Raising Up the Dead

Personnel: Sandra McCracken (vocals); Randy Holsapple (Hammond b-3 organ).
Audio Mixer: Shane D. Wilson.
Recording information: Ft. Sumner Studio, Nashville, TN; Iron Horse Studio, Somerville, TX; Studio 3 Floor, Houston, TX; The Brown Owl, Nashville, TN.
Photographers: Scott Brignac; Ryan Booth.
Maturity has not softened the alt-folk-rock creativity of Caedmon's Call, it's only given them new subjects to write about. The group emerged from a three-year hiatus with their landmark 16th studio album, Raising Up the Dead. Their inspiration has evolved from youthful relationship musings to the trappings of parenthood and settling down. The Texas-based hipsters won many of their listeners while in college, hitting the Christian pop scene in the mid-'90s with their distinctive blend of indie and acoustic faith-based folk-pop. Amid a revolving lineup and experiments in and out of worship music during the next decade, the band's craft speaks for itself and continues their reputation for having one of the most credible songwriting collectives anywhere. This time, each member of the band co-wrote at least one track, though Danielle Young's contributions tend to overshadow the rest. The wife of fellow vocalist Cliff Young, Young sings lead and shares co-writing credits on six of the 12 tracks. Raising Up the Dead combines the best elements of 10,000 Maniacs, Wallflowers, and Sarah McLachlan to venture well beyond the group's coffeehouse vibe. One of the album's most endearing qualities is that it showcases how well they challenge themselves to expand their genre's boundaries. Between the distinctive songwriting styles and sharing of lead vocal duties from track to track, Raising Up the Dead offers something new with each listen. Not every group can say the years have been as kind as they have been to Caedmon's Call on this album. It's a hallmark, an adventure, and a breath of fresh air all rolled into one. ~ Jared Johnson