San Antonio Express reviews Recollection
Singer/songwriter Nordeman
looks back in ‘Recollection’
Best-of CD highlights faith and music, shows how she has matured.
BY RAÚL A. FLORES
It’s all but impossible to tire of Nichole Nordeman’s silky voice, rich piano chords and philosophical lyrics.
For the uninitiated, “Recollection: The Best of Nichole
Nordeman,” is the ideal way to be introduced to the singer/
songwriter. Longtime fans may feel shortchanged, but the CD
does have two new offerings, “Finally Free” and “Sunrise,”
which is getting airplay leading up to the March 6 release.
The new disc is an intentional look back at Nordeman’s
progression from her 1998 debut “Wide Eyed” to 2005’s “Brave.” “With recollections, I have learned to value the art of looking back and taking inventory of my life,” Nordeman says in the liner notes.
“What lies ahead is always uncertain. What lies behind
is always a little clearer.” She says the older songs
she chose for this collection are mile markers in her life.
The more recent songs indicate she’s matured.
Early singles such as the jazzy “Is it Any Wonder” and
the hypnotizing “River God” serve up deep lyrics that
have become her signature. Her flair for piano-driven
pop shines on title track of “This Mystery,” one of four
songs off the 2000 release. She challenges listeners to address the faith that so often gets pushed aside.
She chose four songs from her “Woven and Spun” album
that garnered five Dove Awards in 2003, including one for song of the year, “Holy.” Also off the same album is “Legacy,” a song in which she challenges herself to do as Christ intends. Nordeman is at her best when it’s just her and her piano, and that plays out melodically in a live cut of “Why,” a stirring ballad that questions why Jesus had to die. Nordeman, who writes or co-writes all her music, is not afraid to be loud about her faith; her songs ask profound questions about one’s personal spiritual journey. She has done it throughout her career and is reminding everyone of it with “Recollections.”
