Jeni Varnadeau - Colors of Truth

In short: Alanis, eat your heart out.

If you're out looking for a solid album offering gritty music and an encouraging message, look no further than this great 1997 release from Jeni Varnadeau.

It must also be said that JV's voice is the real treasure of this album. Fans of Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, and even Janis Joplin are going to find a pleasant refuge in the uniqueness of her sound. It's smooth, yet packs a wallop.

Jeni has a real agenda here. It seems that she's finding a middle ground in her lyric, sauntering between blatant gospel message and the simplicity of interpersonal relationships. As it turns out, both elements mix together brilliantly, stretched artfully over electric guitars and an almost rallying beat, to produce a real gem of songs.

Jeni asks us to remember that love truly does conquer all in "Stronger than You," and then contemplates lessons learned in "Why Would You Go Back." The concert-perfect cheer of "I See You" challenges us to see people as God does, "with different eyes, different point of view" and not to pass judgment. The popular sermon illustration about a father giving his little girl a string of fake pearls and then trading them for a string of real ones is explored in "Father Knows Best," a quietly tender picture of God's love painted in a way that would make Charlie Peacock proud.

This sound is infectious. Even a short attention span like mine can't help but listen all the way through, drawn strangely to the wonderful music that is Jeni Varnadeau. It's not your standard Christian music staple. It's not overtly evangelical. What Jeni Varnadeau does so successfully, though, it show us that people and the relationships we have with them are important... and that's a lesson that we all need to remember.