I have a confession to make. I had been avoiding purchasing Andrew Peterson’s latest album. I don’t know exactly why; I think I had listened to his previous album once and it didn’t really do anything for me. So, I ignored the rave reviews of the RMFO folks and passed it by. I mean, I purchase too many CDs anyway. It’s a really bad habit.

Yesterday, though, I was in the local Christian bookstore on a quest to purchase another item, and The Far Country was sitting there on the demo rack, taunting me. I fearlessly slipped on the headphones and took the challenge. About 30 seconds into the first track I was hooked. I listened to bits of the first three songs, had my opinion cemented enough to merit the sacrifice of $13.97, grabbed a copy, and headed to the cash register. I took it home and listened all the way through it twice (along with repeats of a couple songs an additional time or two), and have listened to it twice again today.

I don’t know how else to say it…. this is a phenomenal album. Andy P has captured the longing for that far-away place with songs like The Havens Grey, Lay Me Down, and, perhaps most notably, Little Boy Heart Alive. His songs are rich in imagery, with abundant references to the writings of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Musically, this album is also a gem. From the light rock of the title track, to the soft tones of The Queen of Iowa, to the acoustic wonder of Mystery of Mercy (a nice contrast to the Caedmon’s Call version of the same song), it just grabs you from beginning to end.

There were two times listening to The Far Country when I felt like I was listening to the late great Rich Mullins: the hammer dulcimer on Mystery of Mercy, and, well, the whole song Little Boy Heart Alive. I could write so much about that particular song… maybe I’ll make it a separate blog post. It is terrific.

Learn from my lesson. If you haven’t heard this album yet, go listen to it. It’ll grab you. In the end, you’ll thank me. Yes, it’s that good.

One final comment: there is this choice credit in the album liner: “Assistant Executive Producer: Andrew Osenga’s Right Middle Toe, Esq.” :-)