Obscure 1980's Christian music post

And if you tell me it's just imagination
I won't believe it 'cause my heart tells me this is for real
The revelry and the fascination
When destiny draws near
I'm standing on the last frontier
This is the heartland - Heartland, AD

One of the "super groups" of early Christian rock music was a band called AD. They never met widespread acceptance but they, for good reason, garnered critical acclaim. The front man for the group was Kerry Livgren who wrote two of Kansas' greatest hits: Dust in the Wind and Carry on Wayward Son. The musicians that he attracted to the AD were top-notch to say the least.

I came across an mp3 to a song that I had not heard in a long time called Heartland from the album Art of the State. It has captured more of my mind share lately than any other song in my collection. I just so happens it was written by Michael Gleason who actually penned another one of my AD favorites off of this album Lead me to Reason. It is funny how I am drawn to Gleason's music, quite unwittingly I may add. There is just something about the way the lyrics hit my heart and the chord progressions of the music that they are set to that resonates so deeply with me. It has Livgren's fingerprints all over it, but there is also no doubt that Gleason was the brain behind it all.

So what is it that attracts me to Gelason's music more than Livgren's? I don't know. For all intents and purposes I should be more Livgrenesque in my taste than I am. I can't explain it, but I can say that I have experienced it - and on more than one occasion.

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