Pages [Audio CD] Shane & Shane

Shane Barnard and Shane Everett have the love of Jesus Christ in their hearts, and the duo is not afraid to spread that love around. After a three year drought, the Texas twosome return with Pages, a brand new disc that reflects their faith walk.

The material on Pages was pulled, literally, from Barnard's personal journal. After living out of a suitcase for nearly a decade, both Shanes took a three month break from touring to reevaluate the spiritual and personal directions they had been taking. It was during this time that Barnard began stringing together the songs that would make up Pages. The duo recorded the disc, their first since 2004's Clean, in the studio they built outside of Dallas.

For Pages, the Shanes used their touring band for the recording sessions, which gives the 14 tracks a wired connectedness. From the profound "Burn Us Up," a resonating number based on Daniel 3: 20-25, to the subdued "Healed," a gently finger picked instrumental, each song is a puzzle piece that fits perfectly next to the others. Even the simple "We Love You Jesus," a radio friendly pop song Barnard reportedly wrote in a coffee shop, complements the rest of the material.

Barnard's and Everett's vocal harmonies ring with the same clarity as their spiritually influenced songs. The duo have the kind of vocal bond usually reserved for blood relatives. On "Bad Days Better" Barnard goes it alone for three quarters of the song until Everett jumps in and briefly insulates his partner's voice near the end.

A track like "Beg," interpolated with trembling organ, electric and acoustic guitars, and a plucking banjo, would come off contrived in less capable hands. Barnard and Everett confess their failure to live up to God's will on a daily basis, without sounding the least bit glib. When the duo sing lyrics like, "I'm sinking fast, like a stone heart should," they do it with genuine conviction. The instrumentation, which starts off calm and sparse, rises to a fevered pitch by song's end.

"Before The Throne Of God Above," a song whose lyrics date back to the 1800s (with new music by Barnard), finds the Shanes fusing vocally to become one as they praise the Father.

Pages, like a good book, is worth returning to again and again. As if the 14 tracks aren't enough to satiate their fans' thirst, Shane & Shane have also included an unlisted bonus track.

By Todd Sterling