DELIRIOUS? Touch (Furious?)
Already released in UK as audiolessonover? this reconstituted US release from Britain’s premier band of Christians is yet another example of the slick and mature rock and pop that Martin Smith, Stuart Garrard, Tim Jupp, Jon Thatcher & Stewart Smith have been consistent producing this last decade or so, since they first appeared as Cutting Edge, a humble church band from Wolverhampton, England.
The songs on Touch are certainly less worship focused than say, those found on the Cutting Edge albums (eg. Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever etc.) as the band opts for a more personal and accessible approach. Hopefully, more non-believers will perceive Touch as no different from any other ‘secular’ album save that the message is primarily a Christian one.
Definitely, the songs here deserve to be heard and appreciated by every sincere modern rock loving person whatever your belief system. The title track, for instance, is incandescent and uplifting, reminiscent of Radiohead (circa The Bends), as Smith sings of the Christian experience – “And when You touch my life/I’ve been born again/I am born again.” The vaguely psychedelia-evoking “Fire” speaks of the spiritual dimension – “I, I, I believe that the fire is here today/I, I, I believe now the smoke in my eyes has blown away (That the fire is here to stay).” Keen U2 observers will no doubt discover parallels with “Even Better Than the Real Thing” without any problem. As I alluded to earlier, there are personal moments on Touch that reflect the band’s love for their loved ones, in particular their spouses. “Take Me Away” is a lively rocker of celebration – “I’m in love with a girl/Everybody seems to know/I’ll sing it loud/Sing it cos I’m feeling proud of/Love, oh yeah, this is love,” whilst “Waiting For the Summer” is an infectious pop breeze that looks optimistically to the future – “Waiting for the summer/We’ll be laughing, we’ll be dancing/shining in the sun/You’re my beautiful one.”
Criminally ignored, basically, for their Christian faith, Delirious? should be getting the attention of serious rock enthusiasts everywhere for their honest music and powerful message, folks, it doesn’t get much better than this. A
