Double Take: Waking Up / Bethany Dillon

Album Review

In the case of many 15-year-old performers, the pre-recorded tracks and dance moves serve as the backdrop to launch a career that's often void of authenticity. With that said, Bethany Dillon is absolutely the real deal. As a writer or co-writer on ten of her discs eleven tracks Dillon proves that an acoustic guitar and divine inspiration are food for the soul. Citing Jennifer Knapp as her main influence it's easy to see why as many of her cuts retain the same depth as Knapp's compositions. Songs like "Revolutionaries" and "For My Love" have an emotional intensity that is rarely featured in the psyche of most 15-year-olds. Cuts like "Great Big Mystery" are bolstered with effective electric riffs while Dillon's vocals push the songs' chorus into overdrive. Lyrically the depth of the disc is unsurpassed. Dillon's offerings on tracks like "Beautiful" and "A Voice Calling Out" are two of many lyrical gems. What's so appealing about this release is the bevy of musical textures. On some cuts the mandolin and banjo are utilized, while on others strings and bagpipes layer the voicings. Bethany Dillon's debut opus is an incredibly rich example of unadulterated passion for her Creator, a passion that permeates every single cut.