Derek Webb

I have to say, I am currently listening to my absolute favorite Christian singer/songwriter of all time...Derek Webb. I first heard DW (easier to type) when he was with Caedmon's Call, another of my favorite Christian artists, due in large part to DW. Songs like "Thankful", "Faith My Eyes", "Somewhere North", "Dance" and "I Boast No More" amazed me, not only in his delivery, but in their complexity both of lyric and music. The Call was definitely in heavy rotation for many years during his tenure.

DW then left the Call, mainly for the chance to get more of his material out. When you are in a group that has three lead singers, and several songwriters, your material doesn't always get played. So, much like the emancipation of Stevie Nicks on the Edge of Seventeen, DW struck out on his own. His first album, "She Must and Shall Go Free" is a killer. Now, some of you might not like all of his style. He definitely went around the way with different musical styles, but that is the album that contains what I consider the greatest song on the Gospel ever written, "Wedding Dress". When I first heard that song, I listened to it straight for about three or four days. I am not kidding. That was all that I heard at work all day long. It just was that kind of song, it struck me. He has had two more albums since his first solo release, "I See Things Upside Down" and "Mockingbird", and both are filled with such meaning, such strength in their songs. If you would like to hear a bit of DW, go to www.relevantmagazine.com and listen to their recent Podcast (middle of the page, near the low middle of the page). It is a long streaming broadcast, and you have to listen for a bit to get to DW, but it is worth it. He explains some of his thought concerning "Mockingbird" and two of the songs on it. You just need to hear him.

I was fortunate enough to hear DW twice. In 2002, we saw Caedmon's Call with DW at Ichthus. It was a rainy mess all day, but the rain stopped long enough for them to play their whole set. It was great, a really awesome memory, even with the rain and the muck (8 inches of sticky muck with sandals, YEAH BABY). I also saw him after the solo album, in a church in Columbus, just him and his guitars. He spoke at length, for 20 minutes one time, about the Gospel and Christianity. To hear that live version of "Wedding Dress", just him on stage, it was awesome and goes down as one of my favorite all time concert memories.

So, there, I felt he needed some props, so I give em. He is amazing, and I know that word is thrown alot, but to me, he truly is. His website is www.derekwebb.com. You should visit it, there are 4 songs from tne new album that you can hear on the main page. Good, Good, Good stuff.

*blaring "She Must and Shall Go Free" as I end this. "All her debts cast on me, She must and shall go free!"