This is not an album to buy if you just want Derek Webb's music. Given, there are a couple songs he sings on here that haven't been recorded by him before. There are a couple sweet solo versions of some classic Caedomon's Call songs, and those are not to be missed either. The real meat of the album, however, is those connecting vignettes between each song that Derek delivers to teach and challenge us.

It's a live album, and as live albums go, I'm not usually too keen on them. This one is different, though. It's from a series of concerts that Derek did in peoples' living rooms (hence "House Show") where about 50 - 75 folks would gather around and Derek would take up his guitar and sculpt spiritual truths through music and teaching. It was a smaller setting that established the kind of guy Derek was going to be as a soloist apart from Caedmon's Call... personable, genuine, and passionate for his message. This album is a portrayal of that, with no cuts and no apologies, it's Derek's heart poured out completely.

Heather and I saw Derek Webb in concert in 2003, and have since vowed that if he ever came close to us again, we'd go hear him. I think the best part of the show was Derek's total authenticity. Derek sang and taught for an hour and a half, and then stuck around afterwards to talk to folks. Not just sign autographs and shake hands, I mean really talk to people. We had to wait an hour to get the picture of he and I because there were several people in front of us. Each one, Derek talked to for at least ten minutes. Nothing fake, nothing held back, just talking to a band about getting started and some teenage girls about the show. I talked to him about Bebo Norman. :)

The experience of the concert was something that truly made us feel like we had grown in the hour and a half we spent there, and called us out to greater faith. I think there's something on this disc that can bring a canned version of the same experience to just about anyone, to both challenge and warm your heart. Derek talks about his grandmother. He talks about Elvis. It all somes together for one purpose, though... to paint a picture of how real and how strong a relationship with Christ can truly be, but only by becoming weak and realizing how frail we truly are without Him.