Reunion comes with some nice surprises and blasts from the past
Posted July 07, 2014
By DwayneLacy_NRT, Staff Reviewer
Attention, Christian music fans (especially those who have been fans for more than 10 years): Gotee Records celebrated 20 years as a label. Let that sink in and you realize that you are getting old.
Gotee--started by Toby "tobyMac" McKeehan, Todd Collins and Joey Elwood--was definitely a trailblazer in the Christian music world. First signee Out of Eden was a popular group with pop and urban stylings. Gotee Records has since gone on to sign some huge acts and have aided in the launch of the careers of various artists. So fittingly that they would release, Gotee Records: Twenty Years Brand New to commemorate this huge accomplishment. In addition, several of the past Gotee artists were invited back to participate in the fun and of course the present artists are in on the fray.
"Love Addict" by Family Force 5 could get a crowd rocking with the driving guitars and the distorted vocals by Soul Glow Activatur. John Reuben takes it, flips it and delivers a fun hip-hop reworking. House of Heroes" actually stays fairly true to 4th Avenue Jones' "Stereo" until Stephanie Smith "butts in" and turns Ahmad's rap into an epic rock ballad.
Remember Zilch?! Yes, the group that was part of dcTalk's band that went on to form a band, before eventually evolving into Sonicflood. Well the original lineup came back and treats the fans to their interpretation of "Over Thinking" (originally by Relient K). Synth string arrangements serve as the backdrop while Mark Lee Townsend's light tenor vocals are a highlight.
Only on this album could one find a GRITS reworking of Jennifer Knapp's "Undo Me" and Capital Kings' (with support from John Reuben) stamp on GRITS' "Ooh Ahh". The great thing about this album is the fact that the artists sort of made the song their own while maintaining the integrity of the original song. Case in point: Current Gotee artist Finding Favour does The Katinas' ballad, "One More Time" justice while adding just a bit of a soft rock edge to it. With this being the summer season, enjoy the splendid arrangements of "Here's My Heart" (originally by Out of Eden) by Harper Still (that's Jamie-Grace and sister Morgan Harper-Nicholls) and "Getting Into You" (originally by Relient K) by Jamie-Grace.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the contributions of Out of Eden and Relient K. Relient K has a commemoration of their own as they rock it out to the 10th year anniversary version of their own "Sadie Hawkins Dance." Popular among youth groups, "Sadie Hawkins Dance" sparked a little controversy since it was about a girl asking a guy out. Yet, it still brings up a bit of nostalgia. Out of Eden does not miss a bit, reuniting to record together for the first time in six years. The result, a lovely retooling of House of Heroes' "Constant." God's love is consistent and never changes. Gotee, can you do a reunion tour? PLEASE?!
Closing Thoughts:
What a fun album to listen to and enjoy. If you love Christian music, this is one for you. You will realize how much of a contribution Gotee Records has made to changing lives for God and how much the rosters of the label has changed. So it was great to know that people returned to make such a great album.
View All Music And Book Reviews By DwayneLacy_NRT | View DwayneLacy_NRT's Profile
|
