Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 12: Redemption
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 1: Introduction
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 2: The Self-Titled Debut
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 3: Vital Signs
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 4: Hotline
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 5: Don’t Wait for the Movie
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 6: Emergency Broadcast
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 7: Freedom
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 8: Powerhouse
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 9: Tales of Wonder
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 10: Highlands
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 11: Inside
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 12: Redemption
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 13: The Other Songs
So, we come to it at last- the final Whiteheart album. Before we dive into Whiteheart’s 1997 swan song, I would like to take care of a few small items of business. First, this will not be the final installment of this series. I have two more articles planned to wrap up everything. Thanks for sticking around for all of these. I’ve really enjoyed seeing all the responses on our social media platforms. You guys are the best.
Second, while this series has been full of my thoughts and opinions of Whiteheart’s music and career, I want to be clear that I don’t believe my opinion is the definitive one. There are plenty of other Whiteheart fans who know the band and their music much better than I do. I hope one day someone with deeper knowledge will produce a definitive chronicle of the band. I will be the first in line to read, listen, or watch that unfold.
Enough of that. Let’s talk about Redemption.
Perhaps it’s a faulty memory or something of that sort, but there seemed to be a sense of finality when Redemption was released. Prior to it coming out, the band had made no announcement that this was it. That this was their final album. But if you were a Whiteheart fan, things felt different.
For one, at this point, Whiteheart was a three-piece band. Departing prior to the recording of Redemption were long-time guitarist Brian Wooten, drummer Jon Knox, who had been with the band since 1992, and bassist John Thorn. The remaining members were original founders, Mark Gersmehl, Billy Smiley, and lead singer Rick Florian, who had defined the band’s sound since 1986.
At the time, I couldn’t articulate it, but it felt like things were winding down for the band. That lent the album a melancholy atmosphere and it infused the songs themselves with a resolute impetus. If these were to be their final songs, they needed to make them count. While this could all be my own personal head cannon, I truly believe the band knew this was it and they wanted to go out saying things that truly mattered to them.
As an album, Redemption has a cohesive vision. It’s not a concept album but if you work your way through it sequentially, it unspools on a clearly intentional trajectory. From the opening track to the final song, the album is about redemptive relationships. Our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with God. It is vulnerable stuff, taking hard looks at own hearts and then turning that outward toward others.
The album opens with “Looking Glass”, a sonically expansive reset after the darker, moodier tones of Inside. But it’s not Whiteheart falling back on their tried and true. For one, the guitar work on this song and the rest of the album is more about filling in spaces and adding texture than shredding solos and jumping off the speakers. Guitarist Barry Graul1 added just the right sound for what the band was aiming for.
“Looking Glass” sets the tone for the album. It is musically rich and beautiful, with soaring vocals, full-to-bursting arrangement, and a rhythm section that to my ears, harkens back to their late 80’s sound. Bassist Mark Hill and drummer Mike Mead2 brings decades of experience and fully complement the vision of the album. Adding additional layers to the album is the percussion work by Steve Hindalong. 3
“Looking Glass” is also the lyrical tone setter of the album. It’s introspective and utterly honest. I’ve always felt Whiteheart were underappreciated lyricists, but Redemption is a high-water mark for the band. Christian rock was in a very different place in 1997 than it was when the band hit their stride in the late 80’s. This album proved that Whiteheart could pivot and evolve and do so in a way that retained the best of what they had always been. Using inspired imagery, “Looking Glass” inventively focuses on God’s grace even in the midst of our failures.
Following this fantastic opening is a run of songs that delve deeply into the theology of relationship and redemption. “Man Overboard” is a synthy, punchy song dealing with our human desire for control and how that always ends in disaster. “Honestly”, the acoustic-centered third track, puts the spotlight on our own shortcomings and sins. “Steel and Stone”, the heaviest song on the album, is all about how our fractured sense of self destroys our relationships with others. Gersh handles lead vocals on it and gives a powerhouse performance.
“The Vine” is up next and serves as a turning point for the album. Lifted from John 15, the song centers the listener on our dependence on God and how any life outside of that framework is empty and futile. The guitar work by Barry Graul is subtle but packs a real punch. “Fall on Me” takes us from dependence into a state of longing for more of God’s touch. It was one of only two singles released for this album and it charted in the top 20. After this, the album moves us outward with “Give Enough”, a call to boldly live out this love we have been given.
The final three tracks of the album are in some ways my favorite. In fact, tracks eight and nine are my favorites from the album, and track ten, “Jesus” is a thematically perfect album and career closer for Whiteheart. “Love is Everything”, the eighth track of the album is one of my favorite Whiteheart songs ever. It’s stunningly beautiful, with intricate and delicate guitar work, and beautiful vocals by Gersh and Rick. Lyrically, it’s everything a song like this should be. It’s earnest and heartfelt but without a trace of sentimentality. In a perfect world, this should have been a massive hit for the band. We clearly do not live in a perfect world.
Track nine is “Remember This” and it’s the final declaration of the “Kingdom now, Kingdom still to come” message they have been proclaiming for years. Drum programming, keyboards, and a guitar riff that soars bring the song to life. I’ve loved this song from the first time I heard it. In fact, I loved it so much that my wife and I played this song for our wedding recessional. This is a song about Christian unity, of fellowship here on earth, but as a picture of something far greater that awaits us in eternity. It’s a triumphant, celebratory song. Again, this should have been released as a single by Curb Records. It deserved so much better.
Closing out the album is the song “Jesus”. 11 albums. Hundreds of songs. Whiteheart could have ended their run with any song they wanted but they chose to go out singing about their Lord and Savior. It’s beautiful and poignant and I will forever be thankful. Plus, the song rocks.
As you can tell, I love Redemption. I loved it when it first came out in 1997, and I love it even more today. Sadly, it feels like a forgotten album in many ways. Whiteheart was a band that should have been given the grand farewell tour. Instead, they released one final amazing album and faded away into that place many other great Christian rock bands ended up. Forgotten and discarded. Yes, there are those of us who still remember and celebrate their music, but the band deserves so much more. This is why I am writing this series. To remember. To reflect. To inspire others to listen.
Thanks for reading. Next time, we will look at various songs Whiteheart released over the years that were not on any of their full-length albums. See you then!
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So is the complete Retrospective series going to be put in book format for sale?!?? There’s a series of books out there for bands like Toto and others that talk about every album and songs. Excellent books. Just an idea. I’d definitely purchase a Retrospective Book on the greatest Christian Rock Band in history!