13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Live Ceremony Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - Franklin, TN - Get Tix Here
Vice & Virtue by Jimmy Needham | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday

Shop Now At Amazon Buy Christian Music On iTunes

ADVERTISEMENT

Vice & Virtue [edit]
by Jimmy Needham | Genre: Pop/Rock | Release Date: May 05, 2015
 

Following his highly acclaimed 2012 release Clear the Stage, Platinum Pop President Dale Bray announces that Jimmy Needham will be releasing his first studio album for the company on May 5, 2015.

The album, titled Vice & Virtue, will again push boundaries in our industry, inspire debate and challenge the thought process of many.

"For me this record is much about breaking new musical ground," says Needham. "My approach changed entirely, from the songwriting process to the recording booth. I wrote with a band. I wrote over beats. I wrote without my guitar. I wrote many of the songs while recording. We spent more than 60 days in studio pushing and pulling this thing until it felt like a musical space I hadn’t visited before. I couldn’t be happier with the result."

Track Listing
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
01. Vice & Virtue
Click To Add Lyrics
02. Thank You
Click To Add Lyrics
03. Mamma Didn't Raise No Fool
Click To Add Lyrics
04. All We Need Is Need
Click To Add Lyrics
05. Sirens ft. The Quebe Sisters
Click To Add Lyrics
06. Only You
Click To Add Lyrics
07. Forever and Ever Amen
Click To Add Lyrics
08. Mr. Nice Guy ft. KB
Click To Add Lyrics
09. Better Man
Click To Add Lyrics
10. Jekyll & Hyde
Click To Add Lyrics
11. The Story (A Spoken Word)
Click To Add Lyrics

Entry last edited by zeekrkootunga on 05.22.15

Christian CD Reviews
(1) Total Review(s) | Average NRTeam Rating:
Rated 5 Stars
Add Your Review Join The NRTeam
 
Sort Reviews By: Most Helpful | Most Recent | Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 1:  

Rewriting Boundaries | Posted May 03, 2015
At first listen, you'll realize Vice & Virtue isn't your typical CCM album. But then again, Jimmy Needham isn't your typical CCM artist.
 
The masterful pen behind "Clear The Stage" has been pushing the boundaries in music for over a decade now, letting his soulful voice and pop-driven melodies mesh with hard-hitting lyrics to make him one of the most unique talents in the business today.
 
With an unmistakable style all its own that won't be easily imitated, Vice & Virtue stands out as Jimmy's most creative effort yet, producing new sounds and trying different techniques that set this album apart from all his previous releases.
 
The title track, which Jimmy calls the "most offensive" song he's ever written, presents the album's constant theme of relationship over religion with the honest lyrics "which is good and which is bad / crystal meth or a gospel tract / if it's done for me and not for You / there's vice in all my virtue."
 
Tracks such as "Thank You" and "Momma Didn't Raise No Fool" prove why Needham is such a talent, showing off his effortlessly smooth vocals and writing style. "All We Need Is Need" shines as one of the more mellow additions here alongside a jazzed-up remake of the Randy Travis classic "Forever And Ever Amen," where Jimmy adds his personal spin on an old country hit.
 
"Sirens" comes to life with beautifully haunting opening vocals, leading up to a few songs written for his wife: "Only You," which puts Jimmy's incredible falsetto on display, and "Better Man," which tells a story of how marriage has changed him for the better.
 
"Mr. Nice Guy" and "Jekyll & Hyde" tackle the tricky subject of taking off the masks we hide behind to be who we really are. Closing out a truly great album, "The Story (A Spoken Word)" packs one last punch with more quotable lyrics than I could possibly fit in this review, with one of the best lines being found towards the end: "are you shocked by the consequence of sin? Be more shocked at the mercy of Him."
 
Closing Thoughts:
Let's revisit my beginning statement: at first listen, you'll realize Vice & Virtue isn't your typical CCM album. Admittedly, I wasn't sold at first on the new direction this project headed towards. But as is true with most of my favorite albums, it quickly grew on me, and once I finally got into it I was hooked. Shortly into my second listen I realized how great of a talent this record represents, outstanding in the both the creativity behind the new sounds and the process of writing all new lyrics that provoke such necessary conversations about Christ and the mess of religion. 
 
Vice & Virtue isn't the norm for Christian music, but that proves to be a very good thing here. As long as Jimmy Needham keeps pushing boundaries and creating projects as genius as this, I'm sure we'll all keep listening.
 
Song To Download Now:
"Vice & Virtue" (Get it on iTunes here.)

Comments (0)Add Comment | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
NRTeam Review RSS Feed
Showing reviews 1 through 10 of 1:  

Christian Music, Facebook Christian Music, Twitter Christian Music, YouTube Christian Music, Instagram

ADVERTISEMENTS

13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Live Ceremony Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - Franklin, TN - Get Tix Here

Christian Music

©2025 NewReleaseToday
A Division Of NRT Media Inc.

 

Secure
CHRISTIAN MUSIC
Discover New Artists
New This Week
Coming Soon
Playlists
Free Music
Album Reviews

NEWS
New Music
Movies / Media
Events
Tours
General

PODCASTS
NRT Now Podcast
NRT Podcast Network

VIDEOS
Music Videos
Exclusives

EXCLUSIVES
Articles
Devotionals
Interviews
Concert Reviews
We Love Awards

MORE INFO
RSS
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Advertising
Staff
New Music Email
Contact

RESOURCES
Music Studies
Artist Training

CONNECT
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube