Sixpence None the Richer leader/guitarist Matt Slocum and singer Leigh Nash went their separate ways in 2004 after record label issues caused multiple delays and frustrations in trying to get their music out. Then new business problems kept them from releasing their reunion album for two years. But Lost in Transition is finally here, and I can’t listen to it without thinking of the back story to this album. Lines like “time is not my friend anymore” and “I failed to make it” from the song “Failure” read like a diary of the band as they struggle to let their albums see the light of day and breathe life into their career.
The songs voice disappointment and frustration but also hope. In “Give it Back,” Nash sings, “If you’ll blow on the embers/The light will shine on my face./I need the streams in the desert/That sing Amazing Grace.” While not quite as groundbreaking as their 1997 self-titled masterpiece, Lost in Transition is a welcome return to form for this interesting band. (Sixpence)
About the Author
Robert J. Keeley is a professor of education emeritus at Calvin University and leads music at 14th St. Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Mich.