The Mission Field – Blessid Union of Souls

Blessid Union of Souls
The Mission Field
Salvation Road Records (2011)
www.blessidunionofsouls.net

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Like the sonically similar Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20 and Foo Fighters, Blessid Union of Souls was a top 40 radio staple during the 1990s. The buoyant, feel-good sound of Eliot Sloan fueled such hits as “I Believe” and “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me).”

On The Mission Field, Sloan combines his trademark adult contemporary/alternative rock sensibility with lyrics that articulate his lifelong Christian spirituality. Blessid Union of Souls’ seventh album, but first for Salvation Road Records, contains smart, socially aware lyrics with bright and accessible melodies. Not just tangentially inspirational, the songs on The Mission Field give honor to God and Jesus. Not only is Sloan unafraid to proclaim his faith, but he uses it as a lens with which to view the world and its complexities.

“I’ve always sung about wanting to live right, and with The Mission Field, it’s just a matter of taking things one step further and doing in my heart what I’m called to do,” Sloan explains. “You can never get too close to God, and throughout all of these songs, I’m always going in that direction.”

On “Healing,” Sloan sings that he once prayed for personal things and needs, but now his prayers are aimed at universal healing and peace. “Sweet Providence” is about God’s repeated forgiveness, while the bouncy “Miracles” reminds us to remain aware of the simple miracles that surround us daily.

One of the most interesting songs on the album is the title track, whose lyrics and melody sound culled from an old shape-note hymnal. The song also carries the album’s theme: the whole world is our mission field.

“I Still Believe in Love” is the album’s finest moment. It’s a big, bold and brilliantly sung testament to hope despite the hopelessness surrounding us. While The Mission Field is not gospel in the traditional “come-on-everybody-and-clap-your-hands” sense, it is a CD that cries out to be played over and over again.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “I Still Believe in Love, “The Mission Field.”