Pieces of a Real Heart
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Sanctus Real Since releasing Say It Loud on Sparrow records Sanctus Real has been a consistent voice is CCM. Hits like "Things Like You (Everyone's Everything)," "I'm Not Alright," and "We Need Each Other" have...
Breaking The Silence EP
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The Letter Black Known as Breaking The Silence, The Letter Black or a Flyleaf/Fireflight re-make, one Tooth and Nail’s newest artists have now provided fans with their first project, Breaking The Silence EP. The band is...
Forget And Not Slow Down
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Relient K Forget And Not Slow Down sis not a Relient K album. Yes, on the side of an album is says ‘Relient K’, but comparing this release to Relient K’s career is difficult. This Relient K uses five new weapons...
The X Christmas has many goods (and bads) in it's stocking | Posted November-28-2008
Ever since the first of the X Christian rock hits came out in 2003, BEC recordings have put one out every year. Branching off of that was X worship and the newest addition to the X series is X: 17 hits to rock your Christmas. The songs are not necessary recent like Anberlin’s “baby please come home” or Swicthfoot’s “evergreen”, but some are as new as Project 86’s “This Time of the Year” off of This time of year EP, which comes out in November.
There are few bands that can start albums out with a bang as well as Thousand Foot Krutch, but their version of “jingle bell rock” really puts the emphases on the ‘rock’ part. The song features heavy base, lead singer Trevor McNevan’s booming vocals, and a tune that has more than enough rap falls more into the category as loud than a epic. But all is not rock and when there is a lack of rock comes plenty of sophistication from Jars of Clay (“love came down at Christmas”) and Swicthfoot (“evergreen”). The pop/rock on “Gloria” is not one of Hawk Nelson’s best works but mixing in the traditional music in the bridge is clever and well welcomed. However listeners may be disappointed when they here that the treasured holiday lyrics were tweaked in order to fit the lyrics about a girl.
One thing that is nice about X Christmas is it offers a nice verity of original tracks and classical tunes which were tackled by some of today’s Christian rock artists. Kutless pulls off “Mary did you know” well with the help of Jon Micah Sumrall vocals and a up tempo tune which doesn’t stray far from the original melody. It’s sad that the very friendly “Angels we have heard on high” is reserved for the back because Corey Crowder does a great job, but Sanctus Real effort to make “Silent Night” emotional only succeeds in making it forgetful with their insipid music. “do you hear what I hear” (Seventh Day Slumber) might have needed to be less upbeat, but Jaymes Reunion’s “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” and Agaust Burns Red electrifying “Carol of the Bells” are very enjoyable.
The collaboration nearly completely falls off the table with desperation to change tracks on “This Time of the Year” which fails in every way to sound Christmassy because the vocals, base, tone, all make the song sound awful and unattractive for the holidays. Another completely misplaced song is “it’s Christmas time” by KJ-52, a techno rap song will have few fans and follow Project 86 in the path of those who probably should not do Christmas music unless they change their style. Unfortunately the saving of the collection of rock songs does not lie in the hands of the David Crowder Band who adds just a little of extra energy on “Feliz Navidad”.
If the before mentioned songs were all that were on X Christmas, then there would be little incentive to acquire it, but there are more songs that do give in more life. “baby Please Come Home” may not have anything useful to say, but the tune, with the exception of the ending, is infectious and probably should be put on repeat. FM Static sacrifices the emotion in “Christmas shoes” for a energy and life with an upbeat pop/punk tune which follows the original tune with the addition of some more guitars and a song which flows much faster. The only draw backs is the beat stays afloat but it seemed like it would tip at some points in the song and the song drags just a little bit too long. The most impressive song that makes the album worth getting by itself is “his favorite Christmas” a improbable and unrealistic snappy song by Capital Lights that lacks nothing and has bags of charm.
One would assume that Relient K, a band who has been on every other X rock compilation would make an appearance, but that is not the case and it is probably the biggest mistake in terms of picking the songs. With all of BEC’s X CD’s there are going to be songs that some will like and others that some will not like and X: 17 hits to rock your Christmas is no different.
Peaceful and Good | Posted November-28-2008
It’s only natural that one of the most popular artists in today’s contemporary Christian music scene should eventually make a Christmas album to finish off any seasonal yearning from fans. If the Alter and the Door was a step down for Casting Crowns does it mean that Peace on Earth will be another continuation of their average material in an effort to give fans something new?
When it comes to changing around the classics of the season Casting Crowns does very little which might be a good thing because of the disjointed tunes that are the result of remixing the Christmas classics. “Oh come all ye faithful” uses the guitar to give itself a more traditional tune; Lead singer Mark Hall and Megan Garrett trade off vocals often on that track and “joy to the world” and “silent night”. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” is a well crafted instrumental song, mixing the violin and piano very skillfully.
Casting Crowns did adjust “I heard the bells on Christmas day” to become the album’s anthem, and while their little tweaks, including a well placed children’s choir, made the song more dramatic, it also lost some of it’s caroling effect. “Sweet little Jesus boy” is very light exchanges complexity for emotional music. The song however is very childlike (‘This world treats You mean Lord/Treats me mean too’) which suits the song but it may not inspire awe in the hearers. “Christmas offerings” isn’t anything spectacular out side of some light percussion, plus it seems to implies that the shepherd’s and Wiseman came at the same time, but despite some diversity Megan Garrett does a great job driving the emotion in “God is with us”.
The lyrics have been Casting Crowns strong spot in their career but it’s hard to give hard core lyrics in a Christmas album. So in an attempt to put thought provoking lyrics in their CD the band rewrote “while you were sleeping” to give it a more holiday feel; the result was cutting the verse about Jerusalem out and working a few more lines about Christ’s birth which leaves the bit about America the odd verse out since there is no very little connection between Bethlehem and America but the lyrics are good (United States of America/Looks like another silent night/As we're sung to sleep by philosophies/That save the trees and kill the children’.
Peace on Earth’s focus is on Christ but the benefit of adding a few traditional non-Christian carols would add a more up tempo feel to a very slow album while adding more songs in a relatively short CD. Casting Crowns Christmas album will likely find itself on many shelves this Christmas, which is deserved, but it will probably fall short of becoming a true Christmas classic.
It's Christmas may not get many to 'cry' | Posted November-28-2008
Quickly following on the heels of Mandisa’s first album was the Christmas Joy EP; A brief four track disc that was a nice fit for the holidays. Only a year after the EP, Mandisa is back with a full length Christmas album, It’s Christmas. Though it might be debatable that she should not have added another Christmas effort after only a short time and with only one CD under her belt, the results of the album speak for itself.
The opening song “What Christmas means to me” has an up-tempo beat to mix with some hip hop and a jazzy style of music; the result is a very disjointed tune that lacks coherence, which unfortunately, is the theme for the album. Mandisa transition from song to song on “Feliz Navidad (With Joy to the World)” is rough though her version of “joy to the world” is classical and well done. “Bell Medley (Silver Bells, Carol Of The Bells, Caroling, Caroling)” is by for the most disjointed song on the album as She tries to pack to much in one song even though the music changes are not subtle and the mood changes are also tough to stick with.
“Mary’s Little Boy Child” and “O holy Night” both are modified; one to become more upbeat and radio friendly while “O holy Night” has more of a jazz feel and a whole lot of Mandisa’s vocals. Its Christmas really comes alive on “silent night” because the soft traditional music is blended perfectly with her vocals and her duet with Mathew West on “Christmas Makes Me Cry” is very emotional. Michael W. Smith is the guy who is running the show on “Christmas day” a epic song which should become a holiday favorite.
It’s probable that Mandisa’s career would have been more successful if she had won American Idol, but she has really grown in popularity in her short time as a Christian artist. But going right after another full length Christmas album after she gave fans a brief taste might not have been the right call because several of the songs are incoherent and probably won’t please fans other than her style on It's Christmas.
Sara Groves Christmas is a Merry one | Posted November-28-2008
After seven albums of new material Sara Groves first Christmas record, O Holy Night, was a long time in coming. Making the transition from her emotionally charged lyrics to simple Christmas songs may seem a step down for being one of the most esteemed song writers in Christian music but the Groves alters both the classical tunes and lyrics of traditional holiday tunes to offer a fresh batch of songs.
If it bothers people that she changed the holiday hymns that we all love (with the exception of “silent night”) Groves has a perfectly good excuse: with twelve song and not a big musical well to draw from diversity was a necessity to keep the verity in the album and keep it from becoming boring. What is nice about O Holy Night is that in addition to the tweaking the classics she adds five full length new songs which is more than usual.
Sara Groves son is featured on “it’s true (Toby Groves)” which helps raise the emotional intensity (which pushes sweet to over doing it) of an already emotional soft tune that has a Christmassy tune. Her voice is key on the opening track “star of wonder” which after a long intro is a perfect fit for the first song. One of the cleverest and enjoyable songs is “toy packaging” a song which many mothers can relate to; throw in the upbeat tune and the song is a highlights. Unfortunately not all of her new music has the same charm of complexity as “toy packaging” like “a cradle in Bethlehem” which is far too simple.
From the very note “it came upon a midnight clear” is clearly altered and in some parts absolutely drags the song down; however it could be argued that it is the more original music song that just lacks a Christmassy beat. “To be with you” could have been sped up the second time through after the chorus but it was not so it’s only a pretty good ballad instead of a great one but the jazzy “have yourself a merry little Christmas” is a very Christmas friendly track that is quite pleasing to the ears.
Some moments on O Holy Night made this writer was to hit the skip button on Sara Groves altered classical songs (“angels we have heard on high” and “Gloria”), but that and a few simple songs aside the album as a whole that will manage to be entertaining and remind listeners what the meaning behind Christmas is.
This EP may have trouble having fans "Stay a While" | Posted November-28-2008
Those who are unfamiliar with The Washington Projects might, however, recognize the name SoulJahz; a band that Jekob & Rachael Washington were formally affiliated with. The siblings' debut, Commanders of the Resistance, was released independently in 2007 which has been followed less than a year by their digital holiday EP, Christmas.
Though the EP has six tracks, only three of the six have words, leaving the rest to be instrumental versions of each song. Why an urban/hip hop group would have instrumental takes of each of their songs is almost beyond imaginings considering their beats and melodies (or lack thereof). One possible explanation is that, while repetitive, the beats around "Stay a While" and "This Christmas" have some Christmassy aura that may intrigue those who has the patience enough to endure the uncomplicated instrumental tunes.
"Stay a While" only has one tune change from its piano-based hip hop and it's more like a slight add-on than any real change, which the repetition causes a song that otherwise had potential to slip into the average pile. The complex song "This Christmas" enables listeners to enjoy the song progress from the guitar slightly into quirky urban pop. Jekob drives a rather pathetic love song that has little to do with Christmas except that it was probably written while it was snowing outside his window.
Right in between the boring "Stay a While" and the more intricate "This Christmas" is "Thank You for Christmas," which is not only the middle between the three tracks but musically as well. The holiday tune gets interrupted by Jekob's rap interjection, but it's just short enough to help the song and not ruin the experience of the soft music and Rachel's vocals. The message about God's gift to the earth makes "Thank You for Christmas" also the strongest on the EP, that also says, "Take that X out of that name/ this is why Jesus came/ the greatest gift of all/ to take away all of y'all pain."
The music is pretty solid but the problem is the tune tunes overall are just too average to stack up to the likes of tobyMac, Kirk Franklin or even Madnisa's Christmas work. If you do decide to get it, leave the instrumentals and just grab the first half of The Washington Projects' Christmas EP.
Speaking Louder than Before is not Jeremy Camp's best 'day' | Posted November-26-2008
Ever since Stay came out in 2002 Jeremy camp has been regarded as one of the top Christian artists as Camp has even received back-to-back Dove awards Male Vocalist. So it should come as no surprise that Speaking Louder than Before be among the year’s most anticipated releases as Jeremy Camp continues his worship/rock blend that appeals to a verity of listeners.
Jeremy Camp has a wonderful talent, similar to tobyMac, in the way that he can sparkle in many ways. Camp’s vocals are impressive as always especially on “capture me” where they sound passionate. The only problem with the song is the riffs and the light tune create a rough mix that could have been fixed by either speeding up the tune or slowing it down. Alas if minor problems like those were the only problems on the album Speaking Louder than Before would have been a hit. As it stands the first song “slow down time” which is an upbeat light rock tune is very underwhelming like “I know who I am” which is not notable except for the bells after the chorus. The praise and worship song, “my fortress” is rather basic and undemanding along with “you will be there” which has some aggressive vocals by Camp along with it’s inspirational tune but it’s very average.
Also counteracting the worship and light rock adult contemporary songs both on his albums and the radio charts have been Camps often electric rock songs. Speaking Louder than Before is no different, however his latest rock efforts fall short when compared to “breathe”, “Lay down my Pride”, “tonight”, “take my life”. The title track is upbeat, and the tune moves into very up tempo medium rock/pop, leaving it too light to be considered a real rock song and too fast to appeal to hard core praise and worship fans. Although “I’m alive” is an intense rock tune it feels like the song was forced into being a rock song instead of letting it flow. The result is a so-so song with a dreadful bridge that has absolutely no place in the song. The same forced feeling shows up again on “give you all control” which just doesn’t have enough drive to make it a smooth hard song even with its riffs and Jeremy’s attempt to make the song with his vocals.
The first hit single “there will be a day” is tremendous with the way the soft emotional music meets Jeremy’s voice and is probably the strongest track on that album. While some songs unfortunately lacked the fire that had been consistent with previous Jeremy Camp albums, one song that is flowing with it is “healing hand of God”. The hooks and riffs really shine on a pretty heavy ballad that makes it one of the memorable tracks. Musically the album doesn’t end on a terrific note but there were not very complaints made on the emotionally charged finally of Beyond Measure (“give me Jesus). The theme is continued with “surrender”, a simple ballad that ends up being a nice way to end the album.
The lyrics are definitely one of the biggest acts for Jeremy Camp because songs like “this man”, “take you back”, and “stay” didn’t become big hits just because they sounded good. The title track sets the tone for the message of the album with its call to believers to reach out with our light (‘Let's show them the love that we've received now’) and it’s followed perfectly by “there will be a day” which reflects on heaven at the end of the believers mission on earth. Sacrifice and redemption have always been common themes for Camp; the former is displayed on “surrender” and “give you all control” while the latter “I’m alive” contemplates the change in the singers life (‘I’m alive I’m alive like i’ve never been/Been revived from the lies that were deep within’). The Biblical “fortress” is a sound song while “I know who I am” briefly compares God to man in a battle that is over as we ‘fall down’ before him.
However there are moments on Speaking Louder than Before where Camps lyrics sound rather basic and shallow. The title of “Slow down time” doesn’t really fit with the chorus well and while the lyrics (‘the fullness of your glory is beyond my comprehension, there’s no greater joy than being with you my king’) are true that doesn’t change the simplicity of them. There isn’t much which reflects maturity in the song writing on “So in love” except that the song is realistic with ‘I’ll always try to bring I’ll try to bring you everything’ (note the ‘try’ part). “Capture me” rates a little above your run-of-the-mill praise and worship track, and “you will be there” isn’t all that complex.
Overall Speaking Louder than before is a solid album; a few rock tunes, several inspirational songs and many worship songs with dependable lyrics. However fans who was enjoyed Jeremy Camp for his rock song may be listening to older songs instead of the forced hard tunes. And with the exception of “There will be a day” little is absolutely jaw dropping leaving Speaking Louder than Before a great pick for fans.
All of Switchfoot's Shadow may just prove their sunshine | Posted December-06-2008
Not many artists can claim to be one of the most influential Christian rock groups as Swicthfoot has been for over a decade. And one reason is not many bands make it past over ten years which speaks to the longevity to the band and their ability to give fans top notch music every time a album out. Switchfoot journey to be one of the biggest stars of the Christian music industry even translated to success in the mainstream music industry which consists of a pair of top ten pop singles and having their music show up on more than a few motion pictures. Summing up all of this is Their Best Yet CD.
With five albums under their belt it’s always fun to watch how a band has progressed from their debut Legend of Chin to most recent Oh! Gravity. The lone song representing their first release is “concrete girl” which is one of the best on the album with a quirkily pop sound where the tune, Jon Forman’s vocals and the music is in constant flux, but the e song manages to not slip into chaos. Some may be surprised that that the title track from New Way to be Human missed the eighteen song cut but then again so did “we are one tonight” and “head over heels”. Similar to the style of “concrete girl”, “Company car” has moments of sheer genius but they are balanced out by an odd chorus and a messages that relays ‘I pass go, but oh, life’s taken it’s toll, /Have I won Monopoly, but forfeit my soul?’ among other things. “Only hope” is driven by a acoustic guitar with a violin coming in the background while the lyrics are a clear reference to God (‘And I lay my head back down,/And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours,… /I know now: you’re my only hope.’).
One of the title cuts that did make the Best Yet compilation was “Learning to Breathe” which doesn’t out shine some of Switchfoots big hits but has a consistent and solid pop rock tune. The song dwells on the slow movement toward becoming ones true self and coming to God although his name is never mentioned (‘I’m finding that you, and you alone, can break my fall, /I’m living again; awake and alive,/I’m dying to breathe in these abundant skies.’). The result of “Love is a movement” is not as obvious as “learning to breathe” but it implies that ‘Love is the movement,/Love is a revolution,/This is redemption,’ is a good thing. The song itself is a little loud and the rock music isn’t good enough because Forman has to extend his vocals far too much to add intensity to this average song.
Ignoring all previous creativity, all prior excellence, and earlier projection of the band Switchfoot, nothing could have anticipated the kind of success that the Beautiful Letdown had and it’s 2.6 million records sold which became double platinum. It’s probable that the CD was the band favorite because one third of the Best Yet is reserved for arguably their best album. The light weight rock “This is your life” challenge fans to look at their life and ask if was what they had in mind for themselves to the fan favorite simple light tock tune “dare you to move”. One of the most memorable guitar intros comes from “meant to live” which is used at ball backs to introduce teams more talented stars features big riffs to fuel a rough tune. But the lyrics are rather straight forward and meaningful We want more than this world's got to offer (‘We want more than the wars of our fathers/And everything inside screams for second life/We were meant to live for so much more’). The not so headliners are still considered to be great songs like the terrific ballad “on fire” the artistic “twenty four” (I'm singing 'Spirit take me up in arms with You'/You're raising the dead in me’) and the old school title track which could get harassed for its bumpy beat and annoying intro.
Switchfoot’s most artistic effort also ended up being their darkest in the bands biggest break the mainstream. What followed Nothing is Sound’s annoying and overplayed pop rock act “star’s (a song about a depressed man finding comfort in star gazing) is more depression than relief, pain without a cure, and questions without answers. One of only three songs represented on the album is Lonely Nation a rock tune early which drifts into hard rock in areas that has some tune inconsistency. The song declares that world is an empty, dark, cynical system, and ‘We are slaves of what we want’; a true statement but as before mentioned just more pain without answers. The song that contrasts negative and gloomy “the fatal wound” and “politicians”, "The shadow Proves the Sunshine" is one of the best songs written by Switchfoot or any other artist for that matter. The light pop music, which is like a ballad in some places, would be the perfect song for a good teenage television drama. The lyrics have their share gloominess as well (Oh, Lord, why did you forsake me?/Oh, Lord, don’t be far away’) but the song observes there must be a source of light to counter the worlds darkness and points to the source of that light.
Almost as if to counter the dreary release of Nothing is Sound is Oh! Gravity an album that is full of optimism; it’s just unfortunate that only three songs make the disc. One of the three is the title track an odd up beat rock tune, with an infectious chorus with some aggressive singing by Forman. The lyrics are the only eyebrow rising on the album with strange but obscure mentions of a liquor store and the backseat of a parked car but nothing edgier than that. One change that is visible from Legend on Chin to the more recent music by Switchfoot is the fact that the tune usually flows much better and tends to be less rough like in the case of the fast paced slick rock “awakening”. Still on some of the hooks and riff on “Dirty second hands” could have used a little finer tuning on the, at times awkward, rock tune; but it was interesting to hear the twang in the background of the song. From recent Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian film comes the latest Switchfoot hit to date “this is home” an emotional pop song that is rather artistic where the band states: ‘This is home/Now I'm finally/Where I belong’.
With a new album scheduled in March the point of the Best Of by Switchfoot is a little confusing. But critiquing the bottom line of the collection should be critiquing the band’s career so far and what to except to see in the future. Never a terribly spiritually vocal when it comes to the lyrics the band will continue to put out a few songs which will have fans scratching their heads but they will always stay true to writing song from a Biblical worldview. The music should follow suit like it always has.
Worship Central | Posted November-09-2008
(NOTE: the rating has nothing to do with this review)
From the Central Assembly Christian Life Center comes a worship band band known as Worship Central. Their first project, Worshiping You, is a group of covers of popular praise and worships songs with two original tracks. While the worship team sounds all too much like, um, a worship team, Worshiping You occasionally goes a little beyond simple worship tunes.
Nine of the eleven songs are unoriginal and are the songs that get passed around while still being fresh. The album opens with their cover of “For your glory” which is not cutting edge but does pull it’s weight despite some rough vocal blends. “Hosanna” isn’t top notch but the bridge is up lifting, and the same is true with “revelation song” but it has more of an inspirational feel about it. Unfortunately all of the songs have a Church worship team atmosphere that could easily be called cheesy, the worst coming from “everlasting God”.
Still there are some moments where Worship Central sounds decent like “mighty to save”, which could have been slightly more up tempo but still manages to be solid and “still” an impressive display of vocals which fit a ballad that adds some percussion after the first verse. If the quality had been upped more on original song “fill me now”, the light worship tune would have been impressive. “Complete my life” has the same problem but only less so because the song is well rounded out with the emotional melody making it the high point in the album.
The lyrics are straight forward and draw heavily from the Scripture especially “for your glory” (which borrows from Ecclesiastes 3) and “still” (which is fueled from the psalms). The admittance being broken and desperation for God drives “fill me now” (Lord hear me calling, Spirit fall on me/My soul is longing, For more of You’) and “complete my life” follows a similar pattern. Among the radio singles which are lyrically solid there are a couple dangerous songs (particularly worshiping you”) which claim how much we love God (‘I’m gonna worship You forever…I live to worship You, I live to worship You… We’re not ashamed of You’).
Unfortunately none of the unoriginal praise and worship songs can’t elsewhere at a higher quality. However While talking about Worshping You, one of the lead vocals, Kevin McNeese said ‘Keep in mind, we're no Hillsong. We are simply a local church, answering a call to take worship outside of Sunday morning’. Now with that in mind the two new songs are good songs to add to the library and Worship Central's debut a good pick for those who don’t mind soft worship music.
Turn the same thing on (again | Posted November-05-2008
Hawk Nelson’s third studio album release is here and it sends a clear message: Hawk Nelson wants to be your friend. The band doesn’t want just fans, but loyal friends who feel that they are esteemed by this band. The special edition doesn’t just want their friends to be entertained by listening, but to watch them on their DVD, and play the board game that goes along.
Even though their second album (Smile it’s the end of the World) had a more diverse sound than their debut (Letters to the President) it was not really better than it. So Hawk Nelson put out a straighter punk rock album, which cuts the verity of music some and in terms music is closer to their first CD. But it does allow the Punk to really become good, which is what happened, at least in the first half. Hawk Nelson always like to start off their CD’s with good fast rock song, “you have what I need” is closer to “the one thing I have left” without the poor ending, and just a better punk/rock sound which is the hardest song on the album.
The first single “friend like that is a fun punk song that moves fast enough to avoid the bits that sound off. The album keeps on moving with “turn it on” which starts off with a intro that sounds like a slightly toned down “Meant to Live” intro (by Swicthfoot). The song itself is a good fast paced punk song that isn’t perfect but it’s really enjoyable. An excellent part in the album musically is “one little miracle” a medium rock song, with an absolutely great refrain, expect it to be a hit soon. The album kicks back into high gear with “let’s dance” which is really good and a really up tempo beat. By the time the snappy punk song, “ancient history” is better, ends its feels as though it’s just getting started. It’s really sad that the average song length is about three minutes long, but “Ancient history” is still awesome.
Then begins the second half of Hawk Nelson CD, which is about as boring as a bad Stellar Kart CD (pick one). The soft rock song “somebody else” is nice but it stops the flow of the upbeat good punk which is not a bad thing except that “arms around me” is even softer. The upbeat punk track “just like me” is almost dreadful, especially the chorus, which sounds like Hawk Nelson at their worst. “Not the same” is a light rock song which really is nothing impressive. “words we speak has a great chorus which is a great punk sound. The soft and touching track “I still miss you” is very basic, but that is not the strength of the song.
Stop the press! Hawk Nelson actually says something in virtually all of their songs! That is a huge step up from every other Hawk Nelson song that was about girls and parties. However don’t get too carried away yet, no one said the lyrics were really deep. “you have what I need” has some good things to say. Right after ‘All I wanted was honesty/and that was something only you give’ is the line “It took forever just to realize that I had to give myself away/ so I could see your face”. Not really amazing but definitely a step up.
A good anthem for the youth is “friend like that”, and “turn it on is about living with purpose. “Let’s dance” conveys the importance of the individual while urging the hearer to be content with one’s own skin. A song about a Grandmother who passed away (“I still miss you”) is the best song writing done on this album and should be up there with total Hawk Nelson hits. Some pretty solid lyrics but don’t try too hard to interpret “words we speak”. Also on the down side is “ancient history”, and it might be hard for many people to appreciate the message in “not the same”.
The features of the special edition are the board game, the DVD, and the three bonus songs. Two of the bonus songs are acoustic versions of “one little miracle”, and “friend like that”. Although Amy Grant’s vocals show up on the former it doesn’t aid the song much and the extra softness of it doesn’t help it either. The acoustic version of “friend like that” is still some good punk and it isn’t toned down much. The party song “bring ‘em out” is a throw on for fun. The DVD has four music videos, the making of two, and a video of the guy’s sky diving (whee). The board game is more cute than anything else.
Hawk Nelson is starting to anger me. Hawk Nelson is my Friend had such a fabulous start musically that is was very disappointing to see it fall so in the second half. The Punk has hit its peak so far for the band and it would be nicer to see some more diversity and keep the good punk rock. But if the last three albums have been any indication, that might be asking a little too much. Over all it will please friends, but the nagging feeling that it could have been better is still there, and not even Amy Grant, and the board game can fix that.
Disciple is very hospitable | Posted October-31-2008
With hits like “After the World” and “things left unsaid” it didn’t take long for even more people to catch on to the hard rock group Disciple, and for good reason because they are one of the few bands who can successfully translate their hard rock nature in a contemporary setting. Their latest effort, Southern Hospitality, is more anticipated than Scars Remain but will it hold up the expectations.
Right away for those who only enjoyed the incredible medium rock songs like “after the world” and “things left unsaid” this album is certainly not for you. Southern Hospitality at its heart is a hard rock album so Disciples’ attempts to recapture the fire in their softer songs fall short because their new softer rock tunes lack the emotion and the intensity of the previously mentioned songs. “Whatever reason” is one of the songs representing Disciples’ softer side but it’s gritty and the song lacks the passion. Compared to the rest of the album “Savoir” is a ballad and it tries hard to become a last song epic but it also lacks charm.
But when it comes to just rocking, Disciple does not disappoint. Right from the get-go the title track has gut retching guitar riffs and aggressive vocals which border on screaming (in the bridge it no longer borders) and true to the title, it has a southern rock influence. . “Romance me” is more of a standard rock song in the fact that there is no screaming, there is no southern influence, and there are no huge out of control riffs, but the song has a cutting edge chorus to go along with a crisp bridge. “Lair” is another fast paced intense rock song with some good electric guitar actions but the whole of the album is more like songs similar to “whispers so loud” and “phoenix rising” which are more out of control hard rock songs.
The lyrics are often as intense as their music, as Disciple does not back down from their Christian background. “Right there” starts from God’s standpoint and focus’ on his love and his protection (Before you open up your eyes / Know that I’ll be there / I’m always right there / Before you walk across the fire / Know that I’ll be there / I’m always right there / Right there’) while “whispers so loud” centers around keeping God’s word around (‘The words you spoke they burn / Burn within my heart, burn within my soul / And I will carry them with me forever’).
On “savoir” the singer does what he can to help a broken girl, but he knows that the best solution is in God’s hands (You love her more than I could love her / You’ve already given more than I could offer / So I put my hope in You). Songs deal with second chances (“falling star”), putting burdens on God (“lay my burdens”), and simply making a statement of faith (“321”). Amid all the scripture in “lair” the main course is dealing with a friend who is untrustworthy and dishonest(I will forgive you / But it will take some time to forget / I will forgive you/ But it’s gonna take some time’).
One of best rock albums of 2008 would have to be Southern Hospitality because of the sheer quality that is put in every rock song. The electric guitar may fly out of control a few times but the problem is not balancing the good rock tunes with emotionally gripping ballads. That aside the lyrics are incredibly solid and help make Disciples’ new release very hospitable.
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