Sea of Faces
Posted March 26, 2008
By thirdsaint,
There's just something about Kutless I love. They don't create the most original music or even unique music. They don't have technically amazing musicians that separate them from the pack. Their vocalist, while having a strong voice, isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread. Hey, even their albums all kind of sound similar in structure and message. So why do I consistently love their music? Simply put, they have crafted songs that I can very much relate to and get wrapped up in. There always seems to be a song for something I'm going through and in Sea of Faces I find the most relative music to my life. Between subject matter speaking of losing hope at harsh trials, feeling insignificant in this world, finding the best angle to view life, and the brutal truth of what was done for my salvation. Through and through, Kutless are Christians and they aren't afraid to show it in their lyrics. Where some bands choose to be vague for album sales or to reach a larger audience, Kutless feels like pouring their hearts out and letting those who struggle in this walk of life be comforted. That commands a lot of respective from me because they show that they don't care what other people think. It's all coming from their soul.
Ok, so the message is obviously a huge plus to me. What about the music? Well, Kutless are a straight up rock band complete with worship pieces ('All the Words', 'Sea of Faces') among hard rock numbers ('Better For You', 'Let You In', 'Troubled Heart') filled with heavy guitar riffs and soaring vocals. I was also glad to see there was only one 10 second span of rapping, which I can't stand, but it's not enough to ruin the song like on their first CD. I particularly found 'Perspectives' to be a great message about viewing life with another lens instead of a depressing one. Too many bands nowadays (admittingly all secular, go figure) have depressing points of view on life and fail to see that life is what you make of it. 'Passion' just rips at the heart with the chilling imagery Sumrall uses in describing Jesus's crucifiction. He says, 'Nail pierced hands, they run iwth blood/A splitting brow forced by the thorns/His face is writhing with the pain.
Like I said, they don't strive to be original so much as to be truthful and real. People tend to stereotype Christians as 'hypocrites' based on the ones they know that mess up but no one is perfect. Kutless at least show that. They don't try and act perfect but rather that we all have shortcomings as well as strengths. Of their three albums I find this one to be the best. It's a bit short running at 35+ minutes but that could probably be a good thing. Any more songs might've been a little taxing on the attention span. I think this album is really benefited by a strong tracklist. The slower songs are perfectly placed between the heavy songs to change things up and keep me interested. What could make Kutless better? I could probably name a few things but all of which would take away from what they are trying to do. There's other bands to fill my need for technically amazing guitar work or epic progressive songs. Kutless does what they are made to do very well and there's not much else I can ask for.
Gems of this album are: 'Passion', 'Perspectives', 'Sea of Faces'
Overall - 8.4/10 View All Music And Book Reviews By thirdsaint | View thirdsaint's Profile
|
