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Signs of Life | 
| Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman
Label: Sparrow
Category: Music
Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 22718
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
UPC: 724385155420
EAN: 0724385155420
ASIN: B000005KYA
Release Date: September 3, 1996
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| Tracks:
| • | Lord of the Dance - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | Children of the Burning Heart - Steven Curtis Chapman, | | • | Signs of Life - Steven Curtis Chapman, | | • | The Walk - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | Let Us Pray - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | Free - Steven Curtis Chapman, | | • | Only Natural - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | Rubber Meets the Road - Steven Curtis Chapman, | | • | Celebrate You - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | What Would I Say - Steven Curtis Chapman, | | • | Land of Opportunity - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur | | • | Hold on to Jesus - Steven Curtis Chapman, Chapman, Steven Cur |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
Like his peer Michael W. Smith, the exuberant Steven Curtis Chapman only gets better with each album. The 1996 release Signs of Life shows Chapman at his best. With thoughtful, introspective lyrics and crisp production, Signs of Life bursts with many high moments, including the intro "Lord of the Dance," spiced with Chapman's hot Dobro licks and zesty fiddle. The title song and "Let Us Pray" are the two most radio-ready cuts and will leave you with irresistible melodies. "Celebrate You," "Free," and "Hold On to Jesus" slow it down enough to showcase Chapman's calmer moments. There are few artists like Chapman that can combine his mastery of musicianship and forthright lyrics to produce releases like the must-have Signs of Life. --Michael Lyttle
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Signs of Life Steven Curtis Chapman May 20, 2007
Patricia Dickson (Auckland, New Zealand)
I like Steven Curtis Chapman's music because they are encouraging.
Chapman's artistic breakthrough July 6, 2005
Greg Brady (Capital City)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Chapman makes a break with longtime producer Phil Naish in favor of Brown Bannister (White Heart, Amy Grant) and it seems the new combo focused a LOT of attention on making his musical backing more layered and interesting. Chapman himself also steps up to the plate a lot more, handling all the backing vocals, doing some electric picking for a change, and adding lots of "exotic" instrumentation personally (dobros,slides,mandolin,lap steel).
Lyrically, he takes some chances as well, using some unusual metaphors to get across his message (the alien theme in the title track, race cars for "Rubber Meets the Road",dancing for our life in general in "Lord of the Dance") that make this some of his most original writing yet. It landed 4 top 10 Christian radio hits: "Lord of the Dance" (#2),"Signs of Life" (#2),"Let Us Pray" (#5) and "Free" (#9).
HIGHLIGHTS:
"Lord of the Dance" gets things off to a great start. For the first time, Chapman's tunes feel loose and vibrant with an actual GROOVE to them musically. It's BLUEGRASS pop if you can imagine that...the fiddle and dobro play important parts in the arrangement though it's way too electric to be anywhere near NickelCreek territory. The song celebrates God's role in guiding our destinies. ("I move my feet, I go through the motions/But He gives purpose to chance/I am the dancer/He is the Lord of the dance") In contrast to another review here, the vocal scatting by Chapman lends to the vibe and the song would LOSE impact if that were just replaced by another guitar or something similar. It adds spice. The title track finds Chapman in the shoes of an alien, wondering about the significance of the lives of these Earthlings it's examining. ("Where are the signs,where are the signs of life/The love that proves there is a beating heart inside?") Shane Keister's Rhodes adds a somewhat jazzy touch to the song. Chapman takes a decent electric solo on this one. "The Walk" finds SCC sneaking a touch of acoustic blues into a nice shuffle tempo. The message (follow God with your actions not just your mouth) isn't a new one, but it's done with convincing swagger. The "do justly,love mercy/Walk humbly with your God" bridge is particularly tasty. "Let Us Pray" is probably the hookiest anthem to intercession ever. See if you don't find yourself singing "Let us pray, let us pray/Every moment of the day" after 1 or 2 hearings. "What I Would Say" is a rare introspective moment from Chapman, as he imagines how he'd have related to his late alcoholic grandfather he never got to know. ("I would say I wish I could have known you/And I would say I wish you would've stayed/But most of all I would say I forgive you") SCC uses a nice falsetto I didn't know he possessed at times here, and the strings are beautifully restrained..never manipulative (as has been the case at times on past Chapman outings). "Hold On to Jesus" harks back to Chapman's more acoustic roots and is beautiful in its simplicity.
LOWS:
"Free" isn't bad, but some changes would make it a stronger song. It takes a little too long to build. (The first and 2nd verse and chorus don't have a lot of "kick"..it doesn't really blossom until the "And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed" bridge) and it goes on far too long at nearly 7 minutes. I would still keep the nice coda (with Chapman's phased vocal over the jazzy piano) but eliminate at least 2 minutes earlier in the tune to tighten up the song.
BOTTOM LINE:
This CD features so much of Chapman's singing, playing and writing (all but 3 completely self-penned) that it serves as a great way to decide if you like him or not. If you're just beginning to check him out, this is probably a great place to start.
One of his best June 22, 2005
Jason A. Farris (Flippin, AR USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Signs Of Life" is one of the most essential albums in Contemporary Christian music. I haven't seen SCC live, but I own many of his CDs. It is one of his best. Highly recommended.
Inspiring February 4, 2005
J. Sprouffske (Rainier, WA USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is quite possibly Steven Curtis Chapman's most inspiring piece of work. The songs on this album come alive as you listen to them. I love listening to this album early in the morning. Unlike a lot of albums these days that have a great title track and a bunch of songs that are mediocre and just act as place holders, this album actually delivers. I think at most there are 1 or 2 songs that I don't enjoy or at least feel is worthy of listening too. If you want to enjoy a well-rounded inspirational album this one is for you.
getting better all the time October 4, 2004
Larry Hehn (Toronto, ON Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
With each new release, Steven Curtis Chapman expands his ability to express passion through his music. More and more he moves beyond the soft, contemplative, predictable songs of his early career and ventures into stronger lyrics and more soulful music. He hasn't quite hit his peak yet, but the growth is really starting to show.
Edgier songs include Lord of the Dance, The Walk and Rubber Meets the Road, songs that challenge with their lyrics and motivate with their music. Some softer but equally good tunes include the moving Free and inspiring Let Us Pray. Most of the rest seem to hover in the vanilla zone, not bad but not outstanding either.
Again, if I had rated this back in 1996, I probably would have given it 5 stars. Knowing how far along Chapman has progressed, and the level of his ability that this album represents, I give it a strong four.
Larry Hehn, author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory
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