Anorak: Solid 2nd Album by Ruth | Posted November-13-2008 According to wikipedia : In British slang an anorak is a person who is an enthusiast interested in information regarded as boring or unfathomable by the rest of the population. Interesting title for a solid 2nd album by Ruth, a great new band on Tooth & Nail Records, following up the very successful debut album Secondhand Dreaming. If you like Switchfoot, The Fray and The Afters, then you should also enjoy Ruth, the last name of lead singer Dustin Ruth, which could also stand for Return Us To Him.
Anorak took me a couple of listens to really hook me with the personal lyrics, similar to the debut. Songs like Hibernation Pieces, Back To The Five and Hearts On Sleeves are examples of catchy songs that sink in deeper with each listen. The same goes for Forgetting To Remember and Nothing To Hide which are truly confessions to God like Cross The Line and One Foot In, One Foot Out from Secondhand Dreaming. Musically, this album is slightly more mellow except for the first single Who I Was And Who I Am and Rolling With The Punches which are great highlights on the album similar to Mr. Turner and You Are. If you liked Ruth's debut album and 90's alternative rock bands Third Eye Blind and The Wallflowers, then you will also enjoy this album, which I do greatly.
Best Third Day since Time, Top 10 of 2008! | Posted November-03-2008 Third Day had me at Love Song, the standout song from their debut album in 1996. I was seeking Christianity at the time and had just discovered my favorite band Jars Of Clay and couldn't get enough of Christian music, also including Audio Adrenaline and Newsboys. The 1990's were key in the development and influence on the Christian music scene and Third Day pioneered Christian Southern Rock, in the same musical style as great bands Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special and fellow Atlanta band Collective Soul. I grew up on those bands and had no trouble enjoying the rock songs from Third Day, Conspiracy No. 5 and the all-time great Time which were all a great mix of rock and worship songs. The 2000's brought Offerings, Come Together and Offerings II and I've enjoyed every album, but I missed that late 1990's original rock album, in particular Time as the songs were so personal and catchy with no filler songs and little repetition.
Revelation is that Third Day album I've been waiting for since Time. Even though Wire and Wherever You Are have had hit songs like I Believe and Cry Out To Jesus, I've missed that complete album experience. This Is Who I Am and Slow It Down, with guest vocalist Chris Daughtry, start it off with great personal songs and Mac Powell's vocals have never been better. Hit song Call My Name is a highlight and probable Dove Award nominee. For me, the standout songs which make this a complete album are the next group of songs Run To You, one of 2 songs featuring Flyleaf vocalist Lacey Mosley along with one of my personal favorites Born Again. Those 2 songs are great examples of how this album is more diverse and original sounding than I've heard in a long time from this legendary band. The middle section of the album between those 2 songs including title song Revelation and Otherside are also incredible, worshipful and personal and are among the best songs on the album, which is top 10 of 2008 in my opinion.
Excellent 2nd Album by DecembeRadio | Posted December-03-2008 DecembeRadio is one of the best new "southern" rock bands to emerge in the last few years along with NEEDTOBREATHE, Grey Holiday, Jackson Waters and Remedy Drive, all favorites of mine. If you are in your 30's or older like me, then this Grammy nominated and Dove Award winning band (Best Rock Album 2006) will also remind you of playing air guitar (we didn't have Guitar Hero) along with legendary classic rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kansas, Boston, Bad Company, AC/DC and Kiss with their guitar crunching rock (think "All Right Now" by Free) and also their beautiful rock ballads (think "Waiting For A Girl Like You" by Foreigner).
Satisfied is an excellent 2nd album by a great rock band. I would welcome an opportunity to see this band live as the energy just resonates from every song. The opener Better Man is a great example of straight up rock with a great message. The next track, Satisfy Me is one of the best southern rock songs I've heard in the last 10 years. Amazing anthem and guitar work. Believer and For Your Glory are a couple more of the stand-out songs to me. Both are anthemic and personal and have excellent worship lyrics. Gasoline and Falling For You keep the rock going, and the album closes with the excellent ballad and hit song Find You Waiting. For me this album just misses my top 10 of 2008 and I score it 90% out of 100%, 4 1/2 stars.
Great 2nd Album by Brandon Heath | Posted October-28-2008 Brandon Heath, fresh off his surprising win as Best New Artist Dove Award Winner 2008, entered the studio to record his 2nd album What If We, released in August. Buoyed by the great success of the stand-out single Give Me Your Eyes, released over the summer, Brandon followed his own path as with his stand-out single I'm Not Who I Was, from his solid debut album Don't Get Comfortable, from 2006. If you like Bebo Norman, Matthew West and Mat Kearney, then you should truly enjoy Brandon Heath.
What If We is a great 2nd album and a slight improvement in my opinion, which is refreshing. In addition to the amazing opener Give Me Your Eyes, the album continues in the same personal and introspective way as his first album. The next 2 songs Wait And See and Trust You are great examples of Brandon's autobiographical and catchy writing style. Some stand-out songs of the album happen next with London and Sunrise, which remind me of catchy and personal songs by fellow Dove Award Winner Chris Rice like Me & Becky and When Did You Fall.
For me the highlights come later in the album, particularly the beautiful and biblical Love Never Fails, certainly a great choice for weddings and the closing song No Not One, written with Christy Nockels (Watermark). Both songs have great sweeping string musical arrangements and beautiful lyrics and melodies. This is truly a great 2nd album by Brandon Heath and just misses my top 10 of 2008.
Solid Debut for Dove Award Winner | Posted October-28-2008 Brandon Heath followed in the footsteps of fellow Best New Artist Dove Award Winner Aaron Shust (2007) by winning the same award for 2008. Buoyed by the great success of the stand-out single I'm Not Who I Was, he followed the same singer-songwriter path as Aaron with his stand-out single My Savior, My God, which was also song of the year (2007). If you like Bebo Norman, Matthew West and Mat Kearney, then you should truly enjoy Brandon Heath.
Don't Get Comfortable is a very solid debut album and I've been enjoying it for a couple of years now. The first 2 songs Steady Now and Simple Man really showcase Brandon's autobiographical and catchy writing style. For me the whole album flows very nicely with a mix of worship songs like Our God Reigns and the last song Beauty Divine and in addition to the great I'm Not Who I Was, I also really enjoy the title track. If you like personal and challenging lyrics with nice melodies and the occasional R&B drumbeat, then you'll really like Brandon Heath.
Solid 4 Stars for Hello Love | Posted October-27-2008 Chris Tomlin is easily the most over-exposed artist in the history of Christian music. He has 5 of the top 25 CCLI most played songs, including award-winning How Great Is our God, Holy Is The Lord, Indescribable (written by Laura Story) and Your Grace Is Enough (written by Matt Maher) from 2004's amazing and multiple-platinum selling album Arriving, which despite the cover songs, is truly a 5 star effort.
To me, See The Morning was a slight step down, more of a 4 1/2 star effort and again included a cover song Everlasting God (written by Brenton Brown) and a hymn re-write Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
Hello Love is the newest album, and using my same logic is another slight step down, more of a rounded up 4 star effort (I score it 78% out of 100%). The fact that my favorite songs from the album are also cover songs God Of This City (written by Bluetree) and My Deliverer (written by Rich Mullins), makes it hard to truly compare to my favorite early Passion (and Tomlin original) songs We Fall Down, Forever and Enough. No doubt Chris will always have a place in CCM history, however even the new original songs Jesus Messiah, I Will Rise, Praise The Father, Praise The Son and Sing, Sing, Sing don't quite connect with me like his earlier work. Solid 4 stars, singing voice as good as ever, biblical (although a little bit predictable), and probably won't win any new fans, but should please most fans of Chris Tomlin.
Extremely good debut by Tenth Avenue North | Posted December-03-2008 Tenth Avenue North is another great new band to emerge on the CCM scene in the last few years. If you like Rush of Fools, Ruth and Starfield, then you should really enjoy Tenth Avenue North. The debut single Love Is Here is one of my favorite songs of the year and I can't get enough of the sincere and catchy chorus "Love is here, Love is now, Love is pouring from His hands, From His brow, Love is near, It satisfies, Streams of mercy flowing from His side, Cause love is here". The song is moving and biblical and is based on Romans 5:8.
Over And Underneath is an extremely good debut album in my opinion and just misses my top 10 of 2008 (#12 to be exact). The second song Lift Us Up To Fall is a great anthem of faith and will have you singing along in worship. A song I keep coming back to is By Your Side, also written as though being sweetly sung by Jesus. Lead singer Mike Donehey says: "By Your Side" is just a call to anyone who’s struggling or fighting against God thinking they have to work to earn it. It’s calling them to stop looking for what you can do for God and fix your gaze upon what God has done for you. Let that motivate you. We love because He first loved us.” Another solid song on the album is Beloved, which is a great confession in the style of Wedding Dress by Derek Webb. I also really like Break Me Down, Hold My Heart, and Satisfy. Tenth Avenue North is brimming with potential and earnest worshipful lyrics. For me this album scores 91% out of 100%, 4 1/2 stars.
Solid EP by Great Band Jackson Waters | Posted October-23-2008 Jackson Waters, the alternative rock band from Arkansas hooked me big-time last year with Come Undone and I've been constantly enjoying that album from Word Records as it was one of my favorite albums of 2007. There is no better comparison than Maroon 5 as lead singer David Leonard's voice could pass for Adam Levine, but what I like even more is how Jackson Waters has a sound that is like a fusion of Maroon 5, Coldplay and NEEDTOBREATHE, all favorite bands of mine.
Supply is a new 5 song EP from one of my favorite new bands of the decade. It is an independent release and if you liked Come Undone, you should also enjoy Supply. There is no ballad like Center of Attention, but the stand-out songs to me are Stay, Complete and Stuck On A Feeling. The songs are rich in emotion and melody and I can't wait for more by Jackson Waters. To me, this is 4 out of 5 stars.
Great album, top 10 of 2007! | Posted October-23-2008
I love the other bands Jackson Waters could be compared to, NEEDTOBREATHE, Coldplay and Maroon 5 and those are fair comparisons. The standout songs "Center of Attention" and "Come Undone" both reflect that alt-rock style. However, unlike some bands that have a couple of good songs and then filler songs, you need to hear the entire album. "Everything", "Give Me Amazing Grace", "Jamie's Song", "Ready To Find Love" and "Different" are also highlights for me. Pick it up and you won't regret it. It's definitely a top 10 of 2007 release in my opinion.
I've also been enjoying the new EP by Jackson Waters called "Supply" that just came out 10/21/08. Great band with emotional lyrics and melodic hooks. Jackson Waters is one of my favorite new alternative rock bands this decade.
Almost Perfect | Posted October-23-2008
New Zealand native Brooke Fraser, the writer and singer of Hillsong United’s Hosanna, Lead Me To The Cross and None But Jesus is my clear cut top new female Christian singer in the last 2 years. Her vocals are so great you can get lost in just listening to her sing, but that is a bonus as the songs on Albertine have some of the strongest lyrics of the year. Brooke's songwriting is deep and challenging like Sara Groves and fellow CCM newcomer Joy Whitlock and her voice is stunning like CCM stand-out singers Christy Nockels (Watermark), Tiffany Arbuckle-Lee (Plumb) and Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan, whom are all my favorite female singer-songwriters.
Opening track Shadowfeet is one of my favorite songs of the year, both musically and lyrically and really showcases Brooke's excellent singing voice. The bridge "You make all things new" will have you singing along in worship. First single Deciphering Me is a nice upbeat love song and very introspective. Love Is Waiting is beautiful and biblical and will certainly be used at weddings. The title song Albertine is named for an orphan in Rwanda with whom Brooke has a special bond. The lyrics and music are stunning on the song in particular this stanza: "Now that I have seen, I am responsible, Faith without deeds is dead, Now that I have held you, In my own arms, I cannot let go `til you are". Some other stand-out songs are Faithful, Hosea's Wife and Hymn. A song I keep coming back to is C.S. Lewis Song, an amazing ballad with a tribute to the Christian author's Screwtape Letters, which includes these challenging words: "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way". Brooke writes and sings these amazing lyrics in the bridge of C.S. Lewis Song: "For we, we are not long here, Our time is but a breath, So we better breathe it, And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know You". WOW! Absolutely amazing.
Brooke's album is almost perfect and is worthy of award consideration, and she is my choice for best new artist 2008.
KevinDavis_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
