Out of the Grey - 6.1

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Free Music Notes for 6.1

Free Music Review: Quite a Comeback
Hit: 5 Stars

The first followup, The Shape of Grace (1992), while slightly more mainstream and pop-oriented than its alternative, ethereal predecessor, was an artistic success in its own right. The corporate influence really began to show with Diamond Days (1994), a solid but unquestionably compromised album that contained a mixture of classic Out of the Grey songs (e.g., "All We Need," "Eyes Wide Open," "Love Like Breathing") and songs that could almost be mistaken for standard Christian radio fare (e.g., "The One I've Been Waiting For"). That album also saw Sparrow playing with a new image of the couple as upwardly-mobile professionals who happened to make music for a living while wearing expensive suits and drinking cappacino. These unfortunate trends continued and even accelerated on the next album, Gravity (1995), the couple's low point to date. Two exceptional songs ("Bird on a Wire," "So We Never Got to Paris") and two or three other noteworthy tunes were not enough to make up for the formulaic compositions on the rest of the album. Even Christine Dente's characteristically excellent lyrics seemed to have been stifled by the record company's approach.

Disappointed, the duo shut down what had become their nonstop album-and-touring factory for almost a year and convinced Sparrow to let them make the album that they wanted to make. See Inside (1997) was, as the Dentes now admit, a rebellion against Gravity where they tried to prove to themselves and listeners that they hadn't forgotten how to rock. Harder by far than any previous Out of the Grey album, See Inside was an artistic success and quickly won the favor of longtime fans who hadn't lost faith in Scott and Christine. But it and its singles were too alternative for most Christian radio stations, and lower radio airplay at least in some measure contributed to the financial failure of the recording. With Out of the Grey's sales declining with each new release (a trend that started long before See Inside), Sparrow called it quits on the couple after one final greatest hits album (Remember This [1998]).

Over the next few years, the Dentes continued playing to appreciative, often sold-out audiences as they searched for a new (and ever elusive) record deal. They discussed the possibility of Christine going solo but chose to stay together as a unit, and finally Out of the Grey won a new deal with Rocketown Records (Michael W. Smith's oufit, which claims to value artistry and ministry over sales) in late 2000. The first product of this collaboration is 6.1, so named because it's their sixth studio album and their first one for Rocketown.

The result is pleasantly surprising: Out of the Grey haven't sounded so fresh and original since their first album. Producer Monroe Jones (Third Day, Caedmon's Call, Chris Rice) has helped the Dentes create a new sound that differs from anything that they did under either Charlie Peacock (their standard producer) or Brown Bannister (the Christian music heavyweight who oversaw See Inside). The pop songs and ballads are not standard CCM fare: On the pop side, Jones has added quite a bit of instrumentation, and one song even contains hints of hiphop; on the ballad side, the piano gets a great deal more prominence than in the past. The album has three rock songs, but none are as hard as the ones on See Inside.

Jones' new musical approach does seem to affect the balance between the couple. Scott, one of the best guitar players in Christian music, appears to get somewhat shorter shrift than usual, as other instruments and effects compete with his guitar for the listener's attention. And Christine comes more to the forefront, demonstrating a wider vocal range using her unforgettably ethereal voice while continuing her literate, thoughtful lyric writing. The album's graphics also emphasize Christine over Scott, both in the number of individual pictures devoted to each one and in pictures of the couple as a unit.

But even with this new tilt that somewhat favors Christine, 6.1 is an album to run out and buy. Its first two songs are clearly intended for Christian radio ("Shine Like Crazy," the album opener, is already the first single) and are perhaps too commercial, even if in an alternative pop sort of way. But with "Brave," the album's first rock number, everything gels so that even with the different musical sounds, we know that we're back in classic Out of the Grey territory. The album never disappoints from there. The ballads, particularly "Tell Your Story," are often heart-wrenching, but then Christine could sing lines out of a phone book and, with her vocal gifts, move you to tears or amazement. The rock songs are driving without being overwhelming, and the pop songs are accessible as well. The album's high point perhaps comes with "Out of the Ordinary," a moving pop meditation on how God transforms our all-too-brief ordinary lives.
 
In the end, Out of the Grey have made quite a comeback. The album is clearly their best one since their debut album, and some will find it better than that one. Time may show that 6.1 was the album where Out of the Grey successfully reinvented themselves. It would be great if they could gain enough of a following that they could continue their artistry without worrying about becoming more mainstream.

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