NATHAN LONG: The Lost Son and Other Stories

Nathan Long

The Lost Son and Other Stories

© 2003 Nathan Long (634479753428)

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A mix of spiritual themes and wacky humor, this album is the thoughtful work of one man and a guitar. The first eleven of the disc's sixteen tracks make up a continuous story, a retelling of the biblical prodigal son story in modern times.

notes

Nathan Long is a songwriter who is determined to make intelligent, lyrical music. Prone to taking side trips with his wacky sense of humor, Nathan always brings the listener back to themes of human longing, joy, and redemption.

The first eleven tracks of this album, "The Lost Son and Other Stories," work together to tell the story of the prodigal son, adapted from a parable of Jesus. In it, a son rejects his father, leaves home to squander his inheritance, and after some soul-searching, returns home to ask for forgiveness.

The story line has been changed in some respects, but the message of grace is the same. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the runaway son himself, from his rationalization of his behavior, his selfishness and anger, and ultimately, his joy in finding love that overcomes his faults. The musical styles of the songs are as varied as the emotions they express: slow and mournful, upbeat, angry, and elated.

Through it all, Nathan's music, delivered mostly with just a guitar and a voice, drives its message home with rhythmic, poignant lyrics. When he finds himself broke and alone in the big city, the prodigal son tries in vain to deny his feelings of despair:

"When I get home, I turn the TV on/I'm not alone; they keep me company/So many lives come through this room/They're all a blur, now mine is, too/Cause when you live in the big town you never see the stars/It's take and give in the big town, that's just the way things are."

The last few tracks of the album stand alone, and range from "Perseverance," a song about depression, joy, and the struggle between faith and reason, to "Trees," a bizarre song that claims trees are dangerous:

"They move slowly to belie the threat/politely stand by our houses and give shade to our pets/But the truth of the matter is not what it seems/and we gotta stop these trees!"

Listeners will have no trouble discerning that Nathan is a Christian, and the convictions of his faith color any serious thought expressed in his songs. But anyone who has been put off by the mindless repetitions and easy cliches of pop Christian radio will find in this music a faithful companion: honest and complex, never offering easy answers, but always striving on with hope. Non-Christian listeners will see more of themselves in this music than they expect, and may be encouraged by the hope it offers.

If music means more to you than a background to your other activities, if you have songs you go back to again and again like old friends, this CD will find a permanent home in your playlist and in your mind.

reviews

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  • So sing-along-able!!
    author: John

    There are 3 CDs that I own which never, ever get old: The soundtrack for the musical "Big River," Garth Brooks' "The Hits," and Nathan Long's "The Lost Son & Other Stories." While that is impressive company, Long's CD has earned that place in my dashboard CD player because of his thoughtful lyrics, well-timed humor, and music that sounds as if it was composed by a wiley veteran of the industry. It's amazing to find this kind of variety and range on a musician's first serious effort. Theologically, Long straddles the line between intelligence and grace like few others can. Most Christian music is too harsh or too fluffy. Like the perfect bowl of porridge, "The Lost Son" is just right. A follow-up can't come soon enough.

  • sure LO-FI is LO-FI??
    author: Rodrigo

    the album seems great, but there is no lo-fi version, all tracks are equally at 128kb, too much for my modem... even though im not too much into any form ofchristian music, this seems nice enough for a try, if a had a credit card ...

  • Cleverly crafted songs from a man genuinely after God's heart
    author: Phil Laeger

    After you've been writing songs for a while, it becomes easy to 'let the song write itself', using cliche phrases and predictable rhymes. It's always refreshing to hear a new artist with an album that lacks those cookie-cutter type songs. I like Nathan's music and the heart that is behind it. Check out "Love and Anxiety" and "Psalm 93" for starters. Even with just guitar and vocal, the seeds of the songs on "The Lost Son & Other Stories" deliver an unmistakably God-glorifying, Spirit-filled message. Keep writing, Nathan.

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