Derek Webb hasn't been one to play it very safe with his music. He takes risks, experiments, and tries to actually craft a piece of art instead of just another enjoyable listen. Sometimes that endeavor leads to controversy, such as with a hair of profanity on his 2009 release, Stockholm Syndrome.
Webb is back with Ctrl, and yes, it is intentionally spelled the computer keyboard abbreviated way. While this album isn't likely to generate the same level of controversy, it likely will remain an acquired taste for music listeners.
Opening with a rousing church choir--which I read is The Sacred Harp Choir, whom Webb brought in and used throughout the album, as the listener will quickly discover--the opening track, "And See The Flaming Skies" seems to prep itself to lead into a big and epic opening track, like something a hard rock band might do. But that never happens. Instead, Webb's acoustic and laid back sound follows and delivers and soothing and mysterious sounding song, devoid of major hooks or a chorus. It plays almost like a literary poem set to music. It becomes strangely enticing. The choir returns to close out the track.
The mysterious sound continues into "A City With No Name," which is a tad more formulaic, actually having a chorus. But the mysterious acoustic sound and haunting vocals keep the song feeling anything but usual. In just the melody, it seems to carrying a warning message of sorts. I suppose if there were to be a song that'd make a serviceable radio single, it'd be this, but even that is a bit of a stretch, considering how all of these songs seem to fit together as a single work of art.
"Can't Sleep" is next. Again, with little that can be considered a chorus besides the "I Can't Sleep" line repeated several times at the beginning and end of the chorus, it again feels like something out of a college poetry class. "Blocks" brings the same eerie vibes, and the same mysterious tone. Lyrics like "I see you in my dreams / cause of death a broken heart / is there some place we could meet / where we don't get torn apart" might feel a bit more accessible, but they seem to fit well into Webb's poetic delivery and never feel cliché. Webb even makes the chorus of "I just want love / and I would do anything to get it / almost anything for you" seem like something that few to no people have ever felt before.
"Pressing on the Bruise" and "Attonitos Gloria" continue the sound established so far. Sometimes the songs have a bit faster and more upbeat tempo at times. "I Feel Everything" ends with a heart monitor stopping but "Reanimate" fitting seems to start it up again in it's opening and fittingly, the track feels a little bit more optimistic both musically and lyrically.
So not surprisingly, when you least expect it, there's a surprise waiting "Around Every Corner." (Yes, pun intended.) That song is actually a pretty solid closer too. Its bridge brings more energy and upbeat melody than anywhere else on the album, singing out "This is no place for a civilized man / this is no face of a civilized man / so don't you follow me." What's surprising is that Webb doesn't opt to go out with a big bang or a haunting reverse of the album's intro. Again defying expectations, Webb does art his own way, and it sounds pretty good.
The album's lyrics aren't necessarily the most explicitly Christian you'll find (unless you count the choir's parts), but tucked behind the examinations of the human condition and emotions, is a very heavy spiritual foundation.
Closing Thoughts:
Ctrl is pretty much unlike anything else you'll hear this year. It's unique, haunting, and thought provoking. As mentioned before, it's also quite the acquired taste. You actually gotta take time to sit down and listen to this to take away everything it has to offer, which limits the accessibility of most of the songs. However, if one does take the time to listen to it with an open mind, it'll be difficult to come away from it not feeling that one has heard something truly deep and artistic, something greater than can be understood in a single sitting, and thus something that will have to be played again.
The Museum Offers A Solid Effort | Posted August-27-2012
The Museum is probably one of the lesser-known acts in the CCM circle. Listeners might recognize a few of their songs from the radio but they haven't yet emerged from the pack to identify their sound as distinct in the industry. With their sophomore effort, My Only Rescue, the band seems to try and find themselves a bit more with a fairly varied mix of accessible tunes.
The exciting opener "All Over The World" gives them a running start on this. With a rousing chorus exclaiming that "Our God has risen from the grave/and death he overcome/so forever we will sing/all over the world." The song brings almost a vibe reminiscent of the lighter side of Kutless. It's an enjoyable opener.
"Found in You" is a safe effort but a strong track nonetheless. The title track follows and is backed by a soothing piano melody. The chorus sounds passionate and emotional. "You're my only rescue in a world full of letdowns" is a simple but relevant message and it's conveyed effectively.
"Coming Closer" brings some life towards the middle of the album, with some more driving guitars to help propel the song. Follows is what is definitely an album highlight in "Not For Sale." The song's appeal for an end to human trafficking can also serve as a reminder to not let our souls be "for sale" either. In the chorus, the rousing chorus proclaims: "I wanna look you in the eyes on a beautiful night/freedom ringing on through the quiet skies/singing you and I/we are not for sale." A strong choice for a single, this is a song that could help to develop the musical identity of The Museum more.
"Better Than Life" and "Lost in a Moment" send the album out with some good pop melodies that stay with safe territory for a Christian band.
The band's brand of the pop/rock formula is enjoyable and pleasant enough from start to finish, with some definite highlights sprinkled throughout the album. The lyrics are safe, but well done. There's not too much surprise in here, but not much disappointment either.
Closing Thoughts:So does The Museum succeed in defining themselves with this release? I'd cautiously say, not yet. The music is very good and there are moments that feel inspired by other acts like Kutless or Tenth Avenue North, among others, but there's also little here that actually screams, "Ah, this is The Museum!" Hopefully in subsequent releases, The Museum can better define their own sound and create a record that fits in with everyone else's while still maintaining a distinct identity. But for now, the tracks here will offer some good radio contemporary pop/rock that will probably still find quite a bit of affection from the CCM crowd.
You'll Cold-Hard-Want This in Your Collection | Posted August-13-2012
House of Heroes has quietly been building up a loyal fan base in the Christian music scene over the past few years, seemingly getting a little bigger with each release. While I always liked their music since I first heard them in 2008, I never really understood the rabid critical praise that every album received. But that's starting to change. Suffice it to say, House of Heroes is definitely creeping their way up my list of favorites.
In 2008, the band released what is arguably one of last decade's legendary albums, The End is Not the End, and followed it up with the more poppy Suburba two years later.
Now, the band offers Cold Hard Want, and as is the case with most bands who put out career-defining albums, it'll immediately be weighed against its predecessors. I feel it's unfair to stack everything the band does against their "best" album. Cold Hard Want can stand on its own merits, even if it may not be the defining release of the band's career.
The album offers a decent mix of rock, ballads, and even a few HoH surprises. One of these surprises comes right out of the gate, with the intro a cappella track, "A Man Who's Not Afraid." It's a charming and nostalgic little track. And that feeling is repeated towards the end of the album with the similar, "Curtains."
House of Heroes brings the rock in several tracks. "Out My Way" just feels like a House of Heroes song from beginning to end, if you know what I mean. It's like, you can hear any note of any part of the song and you'll know its House of Heroes. The track sets the way for the varied collection of rockers from the intense fun track "Dance (Blow it all Away)" to the energizing "Remember The Empire" to the passionate lead-single "Touch This Light." All of these songs are strong album highlights and are destined to get fans moving at rock arenas across the country.
Of course, House of Heroes has never been the type to exclude ballads from any release. Sure enough, there are more than a fair share of ballads and pop tracks in this release. "We Were Giants" and "Stay" seem like tracks right out of Suburba while "The Cop" draws comparisons to "By Your Side" from The End… with its acoustic presentation. "Angels of Night" stands by itself as a memorable slower track.
All of these great tracks build to what has now become a sort of staple for the band, the slow-building, epic closing track. Sure enough, "I Am A Symbol" starts off haunting and slow and builds into a rousing number with a memorable choral bridge that sends the album off in style.
Lyrically, the band is as strong as ever, albeit staying comfortably within themes that they've explored before. "Comfort Trap" is a classic signature HoH commentary on how living for the world can interfere with God's plan for our lives: "A house and a wife and two and a half / I lost my dream in the comfort trap / I told my God his will could wait / I've got one foot in a rich man's grave."
The band also has its nostalgic track looking back at the past in "We Were Giants" that declares: "I remember how it used to be / We had a confidence, a certainty / Like we were in the graces permanently."
"Out My Way" proudly stands up for living for the moment and not letting life's opportunities pass you by: "If you add up all the risks not taken they're all misses / Think I'd rather live with the knock down drag outs and the stitches."
"Touch This Light" offers almost worshipful thanks to God for lifting us up out of our fears: "When I feel crushed underneath the weight / Cursing every step as I tow the line / I say my prayers to a rebel king / Your light shines / Before I'm caught up in it." The lyrical cleverness never dies down. Such strong lyrics help set this release among the best of the year so far.
Closing Thoughts:
House of Heroes has released another solid album from start to finish. There's not a bad track in the bunch. Every song comes with thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics coupled with some of the catchiest tunes of the summer. Who cares if it bests The End… or not? It's a great album, better than most of what's been released this year in any market. That's more than enough to earn it a worthy spot on your playlists this summer.
So Much For Wrecking, This Album's Pretty Refreshing | Posted July-17-2012
The Wrecking have quietly simmered on the back-burner of the industry for quite a few years now, scoring a slew of moderately successful radio hits but never truly establishing themselves as big players. Now, a long-awaited new full-length album is finally upon us and So Much For Love is filled to capacity with light rock goodness.
The first thing noticeable from just looking at the track listing is that a good number of these songs have been released on a previous EP from the group. If you count in the freebies that they've given away this past year, many listeners probably will have heard a good half of this LP, which means there isn't as much genuinely new material as the 14-song track listing might initially imply.
Still, songs like "Fire" and "About To Fall" were highlights of their The Catalyst EP: Deluxe Edition, and with strong lyrics and singable choruses, they don't detract from the enjoyment of this album. After all, a relatable message like that found on the latter--"Isn't everyone, pretending they're alright, isn't everyone, about to fall"--is one worth repeating.
The other returning tracks--"The Reason" and "Our Feet Don't Touch The Ground"--also pull their own weight in sending the album off strongly. In addition to these, the band breaks out one of their originals from their 2011 Christmas EP, a song called "Glorious." The song's strong and I suppose it isn't too Christmassy as to feel overly out-of-place here. And again, the strong lyrics make it worthwhile, "The first cry from your lips pierced the dark like a fist and I wondered how the tears of a child could ever save my life."
Previously released singles "Tidal Wave" and "View From The Top" are also high points of the album. The chorus of the latter proclaims, "I wanna see the view from the top where your grace is enough and your love never stops." The songs are strong and were smart choices to release to fans early. Another song the band snuck out early (via a Noisetrade sampler) was "Gravity." The song's soaring chorus is sure to get stuck in your head for days. That seems to be a pattern with this band, as there's not a bad song in this bunch. Yet, all of these great songs mentioned thus far, and there's still six "new" songs left.
"The Antidote" cleverly incorporates a heart-monitor effect into a song whose theme is "You're My Antidote." Early in the album, "Let Everything Sing" and "Electricity" are strong offerings. And "Symphony of the Broken" offers one of the more musically powerful openings on the album. All in all, every track has something great to offer.
The sound never really deviates much from the band's established pop/rock sound. There's a fair amount of piano and light electronic elements mixed with catchy light rock and ballads. It's an enjoyable combination. It's not entirely groundbreaking and the band would likely blend well musically with many bands on both Christian and mainstream radio. However, the music never becomes boring or cliché, and that's refreshing.
I'll be looking for more from The Wrecking in the future. I hope they can keep this up because while their sound may not be radically new, they do it much better than many others. And better is good – it's very, very good.
Closing Thoughts:
So Much for Love proves to be a strong album from start to finish. It likely won't find it's way onto too many best-of lists come year's end (primarily because the band still seems to fly comfortably under the radar), but it's a strong and memorable entry into the band's growing catalogue.
Capital Lights made quite a splash on the Christian rock scene with their 2008 Tooth & Nail Records debut entitled This Is An Outrage! Their infectious pop/rock sound earned them oodles of fans, and they seemed to be poised to become one of the major acts in the industry. Then they announced that they were breaking up. All the air was let out of the hope of another release of foot-tapping tunes from the Tulsa rockers.
But then, on Christmas Eve 2010, the band gave their fans one heck of a Christmas present: they announced that they were planning to release one more album with Tooth & Nail Records. They weren’t planning to tour in support of it, but they would still be making music. There was finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
Fast-forward to Summer 2012, and the long-awaited release is finally here. Rhythm N’ Moves wastes no time in giving fans exactly what they’d expect out of a Capital Lights album--a catchy pop chorus backed by a light rock sound. The title track immediately reminds listeners why they fell in love with the band’s debut. The feeling extends throughout the entire album.
Both lyrically and musically, the album seems to be very consistent. It’s cheesy, it’s syrupy, it’s cliché (but yet still fresh), it’s poppy beyond all reason, it’s nearly impossible to get out of your head, and I dare you not to dance along to the band’s ridiculously catchy sound. Essentially, it’s Capital Lights!
“Let Your Hair Down”, “Say Hey”, lead-single “Coldfront Heatstroke” and “Caroline” all serve as strong poppy album highlights, and are instant classics. Capital Lights didn’t just put out a sequel though.
While this is largely an album for the fans, there’s some new territory explored. “Newport Party” features some light rapping on the bridge and “Hey Little One” slows things down more than anything on the debut for a moving ballad. The only musical disappointment might be that the rock sound from their debut is dialed down a bit here. But “Save The Last Dance” should whet that whistle enough. And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the opening whistle to “Don’t Drop Dead Juliet.” It’s almost a laughable cliché in sound, and yet it’s so fitting that it’s bound to bring a whimsical smile to your face.
This band should be dominating every pop radio station in the country. Lyrically, their sappy approach should please Christian and secular listeners alike, or at least those who like their lyrics extra-sweet.
“Every sugar high ends in a crash”... “She’s a cold front giving me a heatstroke. She’s a hit song ending on a weak note”... “Like a game show, I bombard her with questions. Like a caught-off-guard contestant, she’s stuttering with uh-uh-uh-uh…” Lyrics like these are present aplenty in this album, and they’re all vintage Capital Lights. Those looking for a religiously meaty album probably won’t be satisfied with this, but I doubt they’d have been too fond of Capital Lights’ debut, either.
However, like was the case with “Return” on their debut, Capital Lights still sets aside one track for a blatant Christ-centered message: “Gotta Have Love.” While the lyrics hardly break any new ground, their simplicity resonates, such as the opening verse: “In this world, it’s all about who you know and I know someone who’s out of this world. So all my doubts and worries that can bring me down, are in His hands, so mine are still.” So couple the lyrics with the music and you have quite a solid sophomore release.
Closing Thoughts:
With this release, Capital Lights delivers one heck of a strong goodbye present to their fans, book-ending their all-too-brief career with an album at least as solid as anything they’ve ever done. I suppose the big downside is that this probably is the end now--the last release. Or is it?
In the age where bands break up and then get back together and release another new album, maybe there is hope for a third album. We can only hope. Either way, this album should definitely give us another batch of strong songs to keep us dancing to the rhythm n’ moves all summer long. It’s not musically mind-blowing, but it is genuine, clean, feel-good music.
And when a release succeeds in its humble aims of merely making listeners happy, that’s something worth celebrating. Here’s to you, Capital Lights! Let’s hope this isn’t really the last dance after all.
Grab a Pen: Write This Album Down | Posted June-11-2012
Write This Down made quite the splash onto the Christian Rock scene in 2010 with their rocking self-titled debut. Now with a few radio hits under their belt, the band returns with their sophomore album, Lost Weekend.
The album immediately proves itself to be an intense one, opening with some screams in "The Older I Get, The Better I Was." The band does well mixing in the screamo with some catchy melodies. This formula works for them and seems pretty consistent throughout most of the album, with only a select few deviations. The band definitely knows how to rock. The guitar work throughout was pretty impressive.
The title track is one of the few that minimizes the screams in favor of a rock melody throughout. This track could easily achieve popularity on the airwaves. The band also has two very stripped-down slower tracks, "Cheap Affairs" and "Minnesota Interlude." Both are enjoyable enough calms amidst the rough chaos that dominates the album from start to finish.
Lyrically, the album is among the strongest released so far this year. The brutally honest portrayal of the deteriorating condition of our society is pretty striking, yet it doesn't come off as too "in your face" as to become gimmicky. It's a delicate, but impressive balance for such a young band to achieve.
"I'll Make You Famous" had some of the more memorable lyrics for me, such as: "Show time the party scene is filing in looking for a hideaway from all the deadbeats' clones. And I know how every single night goes crash out on the balcony, tearing up the front lawn. And its a bore, it's a rerun, I've seen before every weekend and they're scraping from the bottom of the barrel for a new improved original that no ones heard before."
There are several other examples of the hard-hitting portrayal of a downward spiraling youth in need of the love of Christ. "May God have mercy on you and I for the sins that we shared tonight Be still and pray for the peace that passes all understanding" sings "Red 7" and "We can quote, we can quote you any of the hymnals while seated in the back pew / But we are terrified of what we've said and done tonight" resounds "Lost Weekend."
The album's brutal honesty helps it stand out from the typical fare you might hear on the radio.
It'd be fair to mention that personally, I am not much of a fan of screamo music. Therefore, I can see how the screams in the majority of the tracks could limit its appeal. Still, the music is well-crafted and catchy and those who enjoy a little scream with their guitars should feel right at home in Lost Weekend.
Closing Thoughts:
The album is less accessible than many others on the Tooth and Nail roster due to its heavy usage of screams. Still, the songwriting and music are solid, and fans of the first album should be more than satisfied with this second outing. It's likely not going to catch the attention of anybody who wasn't paying attention before, but it should solidify their place as a heavy hitter on the harder side of Christian Rock.
Cantelon Offers A Colorful Worship Release | Posted May-30-2012
Ben Cantelon may not be a name that CCM fans will instantly recognize, but his music carries a familiar feel that should make listeners feel right at home with other genre mainstays. With catchy choruses, upbeat melodies, and honest (if fairly typical) lyrics, Cantelon's Everything In Color should have no problem catching on.
The album opens with the title track and its radio-friendly nature instantly makes the song--and as a result the album--likable. In the song, Cantelon sings of how Christ's love colors our lives: "My life is colored by Your love, full of patience, full of kindness enough, the sorrows of my yesterday, are forgotten with joyful sounds of praise."
"New Day" follows with a similar theme of Christ's love bringing on a new day in our lives: "It's a new day, it's a new life, it's a new start for every heart that's found you, Jesus we found you."
"Guardian" and the resurrection-themed "Saviour of the World" follow and continue the trend of upbeat worshipful choruses. None of it really breaks any new ground but it feels like it does what it intends too well enough, so it doesn't have to.
"My Deliverer" and "Be Exalted" take a slower approach to worship that ends up feeling a little bit more like "worship music" than the "contemporary music with worshipful lyrics" that dominated the first four tracks. The songs are good and uplifting enough, although the lyrics play it even safer than the initial tracks as far as worship goes.
"Love Came Down" and "Through The Cross" offer highlight moments on the latter half of the album, keeping the upbeat pop moments continuing. The album concludes on a softer note with "Love Divine." The album never ceases in its solid melodies and delivery. The lyrics rarely go beyond the fairly straightforward worship, but the music and melodies keep things enjoyable from start to finish. There's a lot to like here. Cantelon has crafted a worship release that does everything it's supposed to do.
Closing Thoughts:
Ben Cantelon's sound may not be totally earth-shattering and his lyrics often draw on several commonly used worshipful phrases, but all the while, his obvious earnestness to spread God's word carries over in each note. It's hard to find anything to criticize in such an honest delivery. Everything In Color is probably not going to change the face of CCM music, but it's an enjoyable worship record. And that's more than enough.
Marc Martel's First Solo Record Stands Strong | Posted May-21-2012
Canadian pop rockers Downhere have quietly built a very loyal fan base for their fresh and approachable music over the past 10 years, but none of the band members have had any real wide-scale exposure until just recently.
After dazzling YouTube viewers with his spot-on cover of Queen's famous hit "Somebody to Love," co-lead vocalist Marc Martel got himself some recognition that culminated in his being chosen as the lead vocalist for the official Queen Tribute band. The tribute band even delivered a well-received performance on American Idol.
The same week as Marc's performance on America's most-watched music program, Marc released a solo single, which is said to be from a forthcoming solo EP. Downhere's appeal has always been heavily reliant on the complementary vocals of its two lead vocalists. Thus, hearing Martel on his own promised to be an intriguing, if very different experience.
The single, "Up in the Air," introduces us to Marc Martel as a musician outside of both the familiarity of Downhere and his mind-blowing covers. One thing that is initially clear is that the lyrics are more mainstream than Downhere's, focusing on an infamous topic of music--relationships. Thus, Marc clearly used this opportunity to sing about a few things that probably wouldn't have fit thematically with a Downhere release. However, don't let that concern you.
Despite the mainstream topic, nothing in the song is remotely offensive. In fact, the message is actually relatable and even very wholesome, expressing the desire to not engage in frivolous relationships that are going nowhere. Musically, however, the song is very familiar to what we've come to expect from Marc Martel.
While there are clearly some stylistic changes from the usual Downhere fare, the song has a feel similar to hit songs like "My Last Amen." It's exactly the kind of upbeat pop with a slight edge that I'd expect from a Marc Martel solo recording. The bridge even features Marc soaring his vocals into the stratosphere in a moment sure to dazzle.
Closing Thoughts:
All in all, I enjoyed the single and eagerly anticipate the full EP. If these songs can help bring Marc's music to a wider audience, it's a celebratory moment. This single offers a great introduction to Marc's impressive musical chops for mainstream listeners.
Here's hoping that Marc's success lifts up Downhere with him rather than isolate him from the group. The industry is too creatively starved to let such a great band fade away. However, a well-done side project never hurt anybody, and this is just that. So for what this is, it's very good.
The New Kings of the Christian Music Country | Posted May-21-2012
Rebecca St. James made herself a household name in CCM during the '90s, but until recently, her younger brothers remained securely out of the spotlight. As Joel and Luke, the duo broke into the music business and built themselves a small, but loyal following. Now, with a name change to For King and Country, and an opening slot on Winter Jam--giving them a vast platform for exposure--and a fantastic debut with Crave, the duo are poised to take contemporary Christian music by storm.
With a consistent upbeat pop/rock sound that would make mainstream counterparts like The Fray jealous, For King and Country wastes no time proving that they have what it takes to become the next big thing.
Opening the album with the catchy "Light it Up," the duo offer a radio-ready hit full of encouragement against depression and despair, singing in the rousing chorus, "Light it up and let it go, don't you see that you are not alone, light it up and watch it fly, 'cause you can go anywhere you want tonight." The track proves to be an instant highlight and gives a fine preview of the things to come.
Before the title track has a chance to find from your mind, the band breaks into the orchestra-backed "Proof of Your Love" and dazzles on an even deeper level with what could be the strongest track on the album. With a plea to God to help us live like Him, the track urgently resonates with a deep passion: "So let my life be the proof, the proof of Your love. Let my love look like You and what You're made of. How You lived, how You died, Love is sacrifice."
After two good tracks, one would expect something at least less stellar, but the band keeps it coming with the fierce "Missing" and the moving lead-single "Busted Heart (Hold On To Me)." Both tracks offer their own unique goodness and passionate lyrics and keep adding to the brilliance that is this album.
"People Change" slows things down just a little, but not in a bad way. With a quiet orchestral backing and a quiet chorus, the track is effectively pulled off and gives just a little breather to the album's destined-to-be-signature passionate choruses. (But by no means is this track's chorus anything less than stellar.)
Things get back to the infectiously upbeat with the middle track of the album, "The Middle of Your Heart." From the first second, this feels like a song destined to be played on radio, even possibly mainstream radio since its lyrics could be interpreted differently depending on one's convictions. Still, the track never feels "watered down" in the slightest. With a melody rivaling anything on pop radio, the track proudly sings, "So take me to the middle of your heart, lead me to wherever your love starts, to a new day dawning, to the place you are."
By this point in the album, it's clear that this band isn't a one-song-wonder and they aren't getting lucky with a string of a few good tracks. They are the real deal!
The remainder of the album proves to continue the band's moving melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. While the band's best tracks are arguably in the first half of the album, there's plenty to love in the second half. Upbeat foot-movers "Fine, Fine, Life" and "Pushing on a Pull Door" are pop gems and "Love's To Blame", "Sane" and "Crave" offer softer, but no less moving ballads to show that this band can pretty much master both ends of the pop market. By the time the album's concluding message of "hope's what we crave" fades out, you can't help but sit back and feel like you've just had a truly rare and uplifting musical experience.
Closing Thoughts:
Finding bands able to produce an album jam-packed with memorable tunes is becoming very rare these days. To find a band like For King and Country who proves that they can strike that amazing sweet spot between fresh and original and radio-ready, and then proceed to release an entire album full of these tracks, is truly an exciting find and puts the brothers in a very elite musical club.
Crave is destined to be a classic and will hopefully prove to have legs and land on many year-end lists despite its early release. When a band comes along with an album this good, they're definitely worth keeping around for the long haul.
Daniel Kirkley Proves Himself A Buried Treasure of Christian Music | Posted April-16-2012 Daniel Kirkley quietly released his national debut on Centricity Records back in 2007, entitled Let Love Win. It garnered him a single that got some moderate airplay on radio and on Christian music video channels, "My New Dawn." However, beyond that, the album seemed to fly completely under the radar and Kirkley and his label later parted ways. It was unfortunate because Kirkley had a captivating voice that some have called a cross between Josh Groban and Billy Joel.
In 2010, Kirkley began work on a new album independent of a label and released it in 2011. The album was called Where Healing Starts and it is definitely one of the best contemporary releases of recent years that nobody seems to know about.
While Kirkley's debut brought a polished, yet intimate sound with it, Kirkley's follow-up release takes that sound and expands it into a fuller and more orchestral extravaganza. It surprised me that going indie gave Kirkley's sound such a strong push.
The album opens with the instantly catchy "In-Between" that could've been a strong crossover hit for Kirkley. That leads into the album highlight "How You See It," which is a plea to God to be able to see things as He sees it and not in the light of our own prejudices. The song is musically rich and would sound great on the radio.
Kirkley then slows things down with "Surrender," a song sounding a bit more like what came on his first album, but still an overall strong offering. The anthems return with a cover of country hit, "There Is A God," which then moves into the superb "Like The Angels Do." After five tracks, the album still keeps delivering the memorable tunes.
After this, Kirkley brings out his self-declared "peppy, rainy-day song," written on such a rainy day, entitled "Way to Me." This song is also the album's radio single, which as of now is still being overlooked by stations. It's a shame, because the tune is impossibly catchy and makes it hard to not move your feet to the song's infectious melody.
The title track follows and slows things down again. The song ultimately winds up as a moving and comforting reminder of healing starting in the midst of our darkest hour, "in the middle of your brokenness."
This ultimately leads into a quieter second half of the album, with strong songs like "Quiet Place" and "Strong Enough" offering a soothing context to the radio-friendly anthems that dominated the first half. However, there is still a good upbeat tune left in "World Without You" that is one of the better love ballads released recently. "Love Remains" and the touching song about mothers--"A Mother's Song"--conclude the album quietly, offering a nostalgic recollection of the love of mothers for their sons.
Lyrically, the album offers little that's especially innovative or new, but its honest portrayal delivers an incredibly resonating message. Whether it's the emotional plea of "I don't think I want to know a world without you, because a world without you is a world alone," or the intense honesty of, "To walk through the rain and into the pain is sometimes the price of freedom," Kirkley's songs offer an enjoyable listening experience that combines strong music with well-written lyrics. In other words, it's exactly what a good album should be.
Closing Thoughts:
Daniel Kirkley has released one of the most solid contemporary releases of the past few years. It's disheartening that it has received so little exposure, because any of these songs should be welcome additions to many radio playlists. Hopefully Kirkley will break through to some success soon because Contemporary Christian Music could use a few more refreshing sounds like the powerful one that Daniel Kirkley brings to the table.
JJFrancesco_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
