FFH (Far From Home) seemed to have a completely unspectacular and normal career in the Christian Music Industry. Over the course of six wide releases by Essential Records they managed to have a slew of number one hits (on Christian radio that is), though they never had an album go gold. They toured relentlessly and managed to maintain a respectable if average following. As was often the case with artists that saw success in a very specific but still broad market (think country or alternative radio) their fortunes slowly dwindles until they seemed to just quietly disappear after their 2005 album “Voice From Home” which was followed up by a worship album that I’m not sure anyone actually heard.
However, in 2009 the “band” returned as husband and wife duo Jeromy and Jennifer Deibler. Those quite years had been spent helping mentor a church in South Africa, welcoming a new child into the world, and dealing with multiple sclerosis on the part of Jeromy. These experiences inspired them to create what I consider their last proper album “Wide Open Spaces, (though they did release a Christmas album and another worship album after the fact). The album opens with “Undone” it’s stand out track that managed to get the last bit of radio play I think the group ever saw. It’s a powerful song about surrender and knowing that the cost of life is sometimes more than what you want to pay. The music of the song is a powerful blend of Coldplay and the singer/songwriter style Jeromy Dobler had always excelled at. The lyrics though can hit with a particular strength such as “Come undone, Surrender is stronger, I don't need to be the hero tonight, We all want love, We all want honor, But nobody wants to pay the asking price”. From there the album follows in kind with songs about essentially quitting the rat race of the music industry (Wide Open Spaces, Who I’m Gonna Be) with special mention to the lyrics of “The Time Of My Life” which doubles as a love song, “I had the time of my life with you, Under the summer moon, I was so consumed, I had the time of my life with you, Acting like a fool, But it was over too soon”. The other half of the songs seem to be about accepting the pain of knowing God’s in control (What It Feels Like, What If Your Best). These songs are especially potent knowing about Jeromy’s struggle with MS, a disease that from what I’ve heard is truly painful and miserable to live through. Lines from “Stop The Bleeding” in particular stand out “How much farther must I go, Til You say that I'm broken? How much heartache must I know, For You to say enough's enough?”. This album is powerful in a way this group only hinted at during their radio years. They had always been half a step ahead of the normal glut of happy feel good artists on Christian Radio, but this was them finally coming in their own and not only admitting their own brokenness but also realizing (and writing about) the amazing amount of grace that can only be found while in that state. Suggest Tracks: Undone Wide Open Spaces What If Your Best
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