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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
20 years of idiosyncratic brilliance, 22 Jul 2001
Welcome to the world of Daniel Amos, one of the greatest bands of the last 20 years. Who? I hear you ask. Basking in the lowlight of the Christian music subculture, it would be easy to go through life without ever encountering these subversive, chameleon-like genuises. That would really be a shame. This collection pinpoints the variety of musical changes that they have seamlessly mixed through, demonstrating an ear for eclectic and diverse tunes that most musicians are too scared to move into.Daniel Amos began as a country gospel band in the mid 70s but have been influenced by nearly every musical form since (okay, maybe not dance music but you can't have everything). The band (it is a band and not a person) is held together by their main songwriter and resident genius, Terry Taylor, who not only writes good tunes but is a very literate, thoughtful and witty lyricist (not many better). The band's whole output (12 studio albums over 20 years) is intriguing and, as a summary to their career, 'Worldwide Favourites' is quite adequate. You can quickly detect not only an alarming diversity of musical styles but also a depth to the lyricism, which grows from the early sublime simplicity of 'Ain't Gonna Fight It' through the wilfully obscure 'Darn Floor/Big Bite' to the reflective 'When Everyone Wore Hats'. Personally, I was surprised with some of the inclusions here. Whereas 'When Everyone Wore Hats', 'Broken Ladders', 'Walls of Doubt', 'Soon' and 'Ain't Gonna Fight It' are amongst my favourites, others like 'Alarma', 'I'll Get Over It', 'Darn Floor, Big Bite' and 'Noelle' seem frankly bizarre selections over the masterpieces not included. And it's not hard to hear why bonus track. 'Twilight Love' has remained unreleased until now. But perhaps I am being too harsh. At least these songs are representative of Daniel Amos' changing nature. Others will like rock anthems 'Sanctuary' and 'If You Want to' and early classic 'Hound of Heaven'. Lyrical highpoints include the leftfield 'Mall (All Over the World)', the reflections on the changes in American culture of the last 50 years on 'When Everyone Wore Hats' and the simple trust of 'Sanctuary'. If you want to hear a truly individual, intelligent and humourous take on faith and life in the late 20th century, then look no further. You will not regret being introduced to this band.
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