Hymned Again by Bart Millard

Reviewed by Dale Lewis

 

 

"...a diversified smorgasboard offering the listener New Orleans influenced horn-driven jazz to Texas blue-rock guitar to bluegrass to... country. "

 

 

 

Most of these hymns on Hymned Again date back to the 1800s and talk about sharing one’s faith during the era when evangelism was on the rise. Bart states, “These are the songs that were a huge part of my upbringing.” As a pastor’s kid raised in The Salvation Army with these powerful hymns, I would agree wholeheartedly!

Bart Millard, of the band MercyMe, teams up with producer Brown Bannister as he did with the first release, Hymned. Millard shares his passionate vocals with a sweet, supporting line up of studio musicians. Hymned Again is a diversified smorgasboard offering the listener New Orleans influenced horn-driven jazz to Texas blue-rock guitar to bluegrass to . . . country. Don’t let this scare you non-country fans from buying this CD!

One of my favorite cuts is “I Stand Amazed” performed as a simple melody without the instrumentation consuming the powerful lyrics. It was a needed reprise amongst all the other hymns. Others I liked were “What a Day That Will Be,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” which is showcased in a 1970s funk-soul arrangement. The horn section has a Denver and the Mile High Orchestra flavor especially on “What a Day That Will Be.” The clarinet and ukulele share the spotlight also in these modern day arrangements.

Deep within there is a part of me longing for the hymns of old to remain untouched — left as originally performed for no better reason than out of reverence and respect for the lyrics. And there is part of me that thoroughly enjoyed these new arrangements, (well, most of them) . . . listening to the joyful noise while drawing a new appreciation for the message of these God-ordained lyrics.

Thanks Bart for stepping out again and reminding us that the songs of the past need to find new life in the present, (although I would consider deleting that musical saw in “What a Friend”). I can’t wait to get to heaven to sing these hymns, in whatever version, to God’s glory! I might even pick up my trumpet and join in on the worship

 

 

 

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

Reviewed by C.J. Darlington

 

"...if you enjoyed the first installment you’ll probably enjoy Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2."


If you saw the first Beverly Hills Chihuahua movie, you’ll have a good idea what to expect in this straight to DVD sequel. Cute dogs, silly antics, an outrageous plot, and did we mention cute dogs? Lead pooches Papi and Chloe have just gotten married and soon have a brood of five little pups to keep them on their toenails. Dad Papi (voiced perfectly once again by George Lopez) takes it all in stride and every night, with the best of intentions, tells his little ones stories of the Chihuahua warriors of long ago. The only problem is the puppies take the stories literally and get into all sorts of mischief. Poor Papi ends up in the dog house more than once for filling the puppies’ heads with grand ideas.

But it’s not the dogs that need saving this time around. The parents of Papi’s owner Sam are about to be evicted from their beloved home. After several attempts to make things right with the bank, it's not looking good. But when a pack of determined Chihuahuas is on your side, how can you lose?
With the original grossing almost 95 million in 2008, it was at first surprising to see the sequel going straight to DVD. But with little of the same star power attached, it makes sense. At least Papi kept his original voice. Chloe and Delgado did not, though it’s not too distracting as their new voices are similar enough. However, it was disappointing to see no human actors reprise their roles from the first film. Susan Blakely takes over for Jamie Lee Curtis as Aunt Viv, but she only appears briefly in one or two scenes. Most of the human acting was actually rather wooden, but there were a few supporting characters who made things interesting, namely Elaine Hendrix as the owner of a snotty French Poodle and the cat loving bank clerk. Also, Morgan Fairchild does justice to a dog show commentator alongside French Stewart.
The best part of the movie was seeing cool German Shepherd Delgado again. The subplot involving his two estranged police dog sons was a nod to every melodramatic father/son movie ever made, but it actually worked here and was a touching addition.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first installment you’ll probably enjoy Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, especially if you’re a dog lover or a kid. It’s clean entertainment with a good message about love and family. Just don’t expect too much, and you’ll have an enjoyable family movie night.

.