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Heaven in the Real World

Steven Curtis Chapman - Heaven in the Real World Audio CD

A fair review of the Steven Curtis Chapman "Heaven in the Real World" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Steven Curtis Chapman reviews here, or go back to the Steven Curtis Chapman tabs.

Band: Steven Curtis Chapman
Title: Heaven in the Real World
Rating:

Release Date: 1994-07-12
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Heaven in the Real World 2: King of the Jungle 3: Dancing With the Dinosaur 4: Mountain 5: Treasure of You 6: Love and Learn 7: Burn the Ships 8: Remember Your Chains 9: Heartbeat of Heaven 10: Still Listening 11: Facts Are Facts 12: Miracle of Mercy 13: Heartbeat of Heaven (Reprise)

SCC's Best
Though several years old, still pertains to today. SCC is a blessed writer/singer. From King of the Jungle, Dancing with the Dinosaurs to Remember Your Chains to The Treasure of You. God is in control and He loves you. There's not a better message to share with the world.

Great Music
Some songs are fun to listen to and others are very meaningful and thought-provoking. Such a wonderful blend of music. Steven is an amazing writer and God has blessed many people through the songs that he has written. This CD is no different. I can't say it will change lives, but even if it doesn't you've listened to some pretty good music.

Excellent Album that Solidified Chapman's Front-Runner Status in Contemporary Christian Music
The Great Adventure (1992) and its tour (captured on The Live Adventure [1993]) had catapulted him to the very top of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) scene. For his sixth studio album, Steven Curtis Chapman had a tough act to follow. How could Chapman at the least maintain his new top pop artist status and, preferably, expand his audience? The 31-year-old singer/songwriter answered that question by both continuing successful trends started on his last studio project and taking new risks. The result was Heaven in the Real World (1994), his most successful album for many years.

The album's theme, elucidated in the opening title track, was inspired by Chapman's service with Prison Fellowship Ministries. It calls on Christians to be active in their spheres of influence, bringing the hope and peace lacking in the world to individuals and communities. Chapman wrote to his audience in the lyric booklet, "Now is the time for those of us who embody this kingdom [of God] to defend the truth, overcome evil with good, and live lives that proclaim and display heaven in the real world. "

Chapman weaves this theme throughout the remainder of the album. "The Mountain," a reflective country/pop ballad, reminds listeners that God gives times of renewal and strengthening not so that they can stay "way up high" with God, but to facilitate their ministry to others in "the valley. " "Remember Your Chains," a beautiful, moving ballad in which Chapman compares Christians to prisoners who have been set free by Christ, most obviously reveals the Prison Fellowship connection. "Heartbeat of Heaven" emphasizes the need to reach out to others. The theme, though often implicit, can be discerned on every song in this collection.

The seriousness of this theme is counterbalanced, however, by a sense of fun that surpasses even that found on The Great Adventure. The second and third tracks bring this tendency to the forefront. "King of the Jungle," the album's second single (after the title track), tackles the issues of stress and busyness by humorously reminding listeners that God is in charge. "Dancing with the Dinosaur's" metaphor, meanwhile, springs from Chapman watching his children dancing with popular American `90s kids' superstar Barney. The song emphasizes the need to "liv[e] our lives with conscience and conviction" and served as the third single.

And when Chapman isn't using lighthearted analogies, he's often making his songs rock harder than he ever did in the past. "Treasure of You" and "Facts Are Facts" provide the best examples of anthems that lift the listener so high that the songs never come across as serious as their messages suggest. ("Treasure of You" deals with low self-esteem, while "Facts Are Facts" is an almost mini-creed in its confession of Christian truths. )

By the time of the Great Adventure tour, Chapman had found that family stories connected with audiences, so Heaven in the Real World gives us two of them. "Love and Learn" is another of Chapman's many songs to his wife Mary Beth. "Still Listening" is a song inspired by Steven's and Mary Beth's bedtime prayers with their children. Both are moving ballads.

On Heaven in the Real World, Chapman returned to the pop/rock field that he previously left behind after Real Life Conversations (1988). He never seemed entirely comfortable with the demands those genres placed on him when making his first two albums. Heaven in the Real World, however, finds him conquering this territory confidently and successfully. Evidently, he just needed to grow in this area. The pop/rock approach also undoubtedly contributed to the album's success, as staying with the country/pop approach of the previous three albums could only take him so far.

Most of the songs on this album are excellent both lyrically and musically, but there are a few good songs that do not measure up to the other ones. "Burn the Ships" calls on Christians to get rid of everything that hinders their Christian lives. With its sobering message and crunching guitars, it unfortunately comes across as too dark for this album. (It's also the first example of Chapman putting one hard rock song on each album, a trend that continued for many years. ) Chapman evidently felt strongly enough about "Heartbeat of Heaven" to use it as a reprise that closes the album, but the bluesy song never takes off musically or lyrically when it should soar. "Miracle of Mercy" provides the customary personal, affecting song for this album, but it's too low-key to be memorable.

Heaven in the Real World would prove to be Chapman's last (to date) project with Phil Naish as either sole or primary producer. (Chapman himself co-produced some of the albums made under Naish, including this one. ) While the singer would move on to greater artistic heights under producer Brown Bannister, Naish should be remembered as the one who brought Chapman to front-runner status in the CCM industry. The fact that he could help Chapman successfully navigate through three different genres (country, pop, and rock) is also impressive.

And Heaven in the Real World is a remarkable accomplishment. Of all of Chapman's studio projects, it is his most lighthearted one even while it addresses serious concerns. There's a fluidity present that carries along even the album's less successful songs. It lives on the border between four stars and five stars, only missing the higher rating because it is somewhat less impressive than other Steven Curtis Chapman albums that deserve that grade. Four-and-three-quarter stars.

a definet scc fan pleaser!
this is the best album in christian music yet!all 13 songs on here are amazing!even the 56 second reprise at the end!i love the songs heaven in the real world,king of the jungle,dancing with the dinosaurs,treasure of you,and remember your chains!

YOU BETTER BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Heaven In The Real World
My favorite SCC album. In my opinion, this cd has AWESOME songs, with GREAT tunes, lyrics, and messages.

You can see a complete list of all Steven Curtis Chapman discography, or go back to the Steven Curtis Chapman tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.