Vector
Temptation
(Liquid Disc)
There
are many Christian performers capable of making
great music, but relatively few capable of
making great art. Near the top of that list
would have to be Vector, the California-bread
band which was launched by Steve Griffith,
Jimmy Abegg and Charlie Peacock nearly 15 years
ago, and now features just Steve and Jimmy.
Fans as well as peers are continually drawn
to the soaring vocals of Steve Griffith and
the musical inventions and guitar experimentations
of Jimmy A.
Now, one could argue that if you only release
an album every five years (their last disc,
Simple Experience, came out in 1989), you had
better make it good! Griffith and Abegg rise
to the challenge; this massive album (14 songs)
contains no clinkers and several moments of
brilliance. Temptation is driven by world beat-influenced
rhythms and arrangements and fleshed out with
solid pop melodies. Its subtle complexities
draw you in with dense instrumental textures
and capture you with poetic lyrics.
The
lead-off track,"The Power of Love," sets
the tone for the disc, opening with insistent
percussion parts and a melodic bass line, a
Griffith trademark. Steve's vocal lines are
punctuated by Jim's graceful, distorted guitar
fills. This cut features the core musicians
on Temptation - drummer Steve Brewster, organist
Phil Madeira and keyboardist/backing vocalist
Dave Frank. But the ad hoc third member of
Vector is guest vocalist Davia Vallesillo of
Dakoda Motor Co. - you've never heard her wail
like she does on this album! Davia contributes
a variety of challenging parts, from singing
simple harmonies to what amounts to a duet
or second lead vocal parts. For instance, her
voice both echoes and underpins Griffith's
in "It Comes Down to You," spurring
Steve to some of the best singing he's ever
accomplished and establishing her as a premiere
vocalist in her own right.
Other
highlights among the remaining dozen tracks
include "Let It Slide," an
encouragement to forgive one another ("Bring
your brokenness / Bind up all the wounds with
a kiss"), which is built on a driving
percussion and bass pattern, Jimmy's scratchy
guitar riffs and Madeira's bluesy organ; "My
Own Eyes," a song about a glimpse into
heaven that's both majestic and a bit scary
and "She Won't Say Goodbye," a melancholy,
acoustic-oriented look at a loved one's passing
from this life to the next. The evocative cover
art by Griffith, Abegg and photographer Ben
Pearson only enhances the feeling that this
is Vector at its best.
