Carman - "Addicted to Jesus"

Carman - Addicted to Jesus
1991, Benson

1. Our Turn Now
2. Holy Ghost Hop
3. Satan, Bite the Dust
4. 1955
5. Hunger For Holiness
6. Come Into this House
7. Addicted to Jesus
8. Jesus is the Way
9. The Third Heaven

Addicted to Jesus was sort of the apex of Carman's career. Everyone knew who he was and most everyone I knew liked him. However, he was starting to attract some controversy regarding his act. Some people thought he was skirting the edges of heresy. Some were put off by his relationship with Rev. Carlton Peterson. Some people took issue with the whole "Addicted to Jesus" thing - specifically that it made light of addiction as a disease. Honestly, I think that Carman was just an easy target. As for the album itself, Addicted to Jesus isn't as good as Revival in the Land, but I still love some of the songs on here. I like both "Holy Ghost Hop" and "Come Into this House." I also like the title track, which has DC Talk as guest stars. Carman's raging hard on for the Fifties rears its head too. We've got "Our Turn Now" (guest starring Petra), a rock song about how everything went to pot after they took prayer out of schools. Then there's "1955" - I actually really like this song. It's more genuine nostalgia and not a diatribe, also very catchy. The story songs ("Satan, Bite the Dust" and "The Third Heaven") have not aged well. Addicted to Jesus is kind of a hit-and-miss for me.

One more thing about Carman...

He once said in an interview that his mission was "to unite the denominations and the generations." And you know what? For a few years there in the late eighties/early nineties he totally did it. I liked Carman, my friends liked Carman, my mom liked Carman. It was hard to find a person that didn't like him. His concerts were filled with people of all ages from all different kinds of churches. So yeah... kudos to Carman.

Useless Fact: Much like Revival a VHS video was produced with videos for "Our Turn Now," "Addicted to Jesus" and others. This one was not a concert like the previous.

Carman - "The Standard"

Carman - The Standard
1993, Sparrow

1. Who's In the House?
2. Now's the Time
3. Great God
4. Everybody Praise the Lord
5. The River
6. Marchin' and Movin'
7. Sunday School Rock
8. Holdin' On
9. Lord, I Love You
10. America Again

The Standard sort of represents an "end of the age" if you will - at least in the respect of me liking Carman. This was the last album of his that I ever got into. I think I was growing out of him. After all, this album is full of the same schtick he'd been doing for years. We've got a hip-hop song ("Who's In the House"), a Carribean-flavored song ("Now's the Time"), a rock song, ("Great God"), etc, etc. There is a noticeable lack of real ballads on here (save "The River") for which I am thankful. Carman had also weathered a lot of the controversy that hit when Addicted To Jesus came out and was still a huge name in the Christian music scene. But yeah... I remember listening to the album after this, R.I.O.T., and it did not impress me. So I moved on, musically, but I still have fond memories of Carman and as a result The Standard is in my collection. I remember having to go to the bathroom during one of his concerts - it was just at the end. As I was coming back from the bathroom Carman's "secret service" guys made a little tunnel for him down the stars. I saw a sweaty Carman go backstage and completely ignore me! He was a mere four or five feet from me! Surprisingly, I was not that starstruck.

Now that all the warm fuzzies are out of the way I can rant about "America Again." It's a "story" song except there's no story. It's just Carman ranting about how America is on the path to hell and the solution is to get prayer back into schools. America should repent. Everything was better in the 50's. Blah, blah, blah. Want to know the truth? All the stuff that is happening today was happening then. The difference? NOBODY TALKED ABOUT ANYTHING! You want to know why chewing gum and talking were the two biggest problems in school? BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD EVER TALK ABOUT RAPE! Yes, everyone back then was very pious and religious and had very nice haircuts and wore hats, but they were still assholes that molested and raped and killed and treated their families like garbage. Here's a message to any old people reading this blog - YOUR TIME WAS CRAP, TOO. DEAL WITH IT. Okay, got that off my chest. On to our regularly scheduled blog...

Useless Fact: Margaret Becker provides some guest vocals on the country-esque song "Holdin' On."

Carman - "The Champion"

Carman - The Champion
1988, Benson

1. Prepare to Die
2. Abundance of Rain
3. Revive Us, Oh Lord
4. A Little Bit More Conviction
5. It Happened to Me
6. The Destination is There
7. Fear Not My Child
8. Love Can
9. The Champion

I've already written a little bit about this album over at my other blog when I was doing my 30 Days of Nintendo series. My aunt and uncle gave me The Champion for Christmas the same year I got my Nintendo. They were trying to get me into Christian music because at the time I was grooving to Metallica's ...And Justice For All. They were the same relatives that would hate Tourniquet years later. So my cousin and I sat in my grandma's computer room and listened to Carman. She was unimpressed (her favorite band was Skid Row). Surprisingly, I liked it. I still do somewhat - the fast songs anyway. Carman's ballads are about as captivating as listening to grass grow. He's still cheesy though. I literally laughed out loud at points. I distinctly remember my dad yelling at me while I listened to this and played Super Mario Bros. The part in "A Little Bit More Conviction" where Carman sings about two brothers going to a "sexy movie show" caused my father to yell, "WHAT KIND OF TRASH ARE YOU LISTENING TO!?" Of course, this is the same man who thought Bride's "Hell No" was about Vietnam.

Useless Fact: Carman starred in a movie called The Champion. The only thing I know about that movie is that Carman totally makes out with an ex-Mexican soap star. I have GOT to see that movie.

Carman - "Revival in the Land"

Carman - Revival in the Land

1989, Benson

1. God's Got An Army

2. I Got the Joy

3. A Witch's Invitation

4. Get Your Business Straight With God

5. This Blood

6. Saved, Delivered, and Healed

7. Jesus Is the Light

8. The Resurrection Rap

9. Shine Through Me

10. Revival in the Land

Okay... don't laugh. Yes I have a Carman CD in my collection. Not only in my collection, but I put it on my Ipod too! See I grew up in a time when Carman was just the coolest thing going. We didn't really know how cheesy he was, we just liked his music. And boy was he cheesy ("This BLOOD... is .... FOR YOU!"). I own this mainly for nostalgia but I still like to pull it out every once and awhile. I still really like "I Got the Joy" and "Jesus is the Light." Just for the record - Jesus actually is the Light. Anyway... I remember being freaked out by the demons moaning in "A Witch's Invitation" which is one of Carman's signature "story-songs" and spectacularly cheesy as well.

Useless Fact: There actually exist pictures of me... in MC Hammer pants... doing "The Resurrection Rap." Be glad you're there and not at my mom's house because she would no doubt haul them out for you to see. The horror!