 |
| Don't Hide Your Heart by Sheila Walsh (1985) Sparrow Records • SPR 1101 |
Produced by:
Craig Pruess and Keith Bessey
File Under:
CCM with a European Flair
Time Capsule-Worthy Track:
We're All One
Sheila Walsh wasn’t like Amy or
Twila or Kelly. She had a different sound and a different look. Hailing from
Scotland, Walsh burst onto the CCM scene with more of a new wave vibe, but
later settled into standard pop/rock fare. Her singing style and the unique
sound of her voice helped set her apart from other popular American Christian
female vocalists of the era.
When the needle drops on side one, one of the first things you’ll notice is the decidedly dated sound of the Simmons electronic drums (not that we mind!), prominently featured on the album’s title track. Musical performances are skillfully handled on this project by folks like Michael Omartian, Abraham Laboriel, Paul Leim, Michael Landau, Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music) and others. Omartian, Cliff Richard and Chris Eaton were among those who supplied backing vocals on the album.
Of course, what would a mid-80s record be without at least one paranoid song about nuclear war to scare the hell out of us? You can just skip over Under the Gun. (God bless you, President Reagan.)
The track that I remember most fondly from this album was an energetic rocker titled We’re All One. Penned by Bryn Haworth, Sheila’s rendition of the song reached the #6 spot on CCM radio airplay charts in 1985. An infectious groove and some fine sax and guitar work helped drive the popularity of this song that called for unity:
Listen to me, children
Can't you hear the call
Can't you see the message
That’s written on the wall
Took so long to write it
Pass it through the age
Telling all creation
Everybody can be saved
We're all one
I was riding on the railroad
I took a look around
All the different people
Couldn't find no common ground
We got one Maker
We're under one roof
And if you've got His love
Then you need no other proof
We're all one
 |
| Sheila Walsh with Steve Taylor in Belfast, Ireland |
There’s a breakdown of sorts near the end of the song where the background vocals are featured a bit, providing a nice moment. By the way, Sparrow released an unfortunate 5:49 extended remix of this song for a collaborative project with Steve Taylor called Transatlantic Remixes. If I were you, I’d just stick with the album version.
 |
| Sheila Walsh with Cliff Richard at Wembley Stadium |
It just might be that the song you remember most from Don’t Hide Your Heart is a ballad that Walsh sang as a duet with Cliff Richard. Written by Teri DeSario, Jesus Call Your Lambs shines a spotlight on broken marriages and calls for the restorative power of Christ to minister healing and reconciliation to couples who have lost their way.
Look at the man
He doesn't know what he's living for
He doesn't love her anymore
There's just an emptiness
The woman with him
What does she really think of her man
She thinks he's a hardhearted man
He doesn't understand her loneliness
All the angry words leave a bitter taste
Now they've turned their backs, it's such a waste
They're tired and broken down
Won't You call their names
Make them turn around
Oh, Jesus, call Your lambs, they've lost their way
They'll know Your voice by what You say
Teach them to follow every day
Oh, Lord, how they need You
Oh, Jesus, give them sight to see Your path
Give them the strength that they may ask
For courage to help them through the task
Of finding their way back home
They can't make it on their own
Having Cliff Richard appear on this album had to be seen as a positive for Sheila, since he was one of the most popular singers in the history of England and seller of 250 million albums worldwide. Richard had been a born again Christian since the 1960s.
Listening to the album again, I’m struck by the Graham Kendrick song It’s All For You. It’s a passionate plea for personal revival and total surrender.
Lord, take my life
Oh, and shake me from sleep
Don't let me waste one more minute of Your precious time
Fill me again
Oh, and set me on fire
Show me a vision of what You intend me to be
Lord, take my life
It's all for You
The next year Sheila Walsh would leave Sparrow for Myrrh (it seems like the path between those two labels was well-traveled in both directions by lots of artists). She would release 3 or 4 more albums of some consequence before becoming a co-host of The 700 Club. Walsh would transition to TV host and began churning out albums of a decidedly more conservative musical bent in an effort to identify with her new audience.
She would later reveal that in the 1990s she spent time in a psychiatric hospital where she was treated for clinical depression. During this time, her marriage also came to an end and she retreated from the public eye.
When she re-emerged, she became a prolific author and a favorite speaker at Women of Faith conferences. She went to seminary and earned a master’s degree in theology. And she began recording again at long last.
Over a three+ decade career/ministry, Sheila Walsh has demonstrated a remarkable desire to tell others about Jesus while working alongside people as diverse as Cliff Richard, Sandi Patti, Pat Robertson, Steve Taylor, Patsy Clairmont, James Robison, Phil Keaggy, and Luci Swindoll, among many others.
Telling all creation
Everybody can be saved
We’re all one
