Sandra McCracken - "Lock and Key" (2008)

Sandra McCracken is a name I first became familiar with after reading somewhere that she was married to Derek Webb, a very talented Christian singer/songwriter. I love Webb’s music so it seems like I would’ve taken the time to check out his wife too right? But sadly I had never actually heard her music until I witnessed in person last fall during their stop on the Art Music Justice Tour. The AMJ Tour was put together by Sara Groves and featured McCracken and Webb alongside Charlie Peacock and Brandon Heath. It was a very unique show that blended some great music with lots of great stories about social justice and the role the modern church plays in bringing about justice for those less fortunate around us. I was most excited about hearing Derek Webb and he was the only artist on the tour that I really knew well. But I figured that if Sandra McCracken was good enough to be married to Derek Webb, her music probably wasn’t bad either. And that was a good assumption because her 5 song set was nothing short of amazing. With just a voice and a guitar and with a little background help from her husband, McCracken captivated the small crowd and I became an instant fan after hearing songs like “Broken Cup” from her 2006 album Gravity/Love. After she played a few songs from her latest record Red Balloon, I knew I needed to have it. The album is pretty laid back and was entirely self recorded and self produced in McCracken’s home studio shortly after the birth of her first child. The instrumentation is mostly acoustic but there are some excellent keys peppered throughout and some bluesy electric guitar on a few songs such as “Halfway.” Today’s song was the one that really grabbed me the most in the live setting. “Lock and Key” is a fantastic song about trying to reach out to someone that doesn’t want to be reached. The album version expands on the more stripped down version that I first heard, including drums, keys and a little electric guitar. I think it’s great but I’m also a little partial to the acoustic version and for that reason I’m including it as well. Click on the download link to have it for yourself. Red Balloon has flown pretty much under the radar, even by indie standards but be sure that you don’t let it pass you by.


Sandra McCracken - "Lock and Key"


Sandra McCracken - "Lock and Key (acoustic)" [download]