AMG Review of No Compromise

Mark W. B. Allender
All Music Guide

Say what you like about Keith Green. Say he's an activist. Say he's a crazy, wild-eyed prophet like Ezekiel of long ago. No one can argue that he was not passionate about what he did, especially in the area of making great music using top session musicians. The credits on this record look like a "Who's Who" in jazz -- Hadley Hockensmith on guitar, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Tommy Funderburk on choral arrangements. In everything he did, Keith Green was all about integrity. Songs themselves capture his earnest spirit. Notable on this is his searing "Asleep in the Light," pointing a finger right back at the church for its hypocrisy and lack of compassion. He is not a spectacular technical performer on the piano, but his playing is always full of energy and is enjoyable in its own right for that reason. For example, "Dear John Letter (To the Devil)" is not an especially good song lyrically or musically, but Green's delivery alone makes you laugh out loud. Another high point here is a short little interlude called "My Eyes Are Dry," where Green is practically weeping through his singing. Passionate, sincere, and energetic; this record delivers a refreshing taste of a era now nearly forgotten.