Shawn McDonald: Review

Scattered Pieces: Live

Mar 8, 2007 Kevan Breitinger

Shawn McDonald's second live album, "Scattered Pieces: Live," is provoking commentary about its quick appearance, but with a talent as fresh as his, can it be too soon?

It’s not too soon for me. I found “Scattered Pieces: Live,” an assortment of live acoustic performances scattered over the waning months of 2006, to be very satisfying, serving up enough diversity to hold my attention easily. Moody and evocative, it’s an album that sets a certain tone, almost transporting in its scope.

“Scattered Pieces” offers a few new additions: some organic percussion, sweet strings, and the always-delicious vocals of Alli Rogers. But McDonald opens alone, the stark “Ramblings of a Beggar,” raw and brave. The note-bending beneath “I Am Nothing” sounds like whales at play, adding to the organic pleasures of the intense track. The rapid-fire vocals of “Don’t Walk Away” give a mad beat poetry feel to the encouraging track. And I don’t know how McDonald does it, but he manages to give “Take Hold” an intensity both dreamy and fierce at the same time, underscored fittingly by the scorching electric guitar solo. New song “Pride,” one of four, is powerfully nuanced, his deeply expressive vocals soaring over quietly nimble strings. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of “Pour Out”’s gritty vocals against the luminous instrumentation.

The energy picks up appealingly on the album’s last tracks, including the free-flowing passion of “The Rider on the White Horse,” tightened up well here. “Take My Hand”’s nimble energy draws the crowd in easily, especially as McDonald scats fiercely over the thick cello chords. “Scattered Pieces: Live” closes powerfully with “Beautiful,” an emotionally-charged track wisely pairing his rough vocals with Alli Rogers’ lustrous sound. If you ask me, it’s never too soon for Shawn McDonald’s “Scattered Pieces: Live.”

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Comments

Mar 11, 2007 5:59 PM

Kevan Breitinger :

Many reviewers seem to feel Shawn McDonald is putting out too many albums too quickly. Do you think that's a problem? Can we become oversaturated by his sound?

Mar 14, 2007 5:08 AM

Brenda Lane :

I personally love his sound so I say "no" that we can't hear too much of him.

Brenda

May 1, 2007 4:09 PM

Aurae Beidler :

I don't think having too many albums out at once is a bad thing. Shawn McDonald is a wonderfully talented artists. There are a lot of Christian radio stations that play an artists song for years and years. There are some that play a three year old song and say "here's a new one", like I heard one say about Shawn McDonald the other day. There are also other artists that we can't get enough of and seem to oversaturate the music world, like Relient K or Chris Tomlin. But I don't see it as a good thing. Perhaps with more songs out, Christian artists will reach into the mainstream more often!

3 Comments