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50 Million Chapman Fans Can't Be Wrong

All About Love (Sparrow Records)
Steven Curtis Chapman

By Kory Wilcoxson

It's easy to disparage Steven Curtis Chapman. He's the whipping boy for Christian music, constantly churning out guitar praise pop so vanilla it makes Conan O'Brien look like Snoop Dogg. His music is worshipful without being preachy, but critics have claimed that because of his own prolific history (this is his 12th album since 1987), his message becomes redundant. Regardless, there's no denying his earnestness or his popularity and All About Love won't change a thing.

The various tracks on the album detail Chapman's experiences of love, especially with his wife, Mary Beth, who also served as executive producer. Chapman also covers the Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and Ronnie Milsap's "I'll Take Care of You." If you're familiar with Chapman, you know exactly what to expect on this album. Despite his limits as an artist, Chapman is skilled at capturing and conveying emotions and he's at his best on Love.

Chapman has settled into a nice rhythm for his career. Each album produces one or two hits on Christian radio (the title track has the most potential here) and as soon as you start to get tired of them, along comes a new album with another batch of songs. He may not be the most dynamic artist out there, but he knows his boundaries, he's good at what he does and fans adore him. So who's to criticize?