Todd Agnew

Better Questions

INO Recordings

Grade - B

            I do not know where to go with this.  “Better Questions” lacks nothing in sustenance and yet at the same time, I keep looking for holes.  The press materials state that there were more loops and keyboards used on this recording, however, it does not stand out or distract like I would think it would.  For the most part, it is as raw as anything else in Agnew’s repertoire.  You just have to listen to “Least of These” to know that whatever changes they may have employed, it still works.  A couple other funky tracks that stick out are “Family” and “War Inside,” all good songs, which are shorter and more apt to get radio time. 

              The greatest feature of “Better Questions” however, is the topical songs that make you think.  Songs like “If You Wanted Me,” “Funny,” and “Preachers & Thieves.”  The album time is just over one hour, and many of the songs run from 4 to 6 minuets in length, which is beyond most radio-format songs.  I like how Agnew has put so much thought into the album.  There is more meat and content on this album than most and it is not your typical made-for-radio or made-for-sale type of CD.  The intention of the album according to Agnew is to ask questions and not to present a question and then give his own answer.

            One track that everyone is talking about, “Our Great God,” a duet with Rebecca St. James is reaching a point of commercial stardom and in some ways it distracts from the depth of the rest of the album.  It is a great duet, but it’s kind of glossy and does not flow with the rest of the album.  It is also sparking rumors that has ensnared fellow Christians in a gossiping frenzy.  I love the song, but I would have released it as a single or on a compilation album instead.  Maybe this is the distraction that keeps me looking for other holes, or maybe I am just being to persnickety.     

Ken W.