Fans of soulful, pop melodies will love the sound of Nightlights from Jimmy Needham. His signature eclectic sound, mixing pop, rock and blues shines bright in each track on this, his third studio release through Inpop Records. Standing among only a handful of Christian artists to see increased sales from album one to album two, Jimmy's recognition among consumers is stronger than ever. Coming off his Top 10 AC single "Forgiven and Loved," Needham releases this record behind the lead single "Yours to Take." This powerful radio-ready hit will remind listeners of the freedom that God's grace provides. Jimmy will be found on the road in early 2010 headlining the Nightlights World Tour and plans a very busy summer and fall touring season.
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Jimmy Needham [Nightlights]| Posted May 14, 2010 [MAIN REVIEW] Nightlights is the highly anticipated third project from singer/songwriter Jimmy Needham, released May 18, 2010. The lead single from the album is an upbeat pop song, “Yours To Take,” with the lyrics written by Needham and music by Needham and Tim Dillon. Nightlights features twelve new songs written or co-written by Needham and showcases his continued growth as a singer/songwriter and performer. The album kicks off with a funky gospel tune, “Moving To Zion,” recounting Jimmy’s journey away from the pressures of the Law toward the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The song sets the tone for this very solid album as Jimmy Needham blends his signature sound that to me blends mainstream artist Jason Mraz with recent American Idol winner Kris Allen. Jimmy's soulful voice and personal lyrics are very engaging and every song puts me right there with him.
“Being Small” is a great song based on John the Baptist’s statement “He must increase, I must decrease,” which is the theme of the album. The semi-autobiographical song, “The Reason I Sing,” says the Lord is the basis for Needham’s music ministry and not the accolades that comes with a music career. “Right Where You Are” is based on A.W. Tozer’s book “The Pursuit of God.” Knowing facts about God is not a “relationship.” Jimmy really grabbed me with his song “Grace Amazing,” which tells how Christ brings life to the believer in a strong R&B approach, which reminds me of Maroon 5. I can’t get enough of the vocals and rhythm of the song, my favorite song on the album. The message of this song is so personal and biblical as it is directed to both believers and non-believers to know that there is no condemnation for our sins when we accept Jesus as our substitute and Savior.
The only song that wasn’t written by Needham is his remake of the pop classic “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).” Just like on his first two albums, Jimmy ends with a spoken word benediction where he spells out the message of the album “Nightlights.” With this new project, Needham wants to continue ministering to the churched and unchurched with his music. “The goal of this record is to breakdown walls and help me achieve my mission in the same sense those old spiritual songs did in the past,” Needham explains. “If people can take something positive away from this album, that’s all I can ask for.”
CLOSING THOUGHTS
If you like Jason Mraz and Kris Allen, you need to check out Jimmy Needham. "Being Small," "Yours To Take," “The Reason I Sing," “Right Where You Are" and "Grace Amazing" are my favorite songs on this very solid album. Nightlights is the best overall album by Jimmy Needham and one of my top albums of 2010.
Rating: 9.4 out of 10 (94%, A)
Review written by: Kevin Davis | Review can also be found here.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from ChristianMusicReview.org. Click here to visit ChristianMusicReview.org today!
Jimmy Needham’s Nightlights, is the artist’s fourth and latest offering of soulful, blues-tinged pop/rock. Building off the success of his previous two Inpop releases, Needham sticks to his (successful) formula of creating a collection of lucent, engaging lyrics matched with music that’s fresh, fun and downright funky.
No argument from this reviewer; Jimmy Needham creates music that is distinctly refreshing in its difference from the majority of radio-friendly Top 40 fare. And if you enjoyed Not Without Love and Speak, you’ll enjoy Nightlights. If there’s a weakness with Nightlights, it’s a tempering of the “raw emotional transparency,” both lyrically and musically, evident in his previous albums. While not quite playing it "safe," something about Nightlights feels more grounded.
Jimmy Needham fits in very well with contemporaries such as Phil Wickham, Matthew West, Brandon Heath, Newworldson and Todd Agnew.
Excellent album!| Posted May 28, 2010
I listened to this for the first time last night and really enjoyed this album. Its good to hear something so original and also full of power. I would highly recommend this album.
NICE!| Posted May 22, 2010
Guess who's now one of my favorite lyricists? Jimmy Needham's Nightlights is a great album. Songs 1-4, 5 and 7 are my favorites. The spoken word at the end was moving too.
Nightlights| Posted May 18, 2010
I guess i am a tad bit partial as i am a HUGE Jimmy Needham fan. He is the reason i have begun doing Contemporary Christian music.
Coming into his third album, i was a little weary because of the awesomeness of Not Without Love. i didn't think he would be able to top that album, but the material has shown otherwise and definitly proven comparable.
Jimmy surely drifted into new ideas and styles for this album while keeping that traditional bluesy, folk sound of his. What i have always admired about him is that he can always find space in the cd for a song about his lovely wife.
My favorite song on the album was his rendition of How Sweet It Is. Beautiful.
I also really enjoy Part the Clouds, and The Reason I Sing.
The way he uses his words to make biblical allusions is incredible.
This album is definitly a classic and is only evidence that Jimmy, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will continue to grow spiritually and excel in music through his personal relationship with Christ.
Expect even greater things to come from Jimmy Needham
Good Album| Posted May 17, 2010
I didn't actually think that Jimmy Needham would be this good, but I wrong. He has a really good voice and his songs are ones that people will want to keep hearing.
Great| Posted May 16, 2010
Jimmy Needham's new album is awesome! It is great lyrically and has a kind of worship feel to it. I think that it is diverse musically. The album has a combination of rock, pop and soul. At one point he incorporates rap into one of he songs, which I think is great. i think he did a really awesome job on this album and can't wait to get it.
Jimmy Needham| Posted May 14, 2010
Jimmy Needham has done it again! He has such rich vocals that spill out like honey. His music can soothe you no matter what your mood. Jimmy is definitely an artist to keep a close watch on.
Nightlights| Posted May 13, 2010
An excellent and solid CD with a huge amount of soul. It's great to hear releases like this that sound mature, well produced and have great thought provoking lyrics. This one has definitely made me interested in exploring Jimmy's past releases.
Night Lights - Jimmy Needham| Posted May 12, 2010
With Night Lights Jimmy Needham brings a new feel to his music, which I really love, but he stays true to who he is. As I listen to the songs I can think of specific verses in scripture where lyrics are pulled from. I think it's great that Jimmy puts truth into his music and it just shows that his music is meant to be a minisrty tool. I'm a big fan of Yours To Take and Moving To Zion. I look forward to owning this CD!