Music Review: Vintage by Shane & Shane

In Articles, Culture, Music & Movies by Steven Sukkau

2020 Shane & Shane

It would be easy to label Vintage’s ten tracks as a cheesy nostalgia trip, but that would be unfair.

The idea of covering the greatest hits of 90’s praise and worship might induce eye-rolling. However, Shane & Shane strip away all the glitz and copy-and-paste trappings that have accumulated on these Sunday morning staples through the years.

Shane & Shane strip away all the glitz and copy-and-paste trappings that have accumulated on these Sunday morning staples through the years.

The album wouldn’t have worked so well without Shane & Shane’s ability to transform the songs through their delicate, acoustic arrangements and vulnerable, searching vocals.

The standout track, Knowing You makes such effective use of the folk singer/songwriter treatment, it feels like a completely new song. Yet, at the same time, it is intimately familiar and comforting.

And given the vantage point of age, songs like Awesome God and In the Secret no longer seem like chart-topping singles, but enduring love poems; the lyrics and heart of the songwriter can finally speak for themselves.

And if you grew up on songs like, I Could Sing of Your Love Forever, or, As the Deer, I’m not going to lie, the nostalgia factor can hit hard. Chances are you’ll start singing along because you definitely know every word.

Forming as a band and developing through the ’90s and early 2000’s these classics no doubt also hold a special place in Shane Barnard and Shane Everett’s hearts, and it shows as they recreate each with a monk-like devotion and reverence.

It will be easy to recommend Vintage to your friends.

About
Steven Sukkau
Steven Sukkau is a writer, journalist and radio broadcaster living on the Canadian prairies with his wife, two daughters and hyperactive terrier.
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Steven Sukkau
Steven Sukkau is a writer, journalist and radio broadcaster living on the Canadian prairies with his wife, two daughters and hyperactive terrier.