

The most famous track on this compilation is Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” If you have never heard it, it’s one of the reasons Social Distortion changed its sound back in the late ’80s.

Cash is the original black-clad, angst-ridden pop musician with more hard-luck stories than teeth. He tells stories set to simple music that gets inside your head.

The album also plays host to Faron Young’s “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young,” a rebellious old country anthem about the fast life.

Marty Robbins’ “Big Iron,” which is an outlaw cowboy story with action, shooting and killing, is like a little movie in your head without anybody kicking your chair.

Merle Haggard’s “Branded Man” is a working-class song about getting out of prison and not fitting back into society. Haggard sings, “I’d like to hold my head up and be proud of who I am/ But they won’t let my secret go untold/ I paid the debt I owed ’em/ But they’re still not satisfied/ Now I’m a branded man out in the cold.”

The combination of Haggard’s deep voice and the soulful plea of the lyrics make a nice counterpoint.

The album has a broad spectrum of old country songs that are a short history lesson for fans of Americana. There are enough blood, guts, cocaine, booze, crime and punishment tales here to make your night that much more interesting.

3 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“Delphonic Sounds Today!”

Various Artists

Oldies, but goodies. The infamous two-minute ditties that kept your parents rocking and rolling during the ’60s are alive and well in “Delphonic Sounds Today!”

Del-Fi Records, the label started by Bob Keane in Los Angeles in 1957, has gathered some of their artist’s hits, thrown them in a time machine and transformed them into a collection of fresh sounds via 20 bands from the ’90s.

Two of Del-Fi’s most well-known artists, Richie Valens and Bobby Fuller, have their “greatest hits” displayed throughout the CD. The Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law,” “The Magic Touch,” “Our Favorite Martian” and “A New Shade of Blue” appear with Valens’ upbeat “Let’s Go” and the dreamy “Donna” on the compilation.

Two instrumental tunes stick out as being prime party material — a little something to throw on the old stereo for your post-finals fiesta.

“The Slauson Shuffle” is a sterling example of transforming an instrumental song from the ’60s with modern sound gizmos. The Tiki Tones must have had a groovy time with the effects box when they covered The Romancers’ original.

The name of the second one says it all. “Surf Rider” would make anyone, even a corn-fed Iowan who’s never been to the ocean, feel like they were hanging in Southern Cal.

The Mello Cads have “An Afternoon Affair” that lasts precisely one minute and 54 seconds. No, they didn’t prematurely ejaculate the ending of the song; it’s supposed to be over that quickly. A cocktail should be lifted to toast the lounge sound of “An Afternoon Affair.”

“Luci Baines” is a stereotypical psychedelic-’60s song brought to the present by The Jigsaw Seen. This sit-back-and-tap-your-feet-to-the-fuzzy-beat would get anyone to do the watusi.

The 60-plus minute album is complimented by a brief history lesson of the label and a thorough background of each and every song on the album.

“Delphonic Sounds Today!” is a thoughtfully varied compilation that combines the short and sweet hits of the “golden decade” with a modern flavor that will keep you hip to the sugar-cone-’60s dip.

Although it does contain a few slow, teary-eyed tunes, “Delphonic Sounds Today!” is sure to give angst-ridden youngins’ a new-found respect for their “parents’ music.”

4 stars out of five

— Adam Jonas

“If I Could Turn Back Time”

Cher

Cher just won’t give up.

The pop singer started in ’65 and is still going strong — strong enough to compile her own “greatest hits” album.

“If I Could Turn Back Time” covers songs from the beginning of Cher’s enormous career up to her latest CD, which was released this year.

Hits such as “Save Up All Your Tears,” “I Got You Babe” (Sonny & Cher) and “If I Could Turn Back Time” are among the timeless classics on the album.

The diva even does a rendition of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss).”

Oh, and if you were wondering, Cher’s brand new hit, “Believe,” isn’t on the album. Instead, another song from her new CD, “Don’t Come Crying To Me,” was chosen.

For any hermits who have never heard Cher, her voice boasts a little bit of country twang as well as piercing emotion. Her lyrics are almost always about falling in and out of love, which can get pretty annoying at times.

A perfect example of Cher getting a little too emotional is in “Bang Bang” when she talks about being shot through her lonely heart.

In general, Cher’s music can be compared to the music of any other major pop icon: You either love her or you hate her.

2 stars out of five

— Abram Hardinge