Satellites & Sirens
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Satellites & Sirens Since there hasn't really been much new music in a while, I decided to take a chance and get this off itunes. And I'm really glad I did!
I didn't know much about this band, but I had heard the songs Breaking...
Flashlights (The Cullen Song) - Single
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eleventyseven When I learned eleventyseven, one of my favorite bands, was doing a song about Twilight, one of my favorite books, I was of course PUMPED for it. So it finally came out today and I bought it off amazon...
Adventures In Eville
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eleventyseven eleventyseven got lots of negative feedback when they released their debut back a few years ago. But in 2007 with "Galactic Conquest," they redeemed themselves, sporting a new electro-pop-rock sound. "Eville"...
There They Go Again | Posted April-29-2008
Another great CD from pureNRG! The only bad thing about it is that there are 5 cover songs: Ain't No Mountain (Marvin Gaye), Call On Jesus (Nicole C. Mullen), More (Matthew West), Get Up (Cali), and That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick). This record is fun and upbeat, and loses the overproduced dance-pop sound in favor of "real" instruments, like in the guitar-heavy title track. The songs "Like" and "Bff" are catchy, but their lyrics are extremely childish. Standouts are the cheesy "Like" (it's a guilty pleasure!), "We Can Change The World" the title track, and "Get Up."
The Rubyz Really "Shine" | Posted April-07-2008
Since the departure of Christian pop group Jump5, pureNRG and the newest addition, The Rubyz, have come to fill the void. The Rubyz are a 3-piece girl group consisting of Marissa, Alexis, and Cammie, who are 13, 14, and 17 years old, respectively.
Although there is no new musical ground broken or anything too particularly special, the girls have established a fun record, which was really its whole purpose. The thing that most separates them from their many counterparts are their vocal qualities. All three girls have strong vocals that make the music more enjoyable to listen to.
The weakest point of the album is the lyrics. At times, they can feel a little cheesy and juvenile. For example, in the opening track, "Staring At The Sun," Cammie sings, "Hey, Alexis/Hey, Marissa/It's Cammie up on the phone/I was wondering if ya/Wanted to hang..."
Tracks like "Staring At The Sun," "Outrageous," and "Time Of My Life" are peppy, upbeat, summer tunes. Spirituality occurs in the mellow pop "In My Life," the ballad "Thirteen," and the dance-pop "We Shine." The latter is a pop anthem, declaring, "We are the redeemed/We are the ones who are free/And we belong to Jesus." "Baila Chiquita" is a catchy, fun, girly pop song with a mild Latin flare. I was caught off guard with the R&B influenced sounds of "Just Like You," a song that appreciates a friend who isn't afraid to be themselves around others.
The album has two covers on it---The Go-Gos' "We Got The Beat," and Rihanna's "Umbrella." The rendition of "We Got The Beat" is pure fun, with a rock-inspired, infectious pop tune. The cover of Rihanna's smash hit, "Umbrella," is beautiful, slowing the tempo down and adding a more organic feel to it.
In conclusion, The Rubyz provide a fun pop record. The vocals are amazing, the hooks are catchy, and the lyrics are pure fun with a touch of spirituality for good measure. They are a worthy Christian-based alternative to the "tween" crowd who spends their time obsessing over High School Musical or Hannah Montana.
Truly Amazing! | Posted March-13-2008
Cadia is definitely going to be one of the best new artists of 2008. Their voices blend together to make beautiful harmonies reminiscent of BarlowGirl. The girls both have a bit of a country style to their voices, making them perfect for the songs on the album. "Trust In Me Now" is a beautiful song, but is a rather slow song to start an album. "I'll Stay" picks up the tempo, and has a catchy hook. "Safe Place To Fall", "Only A Prayer Away", and "Speak" follow suit of "Trust In Me Now." Although the album has no true "ballads", these songs are slower-paced pop songs. The ZOEgirl influence is evident in the upbeat songs "Jesus" and "Curious." "Radiate" is another good pop song---not too slow, but not upbeat either. Cadia does a great job on the album's 2 remakes. The cover of Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls" is perfect for a Christian group to cover, as it reaches out to girls everywhere. Cadia puts more of a pop spin on the song, instead of its original country-pop song. "Shadowfeet," a cover of Brooke Fraser, is amazing. This is by far the best slower song on the album. They take Brooke's original acoustic sound and adds heavier instruments to give the song a "fuller" sound, and to make it more climactic. Another highlight of the album is the song that gave Cadia a name..."Inside Out," the theme song for the ever-popular Revolve Tour. Thousands of teen girls attend this conference every year, which exposed them to this song, and Cadia. The song is as upbeat as the album gets. It has a killer guitar hook and catchy chorus. The only bad thing about the album is that it seems like the girls just want to let loose and rock a little. Their voices seem fit to produce more upbeat, poppy songs like ZOEgirl, but instead the album has a softer tone. I hope that the sophomore release has more upbeat tunes---that will definitely earn them my coveted 5-star rating---and I don't give those often.
Highlights: Shadowfeet, Inside Out, I'll Stay, Trust In Me Now, Curious
Great: Jesus, Safe Place To Fall, Speak, Radiate, Only A Prayer Away, This One's For The Girls
Good: None
OK: None
Bad: None
*Little Known Fact: The brown-haired girl (Courtney Myers) is the older sister of Carolyne Myers of the new teen group, pureNRG.
Pleasantly Surprised! | Posted March-13-2008
I've never really gotten into Shawn McDonald to be honest. Although I've only heard a handful of songs from his previous two albums, his sound was pretty bland to me. I normally like more upbeat, catchy stuff, but his music kinda bored me. When "Roots" became the NRT Preview, I thought what the heck and listened to it. I was pleasantly surprised! The music on here is a lot catchier than his previous work. The more upbeat songs are my favorites, like: Clarity, Roots, Captivated, Shadowlands, and Greed. The song "Light" has awesome lyrics, but a rather bland melody. Although there are those good songs, there are some pretty boring songs on here as well. Overall, Shawn's third album is pretty good---I definitely didn't expect it to be this good!
Relentless---No Better Word could Describe Natalie Grant | Posted March-04-2008
"Relentless" is the much-anticipated 5th studio album---7th if you include a live worship album and a holiday album---from numerously Dove-nominated Natalie Grant. "Relentless" is a lot of "Awaken" with more upbeat tunes, but also more ballads. In fact, half of the album is made up of ballads, which can be a good or a bad thing. In this case, it is definitely a good thing, though I would like to have seen more upbeat songs. Only someone like Natalie Grant can pull off having 6 ballads on a 12-track album. There is honestly not one bad song on here.
The album opens with the pop-rocker "I Will Not Be Moved." The song is a bit harder rock than any of Nat's previous work, and the perfect way to open the album. The song reminds me a lot of BarlowGirl, and could have easily fit into any of their albums. Track 2 is a little early for an album's first ballad, but nevertheless, the first single "In Better Hands" falls here. The song was well received since it hit radio airwaves last August, and has hit #1 on several charts. "Better" starts as a soft ballad, but builds and builds until it reaches the climactic 3rd verse, giving Nat a real chance to show off her awesome vocals. "Make It Matter" and "Wonderful Life" are catchy, fun pop songs that are real highlights on the album. Matthew West helped pen the rock-fused ballad "Back At My Heart," which is mostly a cry to God for redemption. "Let Go" and "Perfect People" are catchy rockers, following pursuit of "I Will Not Be Moved." "Our Hope Endures" has been compared many times to her signature song, "Held." Both songs are written by Christa Wells, and both are about crying to God in troubled times. However, musically and melodically, they are very different. "Hope" has a distinct soft rock ballad sound, and could easily be a single from the album. The lyrics are probably the best part of the song, stating, "Our hope endures/The worst of conditions/It's more than our optimism/Let the earth quake/Our hope is unchanged." "So Long" is an acoustic pop song, with a horn-driven chorus. The lyrics remind me a lot of MercyMe's "So Long Self", and the chorus is catchy and easily accessible. The album ends with three back-to-back-to-back ballads. Tiffany Arbuckle-Lee (aka Plumb) co-wrote "Safe," which is probably my favorite of the album's ballads. The Plumb influence is obvious and could have easily been recorded by her. Natalie's vocals even sound a little Plumb-like in the middle parts of the song. The lyrics and vocals alike are beautiful, powerful, and majestic. "Brittany's Song (Make A Way)" is another deep ballad. The lyrics are definitely a stand-out. The song tells the story of a girl (her name is never mentioned, but it is obviously Brittany due to the title of the song) who gets pregnant as a teenager and is left to live the rest of her life alone. The tune isn't the most catchy thing you've ever heard, but the lyrics make up for it in so many ways. The album closes with Nat's remake of the Newsboys' "In Christ Alone," which was previously available on WOW Worship Aqua. Natalie does an amazing cover of the song, straying from its churchy feel and giving it a more contemporary vibe. Her vocals are also amazing in the song.
"Relentless" is a must have for any Natalie Grant fan, or CCM fans, at that. The album blends everything popular in the Christian music scene---from peppy pop tunes (Make It Matter, Wonderful Life), rock songs (Will Not Be Moved, Perfect People, Let Go), powerful ballads (Our Hope Endures, Safe, In Better Hands, Back At My Heart, Make A Way, In Christ Alone), and even a jazzy acoustic song (So Long) for good measure. If you buy music digitally, this will be one you will want to buy the entire album. Well, that pretty much sums it up!
Lyrically Straight From The Heart---Musically A Disappointment | Posted February-12-2008
Nicole has always been one of my favorite Christian female artists. Her music is very unique in that it blends contemporary music with Nicole's African-American heritage, with some urban, R&B, and sometimes even hip-hop, influences. This album is very different. The majority of the album is ballads. The album does get kinda boring after awhile, and is a rather disappointing release from Nicole. No upbeat songs like "Freedom", "Talk About It", or "This This." No bring-you-to-your-knees ballads like "Redeemer," "Come Unto Me," or "Call On Jesus." Just stories from Nicole's heart. And while the music structure itself is not the best, you can tell the lyrics are straight from the heart. Nicole's grandfather was a sharecropper, which is where this album's influences came from. In the title track, Nicole uses the situation as a metaphor, and a very creative one at that. This is also shown in songs like "I Wish" and "Grow Up." My personal favorite song on the album would have to be the powerful "One Touch." The song puts Nicole in the perspective of the woman who touched Jesus's garment. I also like "Convinced" and "Elohim", which are the only songs with a slight nod to her more contemporary side. "So In Love" and "Under The Shadows" are both very African influenced, with their trash-can-drum, street band feel. Both get old after a while as they are very repetitive. This is still a worthy release, and its songwriting is the thing that I really liked about it.
Tell Me What You Know About Sara Groves... | Posted January-08-2008
I have personally never really got into Sara Groves. I am 15 years old, and her style of music just has never been my type. She leans toward more of an adult contemporary, more acoustic music. I normally like music you can dance to or rocks hard or has amazing lyrics. I've heard her radio singles but never really went any further until this album.
I bought this CD as a Family Christian exclusive the week or the week after it came out. It comes with 2 bonus tracks and a DVD.
So I listened the day I bought it, and even though I was really hoping I would love it, I was quite disappointed. The only songs that really stood out were the light pop "Song For My Sons," the interesting, yet kinda bizarre, "In The Girl There's A Room," and the powerful "When The Saints." As disappointed as I was, I put it back on my shelf. But then I started reading online reviews of it and most of them were giving it 5/5 or 10/10 ratings. I was shocked at this, since I didn't at all care for it. After I kept reading these continually positive reviews, I gave the album a second chance. After a few listens, I can definitely appreciate this album.
My personal favorites are: the 3 listed above, the catchy, lite-pop "Love Is Still A Worthy Cause" and "Abstraction", the compelling "I Saw What I Saw," and the catchy, yet deep lyrically "It Might Be Hope."
"Honesty," "Long Defeat," and "Say A Prayer" are probably the album's weakest points. While they all have wonderful lyrics, their melodies are bland, they lack a good hook, and they get boring after a few listens. "You Are Wonderful," while not a highlight, is still a fun, catchy, little ditty. "In The Girl There's A Room" is a little odd lyrically and is a new musical direction for Sara. It reminds me a lot of her song "Jeremiah" from "The Other Side Of Something." Although "Abstraction" is a personal favorite musically, lyrically it is kinda confusing. Can someone please leave a comment or message explaining what the chorus means? "Who can know the pain, the joy, the regret, the satisfaction/Who can know the love of one life, one heart, one soul/At two you're at abstraction." I have no clue what that's supposed to mean!
As I mentioned earlier, I got the FCS "James Fund Edition" of this CD. Its bonus tracks, "Did You Ever Need A Song" and "Freedom" are bland and boring. I can definitely see why they were omitted from the album. Although, "Freedom" does have some really nice vocals from Sara. The DVD is a real highlight. It includes over an hour of extras. My favorite part of it are the "Just Showed Up For My Own Life" vignettes. These serve as little "video journals" from Sara as she went to help with Hurricane Katrina relief, and also her trip to Africa. I cried about 3 different times watching this! There is also Sara's set from a 2006 concert, where she sings about 7 or 8 songs, most of them being from "Add To the Beauty." The music video for "I Saw What I Saw" is also included. It is very emotional, but doesn't really act as a music video, more as a video montage of her trip to Africa. It never shows Sara actually singing the song.
Wow! I just realized how long my review was. In a nutshell, about half of the album is fun and catchy, while the remainder is more serious (and sometimes even boring). Sara's songwriting is the true highlight of the album, because she is so poignant and deep. Her songs sound like she took a poem and added instruments and a melody. If you plan on getting the album, I would suggest the James Fund edition, because of its amazing DVD. Despite having 2 extra tracks and an hour-long DVD, I got the CD for only $13.99 at Family Christian, which is about what you would pay for a regular version.
Rebirthing | Posted December-30-2007
I have personally just started getting into rock music. I have always been a pop fan. After I really started to like rock, I read through reviews of some Christian rock bands I might like. I read the constantly positive reviews of "comatose", so I decided I wanted to get it. However, this was just a few months before the Deluxe Edition, so I decided to wait until it came out. I am not disappointed that I did! The album has its share of "rock-out" songs, power ballads, and mellow tracks. The "rock-out" songs are what Skillet does best, and are obviously my favorite songs on the album. These are songs like the incredibly catchy "Rebirthing," "Falling In The Black," "Better Than Drugs," and "Comatose", the haunting "Whispers In The Dark", and the new track, "Live Free Or Let Die." "Looking For Angels" is one of my favorites and is very unique: while the song is a rocker, the verses are in spoken word, which is very haunting and just plain cool. The rock ballads are "Yours To Hold" and "Say Goodbye". These are good songs, but not the best. There are also some more mellow tracks. That means that while they are rockers, they have a slower pace. These are the songs, "Last Night," "Those Nights," & "Older I Get."
Favorites: Rebirthing, Comatose, Whispers In The Dark, Looking For Angels
Good: The Last Night, Yours To Hold, The Older I Get, Those Nights, Better Than Drugs, Say Goodbye, Live Free Or Let Me Die, Falling Inside The Black.
OK: None.
Bad: None.
BONUS MATERIAL
The so-called "acoustic" tracks are not what we usually label "acoustic" or "unplugged" new recordings. Instead they are acoustic MIXES of the tracks. That means that they take the original song and take out certain instruments---no re-recordings. "Rebirthing" and "Whispers In The Dark" sound cool in the acoustic format, but the others are already ballads and dont sound that different. The DVD has 3 official music videos and a video montage. The videos for "Rebirthing" and "Whispers" are kind of boring and pointless. They just show shots of the band playing, interweaved with some random stuff. It's hard to tell what's going on in them because the camera is so choppy. "Looking For Angels" is the best of them because it actually has a meaning. It shows the band playing in some kind of city alley mixed with video of foreign children. It is very sweet! The video labeled as "Behind-The-Scenes" is nothing more than a video montage set to "The Older I Get", with clips of the and in the studio. This is the same video released a few months ago on iTunes. Even though the videos aren't that great, it's nice for a Skillet fan to have them on DVD together. The CD also comes with a free ringtone for "Falling Inside The Black" and cell wallpaper, but since I don't have a cell phone, I can't use those nifty little extras.
Pretty Good for a Remix Record | Posted December-17-2007
In 2001-2002, it seemed like every Christian pop artist released a remix CD. It started with Avalon, then spread to Newsboys and Rachael Lampa, and eventually to ZOEgirl. I'm usually not a fan of remixes. Most remixes we hear today are techno. Here, we have some techno, pop, jazz, and even a little rock. The majority of the album is pretty good, with the exception of a few that last wayyy too long. Any remix over 5 and a half minutes is too long! The only exception is "I Believe." I love this mix, though it could have been shorter. I also love how they did "Nick Of Time" and "Dismissed." This was the first time I'd ever heard "Save Myself," being that it was only a limited edition bonus track for "Life." I loved it and it was probably my favorite. About a year ago now, I finally got my hands on that limited edition on eBay, and the regular version of "Save Myself" isn't much different. The only remix on this CD that I prefer to its original is "Nick Of Time". Nothing too special, but there are some interesting views on some ZOEgirl songs.
My Favorite Christmas Album of 2007! | Posted December-09-2007
It was last year (2006) when I bought this CD. It was the first week in January when all the stores are having their after-Christmas sales. I went to Family Christian and they were having sales on all their Christmas music. I decided to pick this up, and got it for like $6. Since it already January, I believe I only listened to it once last year before putting it back on the shelf with my other 15 Christmas CDs. So this year, I got to give it a good listen. LEt me start off by saying-I am not a big Natalie Grant fan. I like her songs on the radio and stuff, but I've never bought one of her CDs. This CD alone made me a NG fan for life. I already have "Relentless" pre-oredered.
Anyway, back to the album. Natalie does such a great job putting new, fresh spins on classic songs. Nearly every song on here has a back-up choir, with the exception of "One Child" and "I Believe," which really adds to its sound. This album has a perfect mix of big band, Christmas standards, (Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Let It Snow) beautifully orchestrated songs, (O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silver Bells Medley) original ballads, (I Believe, One Child) a jazzy tune (What Christmas Means), a gospel-fueled song (Joy To The World), and an acapella (Sweet Little Jesus Boy).
"O Come All Ye Faithful" is easily a highlight, with its powerful, fully orchestrated sound. "Joy To The World" is one of the best versions of this song ever, and I absolutely love that climactic key change in the middle. "What Christmas Means To Me" is funky and upbeat. "I Believe" is a catchy, beautiful ballad. The 8-and-a-half-minute medley starts off with 2 minutes of "Silver Bells", and a 20-second tune called "Savior Came." The entire song is just Natalie and the piano until the climax of "O Holy Night," which is done beautifully. The a cappella take on "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" is amazing. The only weak point on the album is the song, "One Child." Natalie originally recorded this back in like 1999, but re-recorded it here. I loved that version, but this version slows the tempo down and just doesn't measure up to its original.
singersmartguy17's Music and Book Reviews 
