Mystical Radical God
-- Mike Rimmer, Phantom Tollbooth
When I first listened to this album, I honestly didn¹t know if I was going to like it or not. In fact the first two times I listened to it, I never made it all the way through due to distractions and such. Then One morning I got up quite early, and put this one on the stereo. Although it’s a unique sound, Aaron is a versatile singer and songwriter. Well produced by Aaron himself (credits indicating in his house by his pool) and is actually professional sounding. Who says you need high priced recording studios to crank out a great sounding project? He puts on the train of this album with “Salt” which is an anthem of sorts dealing with “the salt of the world.”
This man is a prolific songwriter, and deals with the issues of today quite well. With “Wayo” being a much simpler sounding song than the previous cut, and feeling a tad bit more homegrown studio wise, this tune digs a little deeper into his thought process. I do like his adaptation of something the newsboys would do with the megaphone background vocals. This effect is usually overdone by most groups (made famous by the Beatles back in the 60’s), Aaron uses it like a good spice. Its in there just enough to enhance the sound. Things rock just a little bit more with “Flow Through Me,” even though the beat doesn¹t change too much from the first cut of the album. Thank goodness by the time we get to “Bask In Your Sunlight” he slows things down a bit, and shows us a more peaceful side of himself. Aaron is more of a poet than a songwriter in the aspect that he tells a song more than writes lyrics. Not everybody can pull this off, but thankfully he can. His voice remains rock solid throughout and the background vocals are layered just enough to add color. Probably one of my favorite songs on the album is “Just Passing By.” A very acoustical performance, this is the portion of the album where things could fall apart. However, Aaron continues to deliver a stellar performance. This could be a very radio friendly song once you get into it. It’s more of what we should hear on radio, but aren¹t given the chance. If FM radio was more album oriented driven like back in the 70’s this would be an excellent fit. “Who I Am” is a tough one for me to be objective about here. Lyrically the words speak volumes, but musically its probably the weakest tune of the 14 song CD. With what this great songwriter has shown us to this point, I would have hoped for more musical orientation. Part of this could simply be the placement of the song within the album structure. Possibly if this had been put as the last song of the album, it might have fit a lot better than where it lays now. Things do pick up with “You Are Free.” Once again Aaron shows his commercial side of songwriting. Another very radio friendly song, I would be surprised if this song doesn¹t get some form of radio support. The message is strong and clear, and to the point. When “Dwell” first starts out, I chuckled as the thought of “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers came through my mind. Once his vocals start though, the song does go somewhat in a different direction. If you couldn’t say anything else about this man, at the very least you can confirm that Aaron Thompson is an extremely gifted songwriter. Thank goodness he’s also one with a beautiful voice too. “Mystical Radical God” changes directions almost immediately from where he’s taken us so far. Let me give you a word of warning here. Don’t try to fix your stereo when this song starts (you have to listen to the song in order to know what I mean). I don’t know if I agree with his voice being that distorted in the beginning, but hey, it is a different flavor from the rest of the collection of songs so far. I can say it is probably the most rocking song of the album. Then there¹s “No More Fear.” Being totally biased here (that’s the prerogative of a critic) this is my favorite song of the album. What a totally awesome slow song. Beyond being a ballad, this almost symphonic piece is lush and deeply textured. I could play this one over and over and over. As you get more into this album, you discover more wonderful songs. “Watercolor Hands” is one of those gems. Although the first half of this album has been good, this one is great. Placement of a particular song on an album is important, and where this one sits on this project only goes to enhance this piece. I’d love to see this one performed live. I can only imagine how it would sound in a large hall.
“Good Medicine” pulls you into another direction after being lulled by the two previous cuts. The only down side is this song sounds almost like the first cut of the album in the beginning. Sorry, but not one of my more favorite tunes considering all the other great ones that have got you this far. Now with “We Only Kick And Bleed” he’s got my attention again. Aaron’s writing and singing is full of surprises, and trust me, their good ones so far. I do like the bass work on this song that Mike King plays. So far most the players on this album lay back and let Aaron shine through. However on this song, the musicians are allowed to stand out a little bit, including Doug Mann¹s guitar work. We finish things up with “Love Your Enemies,” definitely the most rocking, edgy song on the album (even with the muted trumpet played by Mr. Versatile himself, Aaron Thompson). At 6:30 in the morning, I found my foot tapping (and trust me, at that time in the morning, not much wants to move until I’ve had my first glass of sweet iced tea). The song has a excellent groove, and gets a little funky towards the end, which having grown up on Tower Of Power Rufus, and Average White Band, it’s alright with me. I actually didn’t want the song to end. But alas it did.
Released on what looks like his own label, you need to track this one down however you can, and go buy it. I think the journey will be well worth it for you. I’m glad I made the time to listen to it finally.
-- Power Source Magazine, February 2003
--Susan Bailey
Catholic CD Review