Remember the old television game show
\nName That Tune<\/i>? Contestants would compete for cash prizes by
\nnaming a song in as few notes as possible. Well, in that
\nvein…<\/p>\n
“Hello! My name is Brett Schott and I am your host for
\nWrite That Review<\/i>, the zany new music review column on “The
\nDaily Vault”. Our first contestant today is Mike Ehret, and he’s
\nbidding to review the new Russ Taff album,
\nRight Here, Right Now<\/i>, on Benson Records. Mike — what’s
\nyour bid?”<\/p>\n
“Thanks Brett! Glad to be here! I can write that review in four
\nwords!”<\/p>\n
(Gasps of surprise from the studio audience. Applause.)<\/p>\n
“Well, Mike, that seems pretty ambitious considering this is
\nTaff’s first project in the Christian market since 1991 — but,
\nMike, write-that-review!”<\/p>\n
OK, so maybe I’ve stayed a little too long at the fair. Maybe
\nI’m a couple sandwiches shy of a good picnic. Maybe I only have
\nhalf of my ducks in a row — but, you know, I really think I could.
\nLet’s give it a try.<\/p>\n
“Russ Taff is back!”<\/p>\n
Yep, that should pretty much do it for anyone at all familiar
\nwith Taff and his music. That should tell you all you need to know
\nand should send you scurrying to your local music store or online
\noutlet.<\/p>\n
Taff, who’s career began long, long ago as a lead singer with
\nthe gospel quartet The Imperials, has recorded in many different
\nmusical styles: pop, R&B, country, rock, gospel. On
\nRight Here, Right Now<\/i> he borrows from all of these genres to
\ncreate perhaps the most seamless recording of his career.<\/p>\n
Of course, there is a unifying theme for this record: the death
\nof his father, Rev. Joe Taff, last year, and the subsequent healing
\nTaff received from God. Rev. Taff was a fire and brimstone
\nPentecostal preacher who indulged in hidden sins: alcoholism and
\nabuse. His father died before Taff could reconcile with him — and
\nthe pain created by that broken relationship bleeds all over this
\ncollection of songs.<\/p>\n
However, in the song “Long Hard Road,” which closes out a
\ntrilogy of songs that deal with this issue, Taff comes to terms
\nwith the combative relationship he shared with his father.<\/p>\n
We loved each other so much\/But not so very well \/
\nAnd now that we’ve run out of time \/ I guess time will never tell \/
\nSo I’ll just picture you surrounded \/ By all the love and grace \/
\nThat I watched you run from \/ All your livin’ days \/ And I
\nsurrender you to a higher Plan \/ Till we can talk it over \/ Man to
\nman<\/p>\n
That’s powerful —
\nnaked<\/i> — songwriting. But it’s cathartic — for the listener
\nas well as Taff. The fact that it follows the songs “Things Will Be
\nDifferent” and “Cry For Mercy” allows the listener to get a handle
\non how to deal with the people who’ve wronged us — even when they
\ncannot be confronted.<\/p>\n
In “Things Will Be Different,” penned by longtime Taff
\ncollaborator James Hollihan, Jr., Taff provides a snapshot of the
\npain and suffering his family endured because of “Dad’s little
\nproblem.” Of course, things never did change during his growing up
\nyears and that’s why, as an adult, Taff sings “Cry For Mercy” as a
\nbroken man.<\/p>\n
I can’t do this any longer \/ I can’t go through this
\nagain \/ Guess this is what it feels like \/ To finally reach the end
\n\/ So I’m standing in the ruins \/ And I’m reaching out to You \/ I’m
\nsifting through these ashes \/ All I know to do . . . is cry for
\nmercy.<\/p>\n
But everything on
\nRight Here, Right Now<\/i> is not so dark. The album opens with
\nthe rockin’ “Somebody’s Comin’.” Even this song, with its optimism
\nand promise of the coming return of Jesus Christ, taps into the
\ndiscs’ theme of healing from despair:<\/p>\n
Somebody’s comin’ \/ Who won’t let you down \/ Who’ll
\nturn everything you thought was right, around \/ Somebody’s comin’
\nwho’s gonna change everything.<\/p>\n
Other highlights include the title track, “Lazarus,” and the
\nachingly personal plea of “Make Me Whole”:<\/p>\n
Lord, I will say what You want me to say \/ I will
\npray what You want me to pray \/ . . . just please \/ Make me
\nwhole.<\/p>\n
This album brings it all home with the closing song in three
\nmovements, “The Shadow Of The Cross.” Opening with spoken lines
\nfrom the Nicene Creed, Taff shares not only the reality of his
\nfaith but, in his estimation, the overarching reach of the cross of
\nJesus Christ. The shadow of the cross covers the entire world:<\/p>\n
Looking up at the scars on His hands and feet \/ In
\nthe shadow of the cross \/ Knowing it was for me, tears filled my
\neyes \/ In the shadow of the cross \/ Now I will die, yet I will live
\n\/ In the shadow of the cross.<\/p>\n
Clearly Taff has made his peace with both his earthly father and
\nhis Heavenly Father.
\nRight Here, Right Now<\/i> is his testimony to that peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":28021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7585],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-39413","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-russ-taff","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39413"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}