Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
Artists must hate the phrase "much anticipated follow-up." Trying to live up to something that so many regard as a career defining album has got to be frustrating. So the artist is left with two options: give the people more of what they want, and risk being redundant, or go an entirely new direction, and risk losing their audience. I feel that's the position Skillet was forced into with Awake. Coming off one of the most successful rock albums of all time, and certainly the biggest album of Skillet's career, there was a lot of expectation for huge things from this band, especially given the three year gap between records.
Make no mistake, Awake did not disappoint in its delivery and is one of the best releases of the year, but for anyone that lived and breathed their last album, Comatose, which took the Christian rock world by storm three years ago, it felt more like Comatose: Part II than the album we were all waiting for.
So here, we get the hard-hitting, rock orchestra songs that trade male and female leads ("Hero," "Awake And Alive," "Forgiven"), the grunge anthems ("Monster," "It's Not Me It's You," "Sometimes") and the power ballads ("Don't Wake Me," "One Day Too Late," "Should've When You Could've," "Never Surrender"). If it ain't broke, why fix it?
That said, it's not entirely fair to judge an album under the shadow of another. You can't blame the band for revisiting a successful pattern of songwriting. Is Awake better than Collide? I don't think so. But it does more than a fine job satisfying a hungry fan base wanting more from Skillet.
Awake will continue to keep Skillet at the top of the Rock charts, and their aggressive touring schedule will keep the rock fists pumping to new tunes for many years to come. I'm simply hoping that both the fans and the band can now move forward, hungry for a new course instead of satisfied by more of the same, and that it's cooked up in half the time.
Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
Last year's most overlooked album is this fantastic release from Jonny Diaz, a seasoned independent artist whose INO Records' debut, More Beautiful You, is a perfect example of beauty in simplicity. Shunning the overproduction and spectacle that saturates so many releases in today's market, More Beautiful You relies heavily on acoustic guitars, simplified beats and Jonny's accessible vocals. The result is an album that stands out as true work from a gifted singer/songwriter, versus a gifted producer with all the right software. This is the same magic that initially drew me to artists like Shawn McDonald, Bebo Norman and female artists Sara Groves and Bethany Dillon.
There's a calm honesty in Jonny's music. From the island themed, "Love Like You Loved," to the laid back style of "Nashville," to more radio friendly cuts like "More Beautiful You" and "Stand For You," Jonny writes with a self-perspective that many artists simply don't. He sings about loyalty to Christ, missing friendships and inner beauty aimed at teenage girls, a topic that not many male artists talk about. This album feels like a breath of fresh air every time I put it on. It's far from groundbreaking and I can understand an initial reaction to brush it aside and move on, but there's a quiet soul waiting to be discovered here. Don't miss it.
Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
The "sophomore slump" is more than just a phrase. It's a reality that many bands face after having years to write and shape their debut release, only to find themselves forced back into the studio months later to record their "much-anticipated" follow-up. Many times, recreating the magic is tough to do and results in a disappointing, and under-performing album. Thankfully, the Grammy-nominated rock act, Red, took one giant leap over this common hurdle, releasing one of the best albums of the year in the midst of massive competition in the Christian rock genre.
The group’s debut, which sold over a quarter-million copies and earned several awards and nominations, focused heavily on personal struggles. Bringing back End Of Silence producer Rob Graves and mixer Ben Grosse (Sevendust, Disturbed, Depeche Mode), Innocence & Instinct goes a giant step further by tackling the fight itself. It’s about the dueling impulses that wage war within our souls.
The band continues to use full orchestra and string arrangements to compliment heavy hitting guitars, strong drums, chest-beating bass and aggressive vocals. It's definitely more melodic than what a group like Skillet is doing, and you get a feeling of what a true rock opera would sound like when listening to songs like "Death Of Me," "Mystery Of You" and "Start Again."
Like any great rock act, the power ballad stands strong, and songs like "Never Be The Same" and the surprising Duran Duran cover of "Ordinary World" are two of the best tracks on the album.
Red has emerged as a powerful player in what has been a huge year for Christian Rock and with their ability to excel at many styles while layering their music with many different instruments, this band is sure to continue to lead the way in the years ahead.
Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
Israel has always impressed me with various songs throughout the years ("Again I Say Rejoice," "Say So," "Friend Of God"), but I've never been captivated by an entire album of his. The Power Of One is his career defining album, containing incredibly anointed choruses of praise, and I haven't been able to put it down all year.
Stepping away from the live atmosphere of The New Breed, the group he has headlined since the early 90's, Israel's first solo album still feels like a collaborative, live event, featuring guest artists like Mary Mary, tobyMac, Martin Smith (Delirious?) and reggae vocal queen, Chevelle Franklyn, along with soaring vocal choral arrangements. The result is a very polished studio album that feels like a living, breathing live event.
The songs are still injected with Israel's gospel and reggae roots, giving this album massive amounts of soul than your average modern praise and worship release. As a result, you truly feel the emotions of these songs. It's more than vertical worship. Israel is an anointed songwriter and vocalist and it comes through clearly on every track.
Highlights for me are "Just Wanna Say," "Everywhere That I Go" and "Saved By Grace." There are two songs that stop me in my tracks every single time, and those are "Moving Forward" and "I Receive." If you don't purchase this album, buy these two tracks. They are some of the best moments of personal worship I've had all year long.
Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
Switchfoot returns to form with their seventh full-length album, Hello Hurricane. After the misstep of Oh! Gravity and lead singer Jon Foreman's solo efforts that were critically accepted but made little impression to me, I was afraid that Switchfoot's glory days of dominating popular music were over. Granted, Jon's solo efforts were always music that Switchfoot would never make, but I was still looking for something to grab hold of and shout about. Needless to say, I'm excited to be excited about Switchfoot again.
Hello Hurricane is on par with the incredible albums Nothing Is Sound and The Beautiful Letdown. From instant rock classics like "Bullet Soul," "Mess Of Me" and "The Sound" (all of which pull heavy influences from artists like Foo Fighters and Green Day) to soaring anthems like "Free" and "Enough To Let Me Go," the album is overflowing with tracks that will please any pop, alternative and/or rock consumer.
The album's crowning achievement is "Your Love Is A Song," easily my favorite track from Switchfoot in a long time. It's simplistic, soaring, layered and instantly familiar and you'll be challenged not to crank up the volume and sing about God's amazing presence symbolized through songwriting at the top of your lungs. This is Switchfoot returning to the top of their game, and it's great to have them back.
Top 10 Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
2009 was an incredible year for Christian rock, anchored by this stellar, career high album from Thousand Foot Krutch. The band has always been well-respected for their lyrical honesty as well as their ability to rock hard while remaining accessible. With an amazing track record behind them, the bar has been raised with their fifth major release, Welcome To The Masquerade, and all rock acts are hereby put on notice.
The album opens with an instrumental track that sets the tone of the album, building seamlessly into the scathing electric guitar opening of the title track and for the next 14 minutes, through "Fire It Up," "Bring Me To Life" and "E For Extinction," it's a tidal wave of sound that pounds measure after measure, allowing you to come up for air for just a few seconds as the waters calm down during a bridge only to surge all over again.
TFK masterfully mixes living, breathing energy in their music. For example, "Scream" starts with a nice drum beat, then layers on a heavy guitar riff to kick off the song. The music fades on the verse to allow Trevor's vocals to shine clear and strong and then the chorus hits heavy while Trevor kicks it up a notch vocally right before the classic rock whisper. The bridge pulls back almost entirely as a piano plays quarter notes, joined by guitar a few measures later. An electronic fill brings the song back to the beginning. And this is just on one song! It's this musical blender that makes every song such a thrill ride to listen to. This is ear candy at its sweetest.
While I'd highly recommend the entire album, standout tracks besides the ones already mentioned include "Forward Motion" (an instant classic that even non-rock fans will be able to appreciate) and "Smack Down."
As one of the many career defining albums in this year's list, 2009 is certainly a year of incredible music and TFK is sitting at the top of the rock genre, hands down.
Best Album Of 2009 | Posted January-04-2010
I can't recall an album ever making me long for the coming of Christ the way this album has. After listening to Heaven & Earth, it's probably an obvious reaction to 12 tracks solely dedicated to the topic, but it goes way beyond that. This album puts a pain in my heart, makes the everyday seem downright trivial and I almost feel that the skies are opening as the album continues on. This album is an experience of one man's true connection with his eternal future, and you instantly want to be there with him, soaking in the pure radiance of our Creator, worshiping at the throne of the Almighty King. What a day that will be!
What connects me most to this album is not only the lyrics and subject, but the overall production. The songs feel as if they are coming to you from another time and dimension. Phil's vocals are echoed, as if being recorded in a massive canyon, and layered in a way that reminds you of an angelic chorus. You hear high notes on a keyboard in the background and long chords that fade in and out, breathing life into the music and taking it to the heights that match the lyrics. In a way, this is one of the few albums where the music compliments and even lifts the lyrics instead of the other way around.
I'll be honest--Phil Wickham's voice has always grated me the wrong way. But here, it works incredibly well. To give credit to the production is not fair to Phil, because his signature delivery is still very much prominent. I simply feel that the overall style on Heaven And Earth suits his vocals better than his previous efforts and it's a pleasure to listen to something so unique that still resonates to my spiritual core.
As a Christian music consumer, I'm always on the line between two mediums. I want to be entertained and engaged with amazing music that is well structured and accessible. As a Christian, I want lyrics that I can relate with, that encourage me and challenge me to be a better disciple of Christ. It's not often that both connect throughout an entire album. But on Heaven And Earth, the subject is so poignant and soul-stirring, the music so captivating and modern, that I have no other choice than to name this the best album of the year. In a way, I hope you're scratching your head and will pick up the album out of sheer curiosity. That way, we can sing these songs in heaven together before the King.
Still Holds Up | Posted May-29-2009
This album still holds up after all these years. Some of my favorite songs from Plumb are on this album including "Crazy," "Who Am I" and "Unforgivable." Love it!
A Full Album Realized | Posted April-09-2009
Jerry Fee returns with a full length, 11-song album that represents a year of hard work and continues to show his growth as both a vocalist and a songwriter. Writing with a greater purpose of life, love and personal value in God's eyes, Jerry has crafted an incredibly honest collection of songs that anyone can relate to.
The album starts off with "Maybe Angels," a song that's about any other day that will soon provide a surprise, based on an actual miracle in Jerry's family. Catchy songs like "Star Gaze," "Going Home" and "Why Do I?" celebrate Jerry's personal blessings of family and love.
A common theme throughout the album is self-worth, a topic that many struggle with at any age. I personally know many who feel lost, are searching for more while their paths are completely jagged and interrupted. Jerry's lyrics are full of hope and a greater understanding that we are all facing something in our lives. Our common ground is so often things that we rarely talk about. Jerry humanizes God's love in a way that encourages me to do the same. Loving people as God loves us.
Musically, the album is full of depth that is typically not found from local, independent artists. The choruses are catchy, Jerry's vocals are unique and blend well with the acoustic guitar and piano leads and the dynamics are there in every track. For those that want something more than polished, predictable pop from their music, Still Alive will more than satisfy.
Top 10 Release Of 2008 | Posted December-16-2008
Christian music will always have groups like Sanctus Real that assemble the masses and give something for everyone to enjoy. Getting parents, grandparents, youth pastors and pastors jumping in the same room isn’t easy, but entirely possible with the music from We Need Each Other. Sanctus Real has quickly become that band, left empty by the passing of Audio Adrenaline and Delirious, to name a few.
Their music is packed with emotion and dynamic energy, released in full force on songs like “Turn On The Lights,” “Leap Of Faith” and “Legacy.” “We Need Each Other,” “Lay Down My Guns” and “Sing” drive home messages of love and unity with resonating choruses, multiple harmonies and crowd like chants. “Whatever Your Doing (Something Heavenly)” and “Half Our Lives” are radio-friendly ballads destined to dominate radio airplay.
Their fourth studio release offers one of the most solid collection of tracks from the entire year, and I have yet to find a track that I consistently skip over. That’s tough to find in this day of the digital single.
KevinMcNeese_NRT's Music and Book Reviews 
