Sweet Comfort - Sweet Comfort

I heard you missed me. I'm back. I've decided to start randomly reviewing records again. All fun, no profit. Basically, I go to a thrift store, buy a record I've never heard, or even seen before, and review it. To start off, I'm gonna repost some reviews from my original column. I'll do some new ones shortly, but until then this one comes from Tipp-C and the summer of 2006:

Sweet Comfort – Sweet Comfort
Maranatha! Music 1977

While flipping past the usual thrift store offerings of Shaun Cassidy and Neil Diamond, Sweet Comfort’s 1977 self-titled debut caught my eye. Why? Simply because they look like Boston and, as we all know, Boston rocks! The guy in the upper right hand corner even has an afro that rivals that of Sib Hashian’s from the back cover of Boston’s debut. Though, at the very same time that I was thinking that this might indeed be on par with the genius of Tom Scholz, I also had another chilling thought: Afros and moustaches of this magnitude could also mean that I was going to be in for a Doobie-like barrage and that is not good. As I flipped the album over, another dimension of fear emerged as I saw a quote printed in a mystic font across the back cover. A quote from Thessalonians. Could it be? Yes. Christian rock!

Despite the fact that the first track, “It’s So Fine (Soul Tune Boogie),” actually has the words, “More than just a feeling,” this is a far cry from Boston. Indeed, just as I suspected, these lads would make Michael McDonald proud as they emulate the smooth era of the Doobies. Horns aplenty. The musicianship is genuinely pretty tight and the penultimate song on side two, “Get Ready” even has a drum solo. Drums solos are always a plus, even if they suck. Singer Bryan Duncan’s voice is actually somewhat pleasant, but not jaw-dropping. It’s like driving down the road on a sunny day, taking a look to your right, and seeing a happy duck floating on a pond while also enjoying the sun. Yes, that’s is exactly what his voice is like. Trust me.

Sweet Comfort definitely doesn’t hide the love they have for two particular men, the Father and the Son. Nearly every song is about God or Jesus. He’s the Son of God, in case you are out of the loop. This is an admirable move, and unlike those heathens in Stryper, they don’t try to hide behind make-up, hairspray, and the ruse of spreading The Word through the devil’s music… and power ballads. Though, hearing a song like “Somebody Loves You” leaves little to the imagination, as one already knows it’s about Jesus and not about feeling up your high school sweetheart behind the Village Pantry. This also means that “When I’m Alone” isn’t a masturbation anthem.

If you are a fan of the smooth era of the Doobies, I would actually recommend this. Personally, I am not a fan of any era of the Doobies, but I do think that Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has a nice beret. So, as I look at the stamp on side one of Sweet Comfort that says From the Library of Mark McClennin, it makes me wonder if Jesus is still alright with Mark.