Call It Grace

Steve Archer hasn't made many solo records in the course of his two-plus-decade career, which itself came after a long and successful run with his '70s family group the Archers. It's a bit of a shame, because Archer's solo records show a different, more pop-oriented side of Archer's music that's no less devotional but perhaps a bit more immediately appealing to a secular audience than the more traditional gospel of the Archers. Unlike a growing number of CCM artists, Archer doesn't shade his lyrics, dropping Biblical references right and left without getting annoyingly preachy, but these righteous lyrics are set to R&B-flavored adult contemporary pop tunes as catchy as anything on your local soft rock station. It's an appealing combination, making Call It Grace a mature, reflective album that neither panders to the younger end of the CCM demographic (Archer has been making records for nearly 35 years, and isn't about to drop hip-hop or indie rock influences into his music just to stay speciously "current") nor ignores the broader market.