Around fourth grade Lisa Weyerhaeuser started playing guitar
and became a Christian. She writes:
“Jesus became my best friend and my Savior.
I began to write songs about my new faith and sing them. I sang about God, love, family, and
relationships-all of the things that were important to me.” Her list of accomplishments includes being a
wife and a mother of three, and teaching in the Psychology Department at
Trinity International University. Lisa
first heard Larry Norman live in concert in November 1982 and got to interview
the Christian music legend after the show for her college newspaper. She shares: “That night I met a stranger who
became a friend, and I am grateful to this day for the friendship we enjoyed. Larry had the ability to cause people to feel
a deep connection to him and to the God he served, and I am one of the many
whose life is better because of that knowing.”
Lisa’s latest release is CAUGHT IN TIME AND SPACE (2013, Strong Tree
Productions, Blue Myrtle Records). It
was recorded in Sweden, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. The black leather jacket Lisa is wearing on
the front cover was given her by Larry Norman during the recording of the
album. He had worn it on the cover of
his SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SON album and on stage many times. Larry Norman produced several of the tracks
on Lisa’s album and makes various guest appearances. His younger brother Charles Normal arranged
the album.
‘Closest Friend’ is a breezy pop duet by Lisa and Larry,
with Dan Cutrona on the B3 organ. It
points to Christ as the answer to life’s problems and emptiness: “Well, I used
to feel so alone/Standing in the shadows and on my own/Looking for a different
light/Finally Your love broke through the night/When you find the truth you
know it’s right.../What can I say to make you realize/How much He really loves
you?/What can I say to make you understand?/You should put your life into His
hand.” ‘Keeper of the Clock’ is one of
seven songs penned solely by Lisa. Randy
Wills plays the harpsichord. It includes
these words marked by spiritual maturity: “Who are we to question time/When
time is not our own?/Incomplete our love shall lie/Til closer we have
grown/Although now we may feel sad/Looking ahead we shall be glad/For we know
the Keeper of the clock on the wall/Now He’s speaking/Do you hear His
call?” It should be noted that the first
eight songs are from the years 1988-1991 (obviously when Larry was still with
us!).
‘Psalm 42’ is a pleasant pop duet
with Norman. It is a song of spiritual longing
penned by Lisa and King David: “Just as the deer thirsts for the water brook/My
soul thirsts for Thee/Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls/Your
waves have swept over me/Oh God, oh God/My soul thirsts for You Lord/My soul
thirsts for You/You’re the living God.”
‘Rekindle my Fire’ is a pretty praise and worship song with Lisa and
Larry on background vocals. Charles
Normal plays guitar, keyboard, and percussion.
The song is a cry for revival: “Sometimes my burning fire goes out/And
all that’s left is a fading glow/So please Lord, rekindle my fire/Let me shine
bright for You/Oh, please renew my desire/Oh, please Lord rekindle my fire/Oh
Lord, renew my desire/Rekindle my fire/Well, You know that I wanna be a light
for You/But oh how dim my light has grown.”
Charles Normal programmed the
strings on ‘This is my Prayer’, which is a song of spiritual surrender: “Father
I praise You/I humbly lay my life before You/All that I am I give for You to
use/Father, I thank You for giving us Your Son/I want to thank You for
Jesus.../Father forgive me for attitudes towards others/My sisters and
brothers/Thoughts that only You see/And Father please help me be more like Your
Son/I want to be more like Jesus.”
‘We’ve Only Got Forever’ is a middle of the road song musically. It seems written from the perspective of a
Christian musician who is on the road a lot and reassuring their stay-at-home
spouse: “Well, I may not be seeing you for a while/And I know it won’t always
be easy to smile/But we know that love is patient, yes, it’s true/And I know
that I love you/And we’ve only got forever, you and I/To know each other
better/To laugh and cry/We’ve only got forever to make things right/Together
walking in His light.”
Lisa and Randy Adams sing backing
vocals, with Lisa on lead as well, on the light rock song ‘Stronger Now’. It speaks of the raw emotions many of us deal
with at one time or another on this journey we call life: “There is much
heartache, there is pain/There is so much confusion/I think I might go insane/There
is a war battling inside of me/It rages on, but somehow/He is stronger
now/There is anger in my heart, sorrow in my soul/There’s an aching that just
won’t leave/But His love still seems to flow/Oh, don’t you know.” Larry Norman plays harmonica on ‘Get Away’,
while Kevin Bailey plays acoustic guitar.
This song speaks of the value of spiritual solitude: “When life’s busy
schedule is trapping you in/When you can’t seem to find a moment’s rest/When
your eyes are losing focus/On the goal you’re running toward/When you’re
continually being put to the test.../Just take time to get away/Oh, take time
to get away/Even Jesus needed time away/A time to pray, a time to lay/His
burden down and get away.”
The next three tracks are Larry
Norman classics. The first two presented
here were produced by Eddie Prather.
Larry and Lisa duet on ‘Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation’, which Larry
originally recorded on his debut album, UPON THIS ROCK (1969). The song has a highly contagious chorus full
of joy, hope, and life-giving faith.
Lisa and Larry again duet on ‘The Great American Novel’, which I know
from Norman’s 1972 album ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET. The version presented here is one of my
favorite versions of the song ever, with a slow country feel to it. Larry plays acoustic guitar, while Tim Wright
plays pedal, steel, and 12 string guitar.
Lyrically, the song boldly takes swipes at racism and war among other
things: “You killed a black man at midnight/Just for talking to your
daughter/And you made his wife your mistress/And you left her without water/And
the sheet you wear upon your face/Is the sheet your children sleep on.../You
were far across the ocean/The war was not your own/And while you were losing
theirs/You also lost the war at home/Did you really think the only way to bring
about true peace/Was to sacrifice your young men/To kill all your
enemies?” Lisa and Larry’s voices blend
well together.
Lisa previously recorded Norman’s
1976 song ‘U.F.O.’, but a version is included on this project as well, as it seemed
to fit in with the other songs. Bill
Verdier plays violin and Kendall Combes plays bass and electric guitar. Lisa delivers a nice rendition of the easy
listening, apocalyptic song, whose subject is Jesus Christ: “He’s an
unidentified flying object/You will see Him in the air/He’s an unidentified
flying object/You will drop your hands and stare.../He will come back like He
promised/With the price already paid/He will gather up His followers/And take
them all away.” ‘Politically Correct’
was produced by Max Hsu of Superchick fame and is from circa 1999. Hsu plays keyboards on the upbeat country
track, Dave Ghazarian (Superchick, Audio Adrenaline) plays guitar, and Lisa,
Larry, and Mike Struck sing backing vocals.
The song is lyrically in your face: “Say all the right things but stay
to the left/Do not discuss the national debt/Hug a whale but dispose of the
innocent child/Convenience is bliss in morality’s eyes/We are politically
correct but we’ve got it all wrong (2X)/Start a war at another country’s front
door/All the while the White House rolls around on the floor.../The country
needs a revolution/In the form of Jesus Christ.”
Lisa is certainly a great woman
of faith and a talented singer-songwriter.
Her voice is warm and inviting and easy to listen to. I hope this album gets the exposure it
deserves! Fans of adult contemporary and
light pop music should pick this one up.
Needless to say, every serious Larry Norman collector must add this
project to their collection as well. The
last eight tracks on this CD which almost runs 80 minutes long, are soft
acoustic versions of several of her originals, which I have already reviewed
here. These eight tracks were recorded
by Lisa, along with her friend and Christian guitar hero, Rex Carroll (King
James, Whitecross). They will appeal to
fans of Evie. I’m rating CAUGHT IN TIME
AND SPACE 85%. For more info visit www.lisaweyerhaeuser.com. Lisa says: “I can’t wait to be a part of what
God is up to next.”