Two music fanatics. Two epic albums. One awesome swap.

I traded my copy of James Vincent McMorrow’s album “Early In the Morning” with Mr. Luzwick for his copy of Andrew Peterson’s album “Resurrection Letters, Volume 2.”

Here is what I thought of “Resurrection Letters, Volume 2:”

Andrew Peterson is a storyteller as well as a musician. His Christian folk music illustrates biblical stories in a contemporary way.

This album of Peterson’s is quite religiously demanding. Many of the songs repeat the Lord’s name and even mention the “blood of Jesus” from the track “All You’ll Ever Need.” I have never truly opened up to Christian music, and most likely will not listen to this genre of music in the future.

Acoustic guitars were heavily depended on throughout the album, and that was definitely for the better. Peterson’s higher voice has a raspy element to it. His voice is highlighted by the guitar picking and piano style. The style of the songs was intermixed in the tracks with some heavy drums and a lot of upbeat tambourine action.

“Resurrection Letters, Volume 2” is not an album I would especially listen to, but I am glad Mr. Luzwick gave me the album to check out! I personally would not buy it, but any avid Christian Folk fan definitely should!

Here is what Mr. Luzwick thought of “Early In the Morning:”

“Golden, golden, golden river run To the East then drop beneath the sun And as the moon lies low and overhead We’re lost.”

So starts the eleven-track voyage of James Vincent McMorrow’s “Early in the Morning”—an album that certainly expounds on its promises of doubt and despair, but ultimately leaves the listener with a much-needed sense of hope in a record brimming with airy vocals, intelligent melodic composition, earthy imagery, and religious significance.

The journey down the river starts off calmly enough, but quickly gathers speed as if flowing towards a waterfall. Artfully guided, the audience descends from the peace and serenity of the first track into the very depths of Hell by the ninth (“From the Woods!”), wherein the speaker waits with “cindered bones” in the chaos and madness of the thicket.

Then, just when it seems all hope is lost and the darkness of the forest sure to envelop, hope bursts through the trees in the penultimate track (“And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop”), the boat is righted, and the journey calmly ends in the peaceful harbor of “Early in the Morning, I’ll Come Calling.”

Though probably not an album that will make its way into my daily rotation (a tad too much Mordor-to-Shire ratio), I thoroughly enjoyed the story woven by McMorrow.

I loved the variety of instrumentation he uses, and also greatly appreciated the female vocals and lush harmonies that help make tracks like “Down the Burning Ropes” so powerful.

If you’ve got the time to sit down and listen to a record from start to finish and are looking for something with some real depth, give “Early in the Morning” a listen.