Parousia: Sedona

Daystar DS 1001 (1975)

Arizona was the birthplace of God Unlimited, probably the best college-based group of the “Jesus Music” era (although this group did the same kind of ministry). God Unlimited was an Episcopal group; this Arizona gathering was Roman Catholic, connected with the Spiritual Life Institute and Fr. William McNamara.

This is a very pleasant album, but somehow one gets the impression that it’s reaching for some things it just can’t grasp. It’s tries in spots to be progressive, but ends up being as much MOR as anything else. It also edges into some very “New Age” types of music and lyrics, but mercifully (with the lyrics at least) doesn’t make that either. (A lot of that can be explained by Fr. McNamara’s own spirituality, which you can read about here). In the reaching part it resembles A City Set Upon a Hill Cannot be Hid, but that album (which really puts Our Lord’s parousia front and centre) has a stronger orchestration and is more creative than this production.

The songs: