July 27, 2008 in
Album Reviews,Reviews,Updateswith
|
|
As a harder music fan, I didn’t think I would really be intrigued by this album. However, the truly artistic talent displayed by Matt in this album, along with some very powerful lyrics made this album stand out among the vast amount of music I listen to. The style is generally upbeat, with some really good piano and guitar solos, amazing vocals, and worshipful lyrics. I actually was able to put this cd in my stereo and play it through on repeat for several hours, because the music is very artistic, and the lyrics were inspiring. The song “Your Grace Is Enough” has been a big hit on hundreds of christian radio stations across the U.S. and it is probably my favorite track on the album. “Shine Like the Sun” has the most potential rock appeal out of any track on the album, and calls us to let Jesus shine through our lives like the sun. “Look Like A Fool” is pretty self-evident as to the lyrical call: Worship God however we feel most able, even if people think you’re foolish or stupid. The entire album in general was well worth a buy, even if you are a harder music fan this album still will be a regular listen if only because of the great lyrics. I personally think Matt Maher is one of the best vocalists in Christian Music today. I highly suggest you give “Empty and Beautiful” a listen, you won’t be disappointed.
|
July 27, 2008 in
Album Reviews,Reviews,Updateswith
|
|
The new Kutless album “To Know That You’re Alive” was a fairly typical Kutless album , in that it didn’t really stray from their basic formula, though it incorporated some twists that show the way Kutless is maturing as a band. The first track “The Feeling” serves as a great opener to the cd, and is one of Kutless’ better rockers on the album. This album flows along nicely from upbeat harder rock tunes to melodic rock, and back to the harder stuff. Some of the fans of Kutless’ harder stuff may be disappointed with the amount of softer stuff on this album, though if you listen to the whole song, the chorus on most of the songs goes back to the rock that everybody knows Kutless for. A few of the albums most potent rockers include the opening track as mentioned previously, the title track “To Know That You’re Alive”, “Disease And The Cure”, “The Rescue”, “Overcoming Me”, and “Loud”. This album will be appreciated by any Kutless fan, old or new. I think a lot of Kutless fans would appreciate a straight rock album, without the softer melodies that show up in this album, but on the other hand, some fans may not appreciate the harder stuff, so this album has something for everybody. The lyrics are deep and meaningful, and overall this is one of Kutless’ best so far.
|
July 27, 2008 in
Album Reviews,Reviews,Updateswith
|
|
Manafest’s sophmore album, “Citizens Activ” was truly a joy to listen to. It varied nicely between “rapcore” and traditional hip-hop. The lyrics are typical of christian hip-hop: not preachy, but definitely Christian. If you like KJ-52 you will enjoy this album, because the style of this album is similar to KJ’s stuff. My favorite song on the album is “kick it” This song is pure rapcore, and the lyrics are inspiring. “Let me fly, let me ride living faith or die. Falling on my face 7 times yet I still rise” the addition of Thousand Foot Krutch’s own Trevor McNevan as backup vocals is a nice twist to the song as well. The overall theme of the album is about taking action, striving for our goals, and living our faith. Every song stands out, and I didn’t really find any tracks that I wanted to skip through. The style flows smoothly from pop to hip-hop to hard rapcore, and ties it all nicely together with some great lyrics. Overall, probably the best rap album I’ve heard this year.
|
