Rex Carroll / Star Song

True innovators are always striving to branch out. True innovators dig deep for new sounds to add to their vocabulary. True innovators aspire to honor their instrument, and their creator, with the best soul-searching and string bending they can fit on tape.

Such is the case with Rex Carroll.

Known primarily for his blazing fretwork with Whitecross and later King James, Carroll has traditionally leaned away from the rootsier side of American music. Rex has changed all that with a bluesy, earthy, organic solo release entitled "The Rex Carroll Sessions."

From the incendiary grind of Invitational Blues (featuring Ashley Cleveland on vocals) to the anthemic, urgent chorus of Hands of God, this project affords Carroll the opportunity to plug into some really old amps, step in front of the vocal mike, and explore the blues, R&B and cajun stylings... and to jam.

"As part of my total Christian experience, this album was something I needed to do," Carroll said. "It represents a closet personality that's been waiting to exist for about six years."

Taking on what Carroll describes as a "low tech, plug in and go for it" and "quasi bohemian" vibe, Rex's closest personality was egged on by producer/vocalist/keyboardist Phil Madiera, engineer/vocalist Dave Perkins, guitarist Phil Keaggy, drummer Aaron Smith, bassist Jackie Street, guitarist Jimmy A (who actually played bass) and Ashley.

"The album turned into a giant jam session party. People were dropping by everyday and dropping in to do guest vocals, guest guitars, guest this, that or the other," Carroll said. "In this kind of material, it's just having a chance to break away from the rock idiom. Every performance doesn't have to be a virtuoso, solo guitar shred performance of a lifetime. It's getting away from that mentality and being able to groove with the band."

While stylistic diversity enabled Carroll to explore this newfound connection with his fellow musicians, "Sessions" also gave Carroll a rare opportunity to connect with his personal feelings.

"The album gave me a platform. The music nudged me towards expressing a lot of things that I wanted to express that just haven't found the appropriate vehicles through the rock side of things," Carroll said. "There's a lot of songs that are very personal to me on this record, a couple of songs are autobiographical to the point of expressing the way I feel in my own relationship with God. Hands of God is one of the songs that has a few thoughts about my own feelings in my walk with the Lord. It's a very personal album. Lyrically and emotionally, there's a lot of emotions that come forth that are just the quieter emotions and the more reflective emotions. From a writing standpoint, it's getting a picture of myself as a Christian and a little more of my world view."

According to Carroll, tour schedules and other commitments have prevented him from pursuing this project for the past six years. It wasn't until two years ago that he was seriously able to commit to writing. Looking in retrospect, Carroll feels that this album was worth the wait.

"I found myself in the rather unique position of having many songs, and a lot of them were good ones, rejecting weaker songs and just going for the good material," Carroll said. "At the end of the day, that's what every record is about, the songs."

Carroll accentuated the good songs with a loose approach to the recording.

"The fact that the album was kinda done around town, and it was more of an attitude 'oh, who could play this part? Well I don't know, let's call up so and so and see what they're doing today.' Then we get on the phone and somebody says 'yeah sure I'll drop by at 2:00 this afternoon on my way back from such and such.' I think there's sort of a fun kind of thing that just came through," Carroll said. "Plus, to be honest, I was pushed a lot by Phil and Dave. They kind of pushed me in directions that I've never been in before."

New directions. Stylistic Diversity. Newfound introspection. "The Rex Carroll Sessions" will impress any fan of roots music. Longtime fans of Rex Carroll's work will be doubly impressed.

As Carroll states it, "People who know me are going to be surprised when they hear this album."

Copyright 1995 by Star Song Communications and Christian Music Online.