Taking Back Identity | Posted September-27-2016
About A Mile seemed to be another entry in what has been something of a trend: a band of brothers signed to Word records producing a catchy mix of pop and rock, slated for an opening slot on Winter Jam. Their debut album carried the strong sound you'd expect from such a band, but after an initial impact got a bit lost in the shuffle. After stepping away from Word, About A Mile is back with their sophomore project Trust You All The Way, released independently through Ian Eskelin's Radiate Music. The result is a step in the right direction, even if the influence of industry norms retains a strong grip.
Lead single "Taking Back" got hopes high for a fresh new About A Mile when the boys dropped it last year. It's a rocking, emotional cannonball of a song that should grab some deserved attention for the album. Poppy hooks abound on Trust You All The Way's remaining tracks. The title track and the Winter Jam-ready "Outrun" make noticeable impressions, covering familiar themes of the Christian walk but keeping the melodies and music top quality to engage the listener.
"Born to Live" experiments with near-rapped verses and a slightly more electronic approach that works surprisingly well. Pop artists mixing in some rap is nothing revolutionary, but About A Mile's usage actually feels fitting for the song, making it one of the album's best cuts. Themes of individuality run strong in "Undeniable," another of the album's prime cuts. "All I Need" is the trendy acoustic soft closer, which is a fitting and soothing contrast to the album's more energetic moments. It adds nice flavor and variety to the proceedings.
I do wish the band had stretched their boundaries a bit more, but there's undeniable quality in every track that makes it hard to come away disappointed. The musical recipe may still be similar to their debut, but the execution is top notch. There's enough progress to keep listeners interested and enough highlights to keep the band's setlists fresh. Trust You All The Way should encourage you to give the guys a second chance if their debut didn't stick with you.
The Bottom Line: About A Mile avoids the dreaded sophomore slump and crafts another winning pop/rock adventure.
The Afters Look Toward Forever | Posted August-17-2016
The Afters are always reliable for strong pop/rock, and their latest record is no exception. Live On Forever has been delayed multiple times this year, but fans will finally get the chance to hear more of what the band has been cooking up.
The title track has been making waves on radio since late last year, and its epic approach makes it one of the best songs in the band's catalog. Unfortunately, I think it might've set the bar for the album too high, as many of the other songs are overshadowed. Still, there is plenty of the band's signature upbeat power. "Shadows" finds them exploring a bit of a techno side in one of the album's catchiest numbers. "Legends" is another memorable cut that makes for a late-album highlight. Whether it's outright praise or encouragement for the walk of believers, The Afters keep things positive and upbeat start to finish.
"When You're With Me" sends the album out on a quiet but strong note. Careful listeners will pick up on some subtle treats such as a soothing violin backing on some tracks or some really delicious electronic hooks. Songs like "Battles" feel a little too "add water and mix" compared to some of the album's real highlights, but are enjoyable nonetheless.
Overall, the biggest hill this album has to climb is the band's own high bar of quality. The title track and past hits have established a standard. While every song has moments of greatness, the package as a whole seems to provide fewer career highlights than past albums. Still, the highs are very high, and the lows are still well above the industry average. Consider this a win still worth your time.
The Bottom Line:Live Forever is enjoyable from start to finish with some of the band's best work featured in the title track. Though not every track is as memorable as the best cuts, all are still very well done.
Keeping Constant Focus | Posted August-12-2016
Andrew Marcus is seeking to draw your attention to the Creator with an uplifting new worship release. Padded a bit by live renditions of some of the songs at the end, there are 7 original offerings here that make effective use of modern trends in contemporary worship. Some guest appearances by worship mainstays Paul Baloche and Leeland also give some appreciated flavor to the tracklist.
Leeland's appearance on the title track makes the song feel like one of his and creates an instant album highlight. "We Are Redeemed" and "Glory to His Name" add to the accessible and engaging worship offered. All of the songs touch on some really interesting musical moments and grasp at some definite potential to transform the songs into classics. What holds them back a bit is a little over-reliance on worship music standards, both lyrically and musically, that keeps things a bit too rooted in the standard sounds expected of the genre.
But there are moments where you can really see a bright future for Mr. Marcus. Be it a musical hook such as on "We Live" or some powerful vocal deliveries in the early tracks, Andrew Marcus has demonstrated ability worth keeping an eye on.
The Bottom Line: Fans of the modern worship music scene will find new songs for Sunday morning, though a familiar approach limits the overall memorable quality of the project.
The Power of a New Start | Posted August-08-2016
Despite 2 EPs that essentially formed enough material to comprise a LP, it's been 4 years since we had a proper Group 1 Crew full-length album. Power gives us an idea of what the next era of the band will look like, now that Manwell Reyes is solely responsible for helming the group's direction.
With a band backing him to create a 5-piece ensemble, Manny sticks to what has worked in the past: a mix of contemporary pop, dance, and witty hip-hop. Sarah Sandoz steps into the vocal role (formerly filled by Blanca) and pulls it off without a hitch. Manny still rocks his signature rapping style. At 16 tracks, the album is fairly massive by contemporary standards, and contains a healthy mix of everything G1C is known for.
"Wake Me Up (Amnesia)" ticks the radio notch and has already earned the band some chart love. "Hold Back The Rain" is a fairly epic closer of a ballad. "20/20" and "Burn" show future radio potential with impossibly infectious choruses. "Take It All In" is a relatable number about appreciating the blessings of life in the current moment before they fade away.
Given the thick song list, not every cut lands with the same power or unique identity. But the extensive list of guest performers keeps the variety coming. This may not land at the top of the memorable list in the band's discography, but it should successfully usher in an exciting new era.
The Bottom Line: A healthy serving of all of the band's favorite sounds, Power should satisfy longtime fans and continue to give the band more hits to add to their growing body of classic tunes.
Visible Again | Posted June-23-2016
There was a time when Leeland was widely hailed as the next big thing. They were one of my favorite bands, and it seemed like they were at the dawn of a long and successful stay in CCM. But as excitement for subsequent albums tapered off and the band went years without a new full-length album, it seemed like they might've missed their window. Until now. 5 years since their last album, Leeland is back and partnered with Bethel Music for Invisible.
Bookended with "Bells of Notre Dame" intros and outros that set the worshipful tone, Invisible does what Leeland has always done best: take a popular sound and lift it to a higher artistic plain. Since their last album, dance/electronic music has seen increasing mainstream play, so it's fitting that many of these songs carry considerably more electronic influence than anything they've done before.
Luckily, that element doesn't overwhelm the songs, and the worshipful and theologically rich lyrics that made Leeland famous are still front and center. With his Phil Keaggy-esque voice, Leeland Mooring is one of the industry's strongest vocalists, and all of these songs become treats to listen to even with the lyrical territory feeling fairly familiar.
The title track is almost whimsical in its delivery as it talks about seeing God in our lives. The Easter-themed "Son Was Lifted Up" is another highlight. Here, Leeland sings of how in the midst of the painful events of the passion, we see love. "The War" has a chorus that feels the most "at home" for Leeland, despite the electronic influences. Based on the 23rd Psalm, Leeland sings of Christ's ultimate victory. The song has become a personal favorite of mine.
"Lion and the Lamb," "King of My Heart" and "Perfect Love" are other highlights. Nothing here quite reaches the heights of Sound of Melodies, and a few of the cuts fail to be as memorable as others. But that doesn't diminish the album's quality. Leeland has crafted a worship album that should remind artists and listeners alike of what worship music can and should be. Here's hoping it's the start of a triumphant resurgence for the band and not just a joyous epilogue.
The Bottom Line: CCM's favorite redhead is back, doing what he does best: praising our Savior with the mature, artful music of a seasoned veteran.
Painting in Vibrant Colors | Posted June-16-2016
It's been a while since a proper full-length House of Heroes release. Known for their unique throwback rock sound as well as profound, personal and blunt lyrics, House of Heroes became a critical darling (if not a commercial one) when they entered the scene in 2006 with Say No More. It's fitting that they are joining the Summer of Rock Powerhouses with their long-awaited new release.
Colors finds them doing what they do best. Any of these songs should please the HoH junkie and reference their roots. "God" and "Feel" are some of the band's most daring thematic endeavors yet, playing devil's advocate to explore deep social and theological issues, similar to "Comfort Trap" from Cold Hard Want.
"Rat" is a rip-roaring classic of a rocker. "Colors Run" is exactly the kind of fun you'd expect from a single. "We Make Our Stars" is the obligatory ballad, but even there the rock is amped up a few notches. "Colors Die Out" aspires to follow in the "epic closer" tradition of predecessors, but doesn't go out on quite as big a punch. "Shots Fired" marks a slow moment for the album, but probes even darker territory than past songs.
This is arguably one of the darkest albums the band has ever done, with a lot of deep themes of our broken condition explored. There's still a fair degree of fun, but Suburba this is not. The grit in the vocals and music definitely gives this album a unique flare. None of it is really new ground, but the band is more consistently immersed in this grit than previously. It makes for a good fit with the BadChristian label, keeping the band's signature offerings intact and expanding even more on what they do well.
While there's not a bad track in the bunch, the album as a whole won't be challenging The End is Not the End as the band's magnum opus. However, those who have missed the sound that only the Heroes bring should find another album to treasure and savor.
The Bottom Line: The Summer of Rock Powerhouses has found one of its rawest and most brutally honest blockbusters, and this is sure to be another critically adored landmark in the band's lauded catalog.
Second Glances | Posted June-03-2016
This is a summer of returning veteran rock acts. No fewer than half a dozen veteran rock acts are releasing a new album for the first time in a while. One of the names you probably haven't heard on many lists is Starflyer 59.
As one of the very first pioneering Tooth & Nail bands, Starflyer 59 has been a consistently present force in Christian rock for well over two decades, and their vast discography has been a staple for many. A new album under their name (anchored still by founder Jason Martin) is a big deal.
The first thing to know about Slow is that it's not a standard rock album. "Wrongtime" and "Runaround" come the closest to a "radio" sound, but even they stay well within something a little more ethereal. This is an atmospheric album, chock full of songs that would be fitting for a haunting and understated closing to a television drama.
The songs probe deep themes of love and nostalgia, of regret and the past. The vocals are subdued and relaxed, and the music is a laid-back rock that has just enough energy to propel things along. The two make for a haunting mix that is definitely something I am curious to explore more on repeat listens, and also to take a second look at the band's past albums.
The Bottom Line: This probably isn't at the top of many summer wish lists, but it's worth taking a closer look at. You just might find yourself surprised.
Fall Into Quality Music | Posted April-11-2016
Jason Fowler has quite the backstory of what he's overcome to reach the point where he's releasing his Christian debut, I Fall In. The music carries the maturity of a seasoned artist, proving his prior experience both in mainstream rock and roll and in life.
I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable and diverse this short 9-track collection of songs is. Dabbling in rock, pop and contemporary sounds, Fowler carries some groovy hooks and pounding sonic beats. Opener "Come Alive" is one of those songs that begs to be an arena rock set opener. "Rise Up" is another offering of the high-octane rock energy that Fowler excels at.
But hooky pop is on the menu too, as "You Give Me A Reason" effectively illustrates. There's a lush piano hook and an impactful vocal performance by Fowler. "Family" is an unplugged duet with Leigh Nash that showcases that Fowler can also be a master of the acoustic folk sound. The finale title track carries just a bit of that slow-building epic closer sound to lift up a worshipful and peaceful duet track, again keeping the album diverse and enticing.
The Bottom Line: While nothing here takes too many sonic or lyrical risks, this album is simply flat-out quality music, which for a debut project can't be called anything less than a success.
Vibrant Musical Colours | Posted March-21-2016
Electronic music is in right now. Wherever you look, there's another band that likes to infuse their music with techno. But finding one with some true, unique artistic value is difficult. Colours attempts to remedy this with an ambitious musical debut, Ivory.
With haunting hooks and electro atmospheres, there's a surreal feeling to many of these songs. Lead single "Monster" is a musically spine-chilling piece that would sound at home in the closing moments of an episode of Person of Interest or The Blacklist.
Another of the album's memorable cuts is the radio-primed "Remember." While some of the tracks in the middle tend to get lost amidst the electronic oceans, this is a definite musical hit.
Unfortunately, from a Christian perspective, the lyrics tend to range from empty to somewhat concerning. While nothing here is explicit, there is a bit too much sensual imagery for my personal taste. So although there are definitely some musically intriguing things going on, I ultimately leave the record a bit unfulfilled on the lyrical substance side of things.
The Bottom Line: This has all the makings of an indie sleeper hit and will likely please fans of this brand of ethereal electronic pop, but Christian listeners may want to exercise some caution regarding the lyrics.
Fiery Performance | Posted March-10-2016
Taking many cues from powerhouse acts like NEEDTOBREATHE and Rend Collective, Consumed By Fire have offered an enticing blend of CCM and folk in what is sure to be a crowd-pleaser of an album. Be it upbeat fast-paced numbers like "Lean on Me" or more reflective ballads like "He Waits for Me," these guys definitely know what they're doing.
Perhaps the best song is the already released "Walk Through the Fire." With one of the more memorable and emotional melodies on the album, this track finds the band at their best both musically and lyrically. But "You and Me" also boasts some interesting musical support, with different instruments creating more exciting hooks and a bigger musical impact. The country sound permeating the songs is accessible and on par with gems heard on the radio, but it's definitely in the more experimental moments that Giving Over truly becomes an album that commands my attention.
The Bottom Line: Fans of southern-tinged pop rock may have just found a new band to keep their eye on and definitely some new tracks to put on repeat.
JJFrancesco_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
