Just Didn't Get On Their Bandwagon | Posted August-18-2007
I'm always disappointed when I know an album could be better if the production was more up-to-par. Burlap may have been the biggest discovery of 1998 in Christian Music due to their unique sound (where are they now?), but when the band tries to be like everyone else, they fail at it big time. This album is candy for the ears in more ways than one. Their first single, "Basic Instructions" sounds like something you would hear at a party in the middle of Central America, which is why everyone likes it--it's new, never before heard stuff. Unfortunately, the album as a whole grows a little weary at times, making it a hard listen all the way through.
Great Worship - Doesn't Get Better Than This | Posted August-18-2007
Lincoln Brewster began his musical journey at an age when most children are learning to walk. At the tender age of one, he was keeping rhythm on a drum set. By age 7, Lincoln was playing guitar and mandolin. With career highlights that include guitar work with Steve Perry (former lead singer for Journey) and Michael W. Smith, Lincoln's passion is for worship. After listening to Lincoln's first release, we'll just pretend that Live To Worship is Lincoln's debut album. There really is no comparison. Lincoln has picked up the amplifier for this collection of modern new and familiar worship tunes. From his rollicking opener, "You Alone," to the closing instrumental version of "Amazing Grace" " the clearest focus of Live To Worship is direct, unfiltered praise and worship of God. This could very well be the soundtrack to the Gen-X church service, even after a number of years. Seven of the eleven tracks are Lincoln's original works, but the rest of the album is filled in with altered renditions of popular modern worship favorites. Songs like "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High," "Amazing Grace" and "Shout to the Lord" are familiar to all of us, but you have never heard them quite like this, and they are wonderful. Lincoln's vocals shine high on this record as well and he has a great way of drawing you into the entire experience of worship wherever you are.
Will Please Celtic Music Fans | Posted August-18-2007
Maire (Moya) Brennan had a monumental influence on the Christian Celtic market. Her second album on Word Records provides the listener more of what we have grown to love from this wonderfully artistic artist. Like her sister Enya, hugely successful in the general market, Maire blends light guitar, keyboards, and melodic vocals to create an album rich with content and lush with appeal. Her lyrics, many of which are sung in different languages, are honest and pure worship songs to our Father. Maire is definitely a low-key artist, where she sits back and watches her albums sell. Although she is not well known, her music is, giving her a wonderful position in the market. Whisper To The Wild Wind will please ANY fan of the Celtic music genre.
Space is a decent first attempt | Posted August-18-2007
For a band that has been together as little time as Bleach seems to have, they have a lot of cohesion. Or at least as much cohesion as a modern rock band can have without becoming too conservative. They throw out all the stops and crank out some hard-hitting music from "Eleven" to "Space," and certainly don't have anything missing lyrically. But from the driving beat of "Crystal and Cash" to the distortion filled rhythms of "Wonderful," Space shows a lack of originality. This is just not an album that stands up and says "HEY LISTEN TO ME!" "Cannonball" starts with a little more conventional feel before letting loose into the chorus, and incidentally, did quite well on the Christian rock charts. All in all, from start to finish, Space is a decent first attempt.
Great Album | Posted August-18-2007
Bleach's first album was nothing original. Although a few songs had a catchy tune, the rest were nothing new. Then came Static, the title of their sophomore album. An album that reinvented the band. Forefront Records reinvented Seven Day Jesus before them, turned Audio A's new sound into something different, why not follow the trend. This albumd delivered strong vocals behind catchy songs that are full of inspiration and packed full of rich original pop songs. The musical move leans towards the pop category with a lot of high-energy tunes intertwined with some awesome ballads. Has it stood up to today's musical landscape though? I think it has.
A Confused Band Makes An OK Album | Posted August-18-2007
Sometimes you have to wonder if a band has all their marbles in one place. I can envision the members of Bleach taking their bags of marbles into the studio, everytime they go to record a new album, and dumping them all over the floor, and then seeing where they land. Again, we see a different side of the band on their third release on Forefront Records. By combining catch poppy synth rifts with garag-y guitar chords and alterna-ready vocals, the group simply escapes categorization. In fact, it's almost impossible. While Bleach doesn't come off as anything close to a Sunday morning praise band, the group is still very worship-minded. "Breathe Your Breath" and "All To You" are both mainly praise-centered. Musically speaking, Bleach may be a mixed bag, but they're straightforward Christ-centered songwriters, which makes this album well worth the time for listening ears.
Good During Its Time | Posted August-18-2007
This four piece band combines smooth acoustic rhythm with some fine Mississippi River blues into one of the more memorable debut recordings in Christian music history. This project is grounded firmly in acoustic rock, replete with accordion, tasteful piano arrangements, and a practiced group harmony. "Two Set of Jones'" is a ballad sure to please folk listeners from the James Taylor/Randy Stonehill crowd, while "Where's The Passion" echoes the livelier moments of Wes King. Overall, the album is one part Counting Crows, one part John Mellencamp, with 12 bar blues and Black Gospel thrown in for good measure. And FYI - this album was the first to be issued in the Christian Industry with the words "Audio Visual" on the label. Watch out multimedia, here they come.
Is It Really 11 Years Old? | Posted August-18-2007
One of 1995's big surprises was a debut album by a new band by the name of Big Tent Revival. The band managed to sneak up on everyone and release an album that was fresh and unique without much publicity. A year later, the did it again. Big Tent Revival was on the cutting edge of Christian music in their day. This album produced the mega-hit "Two Sets Of Joneses" which is a great song. The only thing wrong with Open All Nite is that after a while, most of the songs start to sound the same. Outside of that, though, it's a terrific album, and a worthy follow-up to their hit debut.
A Great CD For Fans Of Wallflowers Or Counting Crows | Posted August-18-2007
As one would guess from the title, Amplifier is louder, more raw and more energetic than their previous releases. It was great to see a band evolve so much over the course of a few years, and Amplifier is a solid example of change. The record has its share of downsides, ("Jimmy") but other cuts make this a great CD for fans of Wallflowers or Counting Crows.
The Best From This Group | Posted August-18-2007
When I first wrote this review many years ago, Choose Life had already gained three number one hits, two singles and one long-form video. After listening to the fourth studio release from Big Tent Revival, you will have no trouble understanding why. Choose Life is packed with radio hits and some of the best songs in Big Tent's short, but loved, five year career. Never underscoring their message, the band delivers lyrics that challenge, question and inspire. The album ends with a solid praise and worship song with simple lyrics, stating what God is without hiding behind anything. It's pure honesty, as is the whole album.
KevinMcNeese_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
