Review of Pennies in the Karma Jar, by Salem Hill (The Lazarus Group, 2010)

By W. S. Moore III

Peter Meaden, an early mentor of the Who, once described the group’s Mod ethos as “clean living under difficult circumstances.” Although they have nothing in common with the Who’s pill-popping self-destruction, the Nashville-based progressive rockers Salem Hill could use the same motto. Their new album, Pennies in the Karma Jar, is a work of personal and musical integrity, which is enough in itself to make it stand out in a world in which the cast of Glee has had more hits than the Beatles.

Fortunately, it also rocks like daredevils on a Ferris Wheel.

Salem Hill has occupied a spot at the intersection of Christian and progressive rock since the band’s eponymous debut in 1993, along with bands such as Glass Hammer and Morse-era Spock’s Beard. The lyrics of the songs on Pennies, however, foreground Salem Hill’s faith–and the struggles that accompany that faith in our modern world–to a greater extent than some of their more recent albums. But that shouldn’t scare off anyone, because the music is as brilliant as ever.

First, the lyrics. “Carry Me”, the album’s opener, is a call for help from a man who is “tired of praying prayers that were prayed the night before.” Likewise, “Fine” and “Why Did You Make Me” examine the spiritual uncertainty that cannot entirely be addressed by reason. Most disturbingly, in “Glimpses,” principal songwriter/keyboardist/vocalist Carl Groves considers his childhood faith before admitting, “Now with the years my eyes grow weak/ And I don’t see You anymore.”

Guitarist/vocalist Michael Dearing contributes “Stormclouds in Wonderland,” a jeremiad that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Graham Bonnett-era Rainbow album. These dark nights of the soul are balanced by “My Gift to You,” “The Horror of Fearlessness,” and the album’s epic high point, “The Day is Yours.”

As ever, the band’s superior musical skill is manifest throughout. Salem Hill fans have come to expect lush harmonies from every member of the band, polished performance, and challenging instrumental passages. All of these are present in abundance on Pennies in the Karma Jar.

But whereas on the previous album (Mimi’s Magic Moment) the jazz influence sometimes seemed a bit self-conscious, Pennies is undeniably a rock album, from Kevin Thomas’s ferocious and accurate drumming and bassist Patrick Henry’s warm, expressive lines to the powerful textures of Groves’s Hammond organ–and even the Supertramp bounce of a Wurlitzer electric piano. Dearing’s guitar leads are forceful, intelligent, and engaging, and his vocals contrast with and complement Groves’s, a combination that gives the songs additional grace and impact.

Before the CD’s release, Groves acknowledged that the album might be an awkward fit for much of the band’s audience, that it might be too aggressive for fans of Christian music and too Christian for the band’s secular audience. But for either contingent to dismiss the album would be shortsighted. Pennies in the Karma Jar is a mature work that contains some of Salem Hill’s finest, most thoughtful songs and stirring performances.

It is their best album in more than a decade, and perhaps their career. That’s saying a lot. Invest your attention in Pennies, or you’ll find yourself shortchanged.

Editor’s note: W. S. Moore III is a medievalist and critic who has been a personal friend of two members of Salem Hill since childhood, and Pennies from the Karma Jar was dedicated to his parents. However, Moore says: “I assure you my enthusiasm for the album is real and that I wrote with ‘clean hands and composure,’ to borrow a phrase. The guys would also cheerfully tell you that I’ll call shenanigans when I hear them.” As a great admirer of Salem Hill, I have little doubt that Mr. Moore’s praise is well earned, though I have yet to hear the album.