Derek Webb, former lead vocalist of
Caedmon's Call, has been on his own since 2003. He's issued three solo studio albums before this one, a live record, and a solo acoustic offering.
The Ringing Bell, produced by
Webb and
Cason Cooley, goes further -- much further -- than any of his previous releases. While his debut,
She Must and Shall Go Free, was edgy for the Christian market (as it examined everything from sexuality to living the Christian life the hard way -- by being fully human), his subsequent records have taken on everything from social justice to examining life in the current church. Recorded in Nash Vegas, it's the world that's on
Webb's mind this time out. He's talking about the kingdom that has come, yet that has not yet come. The world may be a treacherous place, but it is not a place without love. The rocker "A Love That's Stronger Than Fear" offers no easy answers to the question, but it does proclaim that the dirty, nasty, get-in-the-mud tough love of others in full recognition of their differences -- not something represented very well in the church, in world politics, or in everyday relationships -- is ultimately stronger than fear. This is an easy proclamation for most Christian artists, but
Webb digs in with his poetry and example of life on its own terms. He does have a beautiful sense of humor when it comes to love as well. The very next cut, "I Wanna Marry You All Over Again," offers many examples of how the protagonist wishes to begin again, make all the same mistakes, find all the same embarrassments, and run the same schemes in order to encounter his beloved once more. Obvious? Maybe, but charming.