Chapman shows his maturity.

Byline: Christian music reviews by Chris Metteer The Register-Guard

Formulaic product from Steven Curtis Chapman, lower- decibel output from Audio Adrenaline and light jazz hymns by Kirk Whalum are among recent Christian music releases.

DECLARATION

Steven Curtis Chapman

(Sparrow)

Chapman is a man of few surprises these days. But with a resume that includes enough Grammy and Dove awards to fill a good-sized concert hall, he doesn't need to be daring.

"Declaration" is a cookie-cutter Chapman effort. Here are some of the standard ingredients: a lead-off toe tapper, "Live Out Loud," that's tame enough for middle-of-the- road Christian radio but raucous enough for Christian rock and good enough to garner plenty of award nominations; some rock tunes with the most basic Christian tenets as their foundations; and a couple of ballads where Chapman's deep faith comes across as tender and real rather than trite.

But Chapman's strongest point on "Declaration" is his continuing maturity, shown not in venturing into tough situations such as visiting death row inmates as he did on "Signs of Life" but in his self-realization that he's a flawed Christian.

For all his awards, he's a man who at times has doubts. For all the times he's seen God work in his life, he hesitates to rely on God first and demands absolute control - until things unravel.

But the new maturity I savor most is Chapman's welcoming of such trying times, as he plays it out in "Bring It On." Chapman points out that tough times make you stronger, but you have to go through those times before you realize their value:

"I didn't come lookin' for trouble and I don't want to fight needlessly/ But I'm not gonna hide in a bubble if trouble comes for me/ I can feel my heart beating faster, I can tell something's coming down/ But if it's gonna make me grow stronger, then .../ Bring it on/ Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow/ Bring it on/ Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong/ Bring it on."

Grade: B-

HYMNS IN THE GARDEN

Kirk Whalum

(Warner Bros.)

I simply love this CD. It's part of Warner Bros.' JazzSpace projects, and it's a gem.

The CD is filled with Sunday morning standards - "In The Garden," "Jesus Paid It All," "Softly and Tenderly," "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" - but Whalum's work on saxophone makes each one sound exciting and new. He takes those old songs and treats them with reverence while infusing them with a little flair.

You could spin several of these songs on Eugene's new light jazz station and nothing would seem out of place. A play list running from Chick Correa to Whalum would be quite nice.

Grade: B+

LIFT

Audio Adrenaline

(Forefront)

The group's name fittingly has described a style that is wound up and full throttle. But "Lift" shows off a slightly different AA, a few decibels softer and much more low-key.

Oh, AA still rocks a little, as shown on "You Still Amaze Me" and "Rejoice," which is by far the best cut here. But everything else is satin-soft by AA standards.

What "Lift" has is a fairly good collection of songs. What it's missing are either the stick-in- your-head-for-days pop hits such as the group's classic "Big House" or the knock-the-doors-off- your-car rockers such as "Like a Zombie."

Grade: C+

Chris Metteer is a Register-Guard sports copy editor. He reviews contemporary Christian music releases. To hear samples of music reviewed by Metteer, call GuardLine at 485-2000 and enter category 9940.