Come Sunday Morning sounds much more polished than Razing A Nation, but the themes are similar. Arlan remains true to the ideals he believes in and isn’t afraid to speak out. While, at times, the music may be more upbeat than his previous release, it’s still a folk album at heart; focusing on love and war, and souls seeking salvation.Some of the most powerful songs Arlan has ever written are on this disc. One of the most impresive is “Viola,” a gorgeous ballad that proves that some of the loudest voices arise from out of the quiet. Between the stunningly beautiful piano and call to arms, the song literally dares us to help change the world with a mantra that would make Martin Luther King Jr. proud.
Break these chains of silence
Break these chains of violence
We will walk these miles... and go home.
-- “Viola”
Arlan’s voice transcends “I’ve Not The Heart To Tell Her” through spoken word and the spirit of Woody Guthrie watching on.
But the album’s true masterpiece is “The Cannon’s Blare.” Tender piano follows the tale of a soldier longing to return home to his love.
This war is not over
And I’m afraid it’s just begun
I’m feeling hung over
And I can’t lift this heavy gun.
The article continues after this ad
The flag’s they wave higher
The cannon blare grow louder
This war is not over
And I just long to hold her...
-- “The Canon’s Blare”
Highlights include “Come Sunday Morning,” “I’ve Got No Choice,” “Viola,” “I’ve Not The Heart To Tell Her,” and “The Cannon’s Blare.”
From the book
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists by Gary Wien
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
Asbury Music. He can be contacted at
gary@newjerseystage.com.
