From 1970 to 1980 Mylon Le Fevre recorded and performed with
the likes of Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, and the Who. He almost died of a heroin overdose in
1973. In 1980 he attended a 2nd
Chapter of Acts concert and became a Christian.
The next year he began a Christian band named The Gathering Ground
Band. They changed their name to Airborn
and then in 1982 became Broken Heart.
Their debut release was BRAND NEW START.
Fast forward to 1987 when Mylon Le Fevre and Broken Heart released CRACK
THE SKY (Myrrh Records). It won the Dove
Award for Rock Album of the Year. The
group also won a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir, or
Chorus. At the time the group’s roster
was: Mylon Le Fevre(vocals, guitars)¸Ben Hewitt (digital drums, percussion),
Kenneth Bentley (bass, vocals), Scott Allen (guitars, vocals), Paul Joseph
(synthesizers and vocals), and Trent Argante (guitars, vocals).
‘Crack the Sky’ is a great pop rock anthem. It has the band yearning for the Rapture: “I
know You’ve got me where You want me to be/I know You’ve got a plan to use even
me/But I long for You/I long for You/So now I’ll work until You’re ready for
me/But I don’t know if I can guarantee/That I’ll never cry/Never try to get to
You/Come on and crack the sky for me/Come on and crack the sky and take me
home/Tonight.” ‘Love God, Hate Sin’ is a
manly rock number that was later covered by gospel rap artist Stephen
Wiley. It urges us to be holy: “It’s either
black or white, so don’t look for grey/The lights are flashing ‘Keep out´ where
you want to go play/Religion makes it harder/With its prisons and its rules/But
in the end you’re either with/The wise men or the fools/Love God, hate
sin/Refuse to lose, live to win/Love God, hate sin.”
‘Closer than a Heartbeat’ speaks of intimacy with God: “You
know my thoughts and my intentions/You know the purpose of my heart/Before I
speak, You know the words I’ll say/You know my needs before I even pray/You
stay close to me/Closer than a heartbeat/I’ll stay close to You/Closer and
closer, I need to get closer/You stay close to me/Closer than a
heartbeat.” ‘Give it Up’ is a funky pop
song about spiritual surrender: “Find the One who loves you/Let Him change your
mind/Give yourself to Jesus/Leave your self behind/Give it up-give it up to
Jesus/Give it up-you’ve got to give it to the King/Give it up-give it up to
Jesus/Give it up-you’ve got to give Him everything.”
‘I Belong’ is a ballad that asks a couple of great questions:
“Why am I so complacent?/Why do I waste my time/Getting lost inside myself and
straying from Your side?” ‘Let Me Be The
One’ reminds us that we as Christians are to witness for Christ: “So many times
I refused to share/About Your love and the way You care/’Cause in my heart I
was just afraid/To tell my friends of the price You paid/Who will You send if I
don’t go?/How will they learn, they’ve got to know/The time is short, I just
can’t wait/They need to see, before it’s too late.” ‘Reach for the Sky’ is a good song that
encourages us to have an active, personal relationship with God the Father:
“Open up communication/Let your heart be known/You don’t need an invitation/To
come before His throne/And receive His grace and mercy/His strength in time of
need/And He will help you/To fight the fight and win the race/With power and
might to crush the night.”
I like the following words from ‘Heart on Fire’: “He’ll keep
this fire burning as long as I believe/Love is in the learning/And I’m learning
on my knees.” ‘For My Growing’ is a
mellow duet that deals with our vulnerability as believers. Here are some of the lyrics from this duet
with Carole Ford¨”Jesus, although I may stand these storms/Like I’m made out of
stone/You hear the songs that I cry/When I’m weary and all alone/You see the
years that have come too fast/And the pain that goes so slow/Yet like rain to a
garden/When the ground becomes hardened/I know You’re using it all to help me
grow.” The album ends with ‘Doxology
Prayer’ which states: “You may ask me how I know He lives/Praise God He lives
within my heart!”
CRACK THE SKY begins with two superb, powerful songs. Unfortunately, after that the album tanks
musically. Many of the songs, though
having a good message, are mediocre pop at best. There are a lot of songs that simply aren’t
memorable. Mylon and Broken Heart would
greatly improve with later releases. I’m
rating CRACK THE SKY 70% and recommending it to fans of Petra, Hall and Oates,
and White Heart. For more info visit www.mylon.org.