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The Innocence Mission - Befriended
Much like the picture on the cover of Befriended, The Innocence Mission's new album is akin to someone you love whispering sweetly in your ear. The music is so soft and so beautiful that sometimes it almost seems like a whisper. It reminds me of the story in the Bible when God appeared to Elisha, not in the might wind or the earthquake or the fire, but in a gentle whisper. It is in a moment of solitude that our hearts can be stirred the most.
The Innocence Mission has been around for 15 years and somehow after all of that time they managed to save their best album for now. The opening track "Tomorrow on the Runway" introduces the soft, beautiful voice of Karen Peris as she sings, "Oh be the music in my head, the air around my bed, oh be my rest / Replace the small disgraces of the times and places that I never really left."
The careful, subtle instrumentation by Don Peris is the perfect complement to Karen's voice. Throughout the album acoustic guitar, piano, and a softly strummed electric guitar provide the perfect backdrop.
This is an album strongly grounded in the harsh realities of the world, but at the same time it reaches out a hand and offers some hope. Perhaps the best example of this lyrical approach is the song "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy": "Today's a winter Sunday, we wear our heavy coats / The soul of my brother is pure though he doesn't think so / One for sorrow, one for sorrow, two for joy."
Befriended is an album that only grows stronger the more it is listened to. It is a soothing, thoughtful soundtrack for those who find the greatest amount of grace in the most worldly of conditions.
9 out of 10.