Product Review: EYEGHOSTS

out of 5

If you are looking for something to keep your ipod or iphone protected from scratches but don't want to add any bulk to it, EYEGHOSTS are for you. You can check them out here http://www.eyeghost.com I have been using this product for a while and it really works great! It won't protect anything if you drop it or put it in the Washer and Dryer (Jason), but it will keep your machine from being scratched up at all and you reap all the benefits of the small size without adding anything to it. EYEGHOSTS are basically hard plastic wraps that go around your ipod or iphone and do not affect the operation of it whatsoever. It is not for everyone, but it may be for you!

Music Review: Zendher "Moving Up"

out of 5

I listened to this cd quite a few times as I have been thinking about reviewing it. Being a musician, I am probably more sensitive and gracious about music reviews than I am about other things. The first thing that I want to say about this band is that I admire their talent. For the most part, it is clear and obvious that they are very good at what they do. Unfortunately, as hard as I try, that's about the only good thing that I can come up with to say. I should lay out a few prejudices before I go any further, because I'm sure they will affect this review.

Prejudice #1
I really don't like Christian music. Some of it is ok, some of it is even good, but most of it that I have heard is pretty terrible from a musical point of view as well as a theological one. I'm not going to get into too much of this right now, but I have spent a lot of time in the "Christian" music scene as well as the "non-christian" (I guess) music scene. What I have learned is that there is not always much difference between the two scenes and "Christian" Bands are profiting on the perception that there is a difference. I also just disagree with using the word "Christian" as an adjective, especially when it comes to music.

Prejudice #2
I have spent a lot of time analyzing, writing, and recording music. There are things that are very important to me when it comes to music that are not found on this cd. They are: a solid grove and consistency within a song and over the space of an album. Problems in these areas stand out to me and bug me a lot.


With all this said, this band "Zendher" had the cards stacked against them from the beginning with me. The style of music is pretty inconsistent and it is definitely Christian music. I do have to say that theologically, it seemed fine and didn't bug me like most Christian music does. The talent and this pleasant surprise earned the second star in the rating. Now the stuff I didn't like...

The songs seemed to change styles in the middle and the groove was completely altered in the middle of a song at times. The vocals seemed silly at times and didn't sound authentic. This could have been a problem in the mix or whatever, it just had a very fake sound at times. The band had a kind of African and reggae feel at times and reminded me of Paul Simon sometimes, Bob Marley, and the Dave Matthews band at others. The problem is that there is no way that they even came close to emulating those amazing artists. It is a problem when it sounds so much like people that I think of them and comparison is inevitable. It kind of sounded like a cheaper rip off of these brilliant artists. It was way too much like those influences way too often. I am also very sensitive to Christian stuff being like second class secular stuff, but we are supposed to appreciate it because it is "Christian." Excellence is an important value that we must appreciate. The album itself was so inconsistent that it could have been a compilation of many bands and it would not have shocked me. It didn't establish a genre and nothing seemed to fit. There was no strong groove or hook in any song that did anything for me. I just couldn't see using this in worship or listening to it for pleasure. I even let other people that were into Christian music hear it and they didn't like it either.

I hate giving a negative review of a band and I appreciate the uniqueness and talent of Zendher. I think they just need to work some more on songwriting and their identity before recording another album. After listening, I am more confused about who this band is than before I heard them. I hate to anger the music gods when I have stuff coming out soon myself, but I gotta call it like I see it!

book review: "My Beautiful Idol" by Pete Gall

out of 5

This book was very well written and kept my attention very well. It made me want to keep on reading. I was a little disappointed at the sudden ending that kind of let me down. The entire book seemed to build up to something that never happened. It kind of fast forwards at the end and seems like time is going at one consistent speed throughout the book and then boom, it speeds up a bunch at the end.

The way that this book is written helps the reader to identify and empathize with the author. It does a great job going behind the scenes and explaining why things happen and what feelings surround actions, rather than leaving the reader to wonder or to draw his own conclusions. I really felt for the guy. The theology that he seemed to assume was quite different from my theology and it kind of bothered me that he just kind of assumed it was the right way to think. I kind of felt that he was pushing his theology on the reader just by assuming so much, but the book was so well written, I got over that. The book left me wondering if perhaps some of the hard-line theology was partially responsible for some of what happened to the author. I wonder if he thought about some things differently, perhaps things may have turned out differently.

All in all, I thought that this was an enjoyable book to read. I liked it and it really provided a good understanding of many social problems. It shows that when you get to know people, you see their problems differently. You can learn to see people as people rather than seeing people as problems.

book review: "I Became a Christian and All I Got was this Lousy T-shirt"

out of 5

"I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" by Vince Antonucci is amazing! I recommend it to anyone that wants to think about Christianity in a new way or anyone that wants to teach people that are not active in church. The best thing about this book is that Vince puts complex ideas into simple language that really helps to put many theological ideas into perspective. He is more conservative theologically than I am, and I disagree with some of his stances, but honestly that makes no difference. This book is fantastic and he doesn't come off telling the audience what to think, he just shares why he believes what he does. His beliefs are very thought out and articulated well.

An example of the insight he shares is in the chapter entitled "Speed." He explains the sabbath in terms of moving at the "speed of love." He talks about how we are always in a hurry and how Jesus moved at a much slower speed and the fruit that came from that. Vince shares a great deal of personal information and tells stories from his life. This makes the book very personal and relational rather than only informational. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Ooze Select Blogger

So I have been selected as an "Ooze Select Blogger" and I am going to be getting books and other things from some publishers to review on this blog. Here is part of the email that I got a while back:

For the past 18 months, http://theOoze.com and I have been piloting a program with select publishers where we send you (at no cost to you) new and even upcoming releases—some before anyone else sees them. We ask that you read these when you can and blog about them within six weeks. Whenever possible, I also get you unprecedented access to the authors of these titles, so you can host a blog interview, if you're inclined. This platform has been a delight to participants so far and we're happy to open it up to additional bloggers. You are part of a core group of 50 bloggers who will be receiving select books from us.

So I got my first book and I am going to read it as soon as I get done with all of my coursework that is already past due... be on the lookout!