Wounded Beauty by Monique Lisbon
Not many Christian songwriters would quote Henry David Thoreau – most famous for his quotation ‘Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.’ Monique Lisbon is one whose songs will be ‘out there’. Her latest album Wounded Beauty continues her tradition of singing songs from the heart, from the deep places of hurt and pain. But unlike similar secular songwriters (Janis Ian and Alysson Light), there is an undercurrent of love, purpose and hope in her work, founded in the deep love of Christ.
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Monique has travelled the road of a songwriter not naturally gifted in singing, but has paid the price through hard work, determination and professional production to produce a great sounding album. Her singing is confident and heartfelt, without being whiny or overly classical. She has surrounded herself with great musicians, most notably Roger Nicholson and Craig Smith on piano. She also uses brass arrangements well to add mood and power where needed. The overall effect is tight, professional and in places downright grooving! Styles range from ballads, both moody and stirring, to various flavours of jazz, and to the surprising driving rock of Deliberately at the end of the album.
However the strong point of Monique’s writing has always been the willingness to tackle deep issues. Several songs draw on the paradox of life, the beauty and the pain. Many reflect the inadequacies and shallow comfort that we (like Job) find in our sorrow. ‘Your words fall like lead balloons, filled with judgement, feigning freedom’. Rather than finding immediate comfort and healing, they portray a journey that can live with pain, even if we never see the end of it in this life. ‘I can finally see what you can see, I can hold my pain when you hold me’. It is an uncomfortable journey that is not afraid to ask God ‘I wake and I cry to you “What are you doing?”’ She is not afraid to issue a call to action, asking us ‘what are we doing in God’s world?’
The track I found most confronting was Silver Grey, portraying truth as silver grey as opposed to the black and white of dogmatism and simple believism. I don’t know that I’d go that far. Sometimes questioning can be used as an escape from facing uncomfortable truths. Yet I support her in asking the questions, knowing that some will be answered in this life, and that some will be answered when we meet Christ face to face (if we even care about the answers then)! She leaves the final thought to Thoreau, following in his footsteps as she sings ‘I wanna live deliberately, open to my darkness, questioning the light’. This truly is the road less travelled, but it’s a great road.
Monique has travelled the road of a songwriter not naturally gifted in singing, but has paid the price through hard work, determination and professional production to produce a great sounding album. Her singing is confident and heartfelt, without being whiny or overly classical. She has surrounded herself with great musicians, most notably Roger Nicholson and Craig Smith on piano. She also uses brass arrangements well to add mood and power where needed. The overall effect is tight, professional and in places downright grooving! Styles range from ballads, both moody and stirring, to various flavours of jazz, and to the surprising driving rock of Deliberately at the end of the album.
However the strong point of Monique’s writing has always been the willingness to tackle deep issues. Several songs draw on the paradox of life, the beauty and the pain. Many reflect the inadequacies and shallow comfort that we (like Job) find in our sorrow. ‘Your words fall like lead balloons, filled with judgement, feigning freedom’. Rather than finding immediate comfort and healing, they portray a journey that can live with pain, even if we never see the end of it in this life. ‘I can finally see what you can see, I can hold my pain when you hold me’. It is an uncomfortable journey that is not afraid to ask God ‘I wake and I cry to you “What are you doing?”’ She is not afraid to issue a call to action, asking us ‘what are we doing in God’s world?’
The track I found most confronting was Silver Grey, portraying truth as silver grey as opposed to the black and white of dogmatism and simple believism. I don’t know that I’d go that far. Sometimes questioning can be used as an escape from facing uncomfortable truths. Yet I support her in asking the questions, knowing that some will be answered in this life, and that some will be answered when we meet Christ face to face (if we even care about the answers then)! She leaves the final thought to Thoreau, following in his footsteps as she sings ‘I wanna live deliberately, open to my darkness, questioning the light’. This truly is the road less travelled, but it’s a great road.
posted by Ken at 1:40 PM
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