NeedtoBreathe: The Outsiders

Every so often a new and upcoming artist begins to rise from the depths bringing a unique new sound to the table. Every so often this new artist has depth do their music that hasnt been seen within the music seen for some time, and every so often this artist has multiple talents that makes their sound unique. Every so often, NeedtoBreathe is recognized for the brilliance that they are.
NeedtoBreathe may be the most talented group out their right now. They sound a lot like Kings of Leon, but combine more of a southern rock and gospel feel to their music. Furthermore, they are amazing live, which as far as SNL is concenred, Kings of Leon simply was good live at all. NeedtoBreathe has three cds out, and as far as I can tell, each project has built on the previous, and their newest, the Outsiders, is no different. Where their last cd was something to talk about, the Outsiders is something to tell the ends of the earth about.
The cd starts out with the title track which is some sort of a combination of southern country which leads into gospel and rock. The simplicity of this track brings a new glimpse of something beautiful and amazing. Then the lead singer announces "We are the Outsiders!" And the cd gets going.
From here, I can not count the number of tracks that are equally brilliant. The second track, Valley of Tommorrow, is an amazing ballad contemplating life and how we interact with our everyday experiences. The combined notes of hard guitar, acoustics, and the power of the leads voice is impressive. The lyrics are deep and stirring, something NeedtoBreathe has become known for.
I will now try to point out highlights, but dont be fooled, this cd needs more contemplative listening to each track. Each one giving life to the other, and the music flows like some sort of river. Through Smoke, Lay 'Em Down, Stones under rushing water, the Garden, and Something Beautiful each are unique and bring different notes to the cd. They talk about real life, real faith, all the while holding true to their Christian upbringings.
The other track that stands out on this cd is These Hard Times. In a economy where faith is seemingly all we can hold on to and in an American culture where money defines a generation, this song brings forth the gospel. "Give me an answer, give me a way, give me the faith to believe in these hard times." One lyric in which I just love is the following: "Show me something gorgeous, show me till my eyes get tired", further "Show me how to move when I cant feel that Your around". Thank you Needtobreathe, I love these lyrics, they are deep, they are filling, and they are meant to resonate with the soul.

I highly recommend this group. Even if you just give them a try and only appreciate a few of the songs, that is enough. These guys are good, and I hope they are around for a good while.

Overall: A

Skillet: Awake

A lot of things change. Skillet, though, tends to do the things that work. Awake, is really not that different when one breaks it down to the core. In short, they are still powerfully Christian, still rocking hard, and have a new drummer that helps with vocals.

With that being said, there are a few tracks on this cd that are average at best. The 3rd track Dont Wake Me is really a young audience influenced song. I think the lyrics get away from Skillet's normal message. I dont think they compromise, I just think that it could be better.

From track 4 on, I think this is a solid cd. Awake and Alive is the best track on the cd, followed by songs like Its Not Me Its You, Believe, Forgiven, Never Surrender, and Lucy. These tracks cover anything from worship to real life issues.

Hero and Monster will be fist pumpers, but not the best songs on the cd.

Overall, this is a rock album. They do get more into rock anthems, but to be honest it is simply and it works. I recommend it to Skillet fans, but be prepared, this cd may take some getting used to in relation to how good Comatose was in my opinion.

Overall B-.

What can be said about a group who spent so much time on their first cd, that the group almost broke up over it? Quality time is placed into these men's projects, so for a follow up album, how would themes from Dante's Inferno sound?

Much like the first cd, this project starts out with an intro of piano and underlining (what I like to call) subliminal messaging, that is, I still havent figure out what it says. Then enter track two, and you are head banging withing seconds. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a good thing. Lets face it, these guys are as good as Evanescence, have started out as strong as Skillet has gotten over several cds, and this is just their second project. The overall message of this cd scores the fight between man and the sin within in respect to God's interaction with God's creation. With this second track called "The Fight Inside", it doesnt take much to the imagination to understand where this going.
The third track is then called "The Death of Me", further, do we need much imagination? Still, I like how this song starts a bit more upbeat, with orchestral movement supporting the heavy guitar. It has a hard punk feel to it, but then it moves into Red's classic hard rock anthem.
Now, without saying much of the same about many songs of the album, I will point out some of the better tracks of this album. I would say one of the strongest tracks is "Start Again". This song really embraces the hard rock anthem combined with the soulful feel of their lyrics. Piano slips into this song, whcih is amazing support for the lead singer's vocals. The type of questioning lyrics makes the listener think deeply about choices they may make...What if we start again? What if w were able to live it all over. How would it look? Who would we be? Would we find redemption?
Never be the same is also a good track, slowing down again with this acoustic ballad. I am not sure why they remixed Duran Duran's "Ordinary World", it really is just a modern feel of the original.
Overall, this is a strong second attempt. They develop on more of what they did in the first album that got them recognized, and only mature in doing so. Fans will get what they were looking for, lyrics are though provoking, and the head banging continues. This is pretty good, and not your typical spirit inspired album.

Recommended for fans of Evanescence, Skillet, or Demon Hunter

Overall Grade: A-

Jeremy Camp is a two edge sword for me. On one hand, he may one of the most talented male singers in the Christian market, and may be on of the top ten of all male singers currently doing music. If you have seen him live, he is the closest thing to a perfect pitch you will hear. One thing is for sure, he doesnt need a studio to sound as good as he naturally is. If you have seen him live, he is really quite the entertainer, and may be a hard rocker at his very core. His lyrics than come out as true worship. On the other hand, if I hear the song "Walk By Faith" on the radio one more time, I'm going to kill someone. The song is great, it has a incredibly powerful story, but people, he has new music out. He tends to be marketed to teenage girls because he is a looker, and lets face it, he really doesnt come out with anything new or different. You may have to take it or leave it, but I think he may be onto something with "Speaking Louder Than Before".
The cd starts out with "Slow Down Time" which, quite frankly, is more of what I mentioned above. It will not surprise anyone, but if you like what he has done before, than naturally, you will enjoy this first track. Then, we move into the second track, "Carried Me" which is actually a pretty good track of guitar along with full band rock. The lyrics are strong, and the overall feel of the song is uplifting. I am not sure if this is anythign different than what he has done, but it is quality. Speaking Louder than Before is another upbeat song, which crowds will be hopping too, but still, nothing to get excited about.
Fortunately, there are strong tracks on this album that need to be reckognized. The first track is "There Will be A Day". It starts out with solid guitar harmonies, leading into Jeremy Camp. The song, though, has movements to it that one can truly appreciate it. It really builds up, capturing the message that is trying to be conveyed. The song is pretty laid back, until about two minutes in, when harder guitar supports most likely synthesizer. The best part of the song is when the choir supports Jermey Camp with guitar reaming in the background. It makes a person want to jump to their feet, fall to their knees...you pick. Just worship the truth of what the song speaks.
Another song to take note about, which caught me off guard, is the song "You will be there". Oddly enough it has a real Coldplay sound to it, orchestral movement strengthens the song with a strong beat and a good lyrics.

Overall this is a pretty good cd. Its more of what Jeremy Camp is good at, but I believe he is matureing as an audience and trying to break out of the box in doing so. At the end of the day, it is more compromising with the producer, between being who the audience wants you to be, and who you as an artist are becoming.

Recommended for Jeremy Camp fans and alternative Christian fans

OVerall Grade: B

Third Day: Revelations

Give me revelation. Show me what to do. Cause Ive been trying to find my way, I havent got a clue. Do I stay here, or do I need to move.
Give me revelation, Ive got nothing without you.


Yes, give us revelation. For if we had as much revelation as Third Day for every piece of music they have ever touched, we would be famous too. More so, we would travel the world spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through southern rock.
Something Third Day has been doing for some time.

And with Revelation, they dont show any sign of slowing down. If anything, they are just getting started, just getting warmed up, cause this cd is pretty much amazing.

The cd starts out with classic upbeat southern rock your world Third Day with a song called This is Who I am. The song is solid all around from the starting guitar leading into Mac Powells soulful voice. A song about who we are on an every basis, but is this all we are? No, we are so much more in God's hands.
Which leads into Slow Down, another rock anthem that gives the cd depth. The third song on the cd is their single Call My name, which is a unique ballad, but after only a few plays becomes one of the down falls of Third Day. Their slow stuff is overplayed and often times their stronger tracks are simply ignored on the radio. Run To you, the fourth track, is an awesome song. Unfortunetly, this song may have the potential of becoming Call My Name and other songs that have been overplayed. Still, the first few listens it is one amazing song with female vocals to back up Mac's already amazing baritone.
Revelation, the title track, is another solid outing, but it is only a lead up to Otherside. This song has amazing guitar and really gets the cd going after a couple of slower songs.

The rest of the cd's highlights come in Born Again and Take it All. Still, this cd is a much needed fallback to Third Day's early music. It seems like Third Day took enough time off with releasing their Chronological cds that none of the tracks on this cd remind you of songs like You Are So Good to ME and Show Me your Glory. Both of which are good songs, dont get me wrong, but when they are played every single day by every single Christian adult contemporary station out there, they can drive a person insane. Still, you will not find songs of the like on this cd. No, this cd reminds me more of Did you Mean it and Consuming Fire combined with the entire cd of Wherever You Are.

Although this cd has yet to hit shelves and will not do so until July 29th, listening to it initially gives me great hope for Third Day. It also gives me a little bit of an advantage that I get to hear the songs before radio gets a hold of them. Until then, I will listen to this cd as many time as I chose, and not be bombarded by the songs being on every single day.

Overall: A--Highly Recommended

Mercy Me

The store I work at currently has all of the MercyMe cds on sale so I thought I would take a moment and comment on their cds.

I have followed mercyme since their beginning. Beyond their singles like 'I can only imagine' I have been inspired by their thoughtful lyrics where some only like the idea of heaven, and for go the reality of Christians actually having to adhere to their master.
I will break down their cds one by one and I wont waist my time with their Christmas album, even though All That is Within Me came out around Christmas and really could be a Christmas album in many respects.


Almost There: This is their first and most acclaimed album to date. For a first effort, it is very strong. I imagine they had been playing together for while and this was simply them finally being heard by the public. Still, this cd has come out with a platinum edition because of how popular it is and how many overall units it has sold. I imagine this is because of its most widely known song 'I can only imagine', so I wont spend to much on that song. All I will say is yes, it is that good; yes it is overplayed; and if you havent seen the video you should watch it with any person you have watched pass on's picture there beside you. It is pretty poweful.
The other songs to get excited about on this cd are 'I worship you', 'How Great is your Love', 'House of God', and probably 'Bless me Indeed.' Although the rest of the cd is very good, the next two cds that they come out with will only better a lot of the efforts found in this cd. One thing is for sure though that Almost There is probably the most unique of the first three cds, simply because the second two albums really seemed to try to reproduce I can only Imagine. Still, if the sound works-which it has-go with it.
I worship you starts out the cd as an upbeat melody for Christians to aspire to. The song starts out with 'Ive been walkin with a big grin, singing with my eyes closed, liftin up my hands'. I can only hope that Christians are able to live life with this mentality. I believe Christians, including myself, walk around miserable and wonder why. They have accepted Christ into their lives, but no joy is theirs to have. Maybe though, if really truly searched after God and let Jesus reign in our hearts and not just be a part of who we are we would have reason to Worship Him. The second song I noted, How Great is your Love, is a slower melodic song that lifts up the majesty of the Father. It really amplifies Bart Miller's vocals but also has a depth to the music that some of Mercymes other songs simply do not. It is a classic adult contemporary song that really shows Mercymes strenghts. House of God then is an awesome song. It makes one want to get out of their seat and shout the lyrcis with Bart and proclaim a Christian battle cry in many senses. I like this song because of its uniqueness in a ever reproduced sound, but also the very clear lyrics that really call out to God and proclaims what the Church truly ought to be. The last song of note is Bless Me Indeed. Although this is not a great musically done song, it would have been written right around the time the Prayer of Jabez came out, and basically outlines the theme of this book. Bless me Indeed, open up my horizons. That is what we pray.

The next cd is Undone. Overall this cd really reminded me of the first, so I wont spend too much time on the nitty gritty parts of the cd. The most played song is probably 'Here with Me', which is probably rightfully song because of its strong melody and how it once again amplifies Bart's vocals. I personally liked Unaware, Undone, and Keep Singing.
Unaware is an amazing song proclaiming the truths of Christian finding Christ in the midst of our own inequities. We ought to be unaware of our pasts and only strive for a future that is in Christ.
Undone, the title track, is a noteable because of the build up in the song. Calling us to go to Christ and lay all our cares upon the throne because are chains are undone and we no longer bound to sin, but our chains have been broken and we are free.
The last song, Keep Singing, is by far the best song. The piano in this song is no less than beautiful, and if this is not enough one can simply sit back and let Bart's amazing voice cue you to sleep. This song, though, I do not believe is about the talents found there in. I believe it is about the lyrics giving glory to God. We keep singing, we keep praising His name, for He is the only one that keeps our hearts beating. Everything else that happens in this world apart from God can only lead to death and decay. Finding our solace in the Lord is the only reason any of us have claim to any good which has every happened. His Salvation is all we need in this Life. So, Jesus sing over me, and I will be able to keep singing.

Spoken For: This is much like the first two, infact listening to them all in junction of one another it really sounds like some of these songs from the first three cds may have been written right along the same time the first cd came out. Which it could of been, considering the first three cds came out one year after the previous. Still, for true Mercyme fans this is not a reason to complain, but be thankful that they are staying to what works and what is reaching their listeners.
The songs of note on this cd are much the same as the second cd. The title track, Come One Come all, Word of God Speak, and All Because of This. Spoken for is much like Undone and Unaware, proclaiming much of the same message of who has spoken for our soul. Come One Come All goes back to what caught my attention with House of God. It is up beat and really is one to sing with, good for any car ride really.
Word of God Speak is amazing. In the same tradition as I can only imagine, but more so Keep Singing, this song really calls out to the Word of God to be what we listen to. Sometimes in the midst of our complaints and our trials our voice can be too loud and we simply do not listen for the truths of our maker. It ought to be our prayer for us to take the opportunity to come to God's holy Tabernacle and rest. Beyond the music, beyond the noise, God will speak if we only listen. In the quite, we will hear His voice.

Coming up to Breathe: This cd took a little longer to come out it seemed, and there are notes on this cd that really make that visible. The songs that are unique and different than anything MercyMe has done to this point are No More No Less, One Trick Pony, and Safe and Sound. No More, No Less is upbeat and has a lot of different aspects in the song. At one point it shifts to an almost African sound with distinct voice harmonies that MercyMe simply hasnt done much of. It is more of a rock ballad than anything else, and the first song on this cd that really set it apart from its counterparts. One Trick Pony is almost like what Jars of Clay Who We are Instead album was to most of their music. The song has a real blue grass feel with an entirely jazzy beat to it and once again very unique and very different than anything we have heard thus far. Safe and Sound then is almost a flash back to the seventies, a very up beat and diverse sound. Although it has similar tendencies to other songs MercyMe have done, overall they do more with harmonies and the overall feel of the song is more unique.
Still, for all you die hard fans of Word of God, I can only imagine, and Keep singing, the is Bring the Rain. Once again, an amazing song of praise and worship clarifying that our best times are in our worst times when we are willing to give our heavy burdens over to the king.

All that is Within me: This cd is by far and away the most unique album to date. The melodies take different turns than any of the rest of the cds, and in this way is definately their best musically done cd because it is not easy, but sounds like it would have been a different turn for the group. Although the Coming up to Breathe is a smooth transition so as to not completely surprise us, but still, there are no real songs to really compare to other MercyMes stuff on this cd. God With Us is really the only song that can be compared to other Mercy Me songs, but even this one takes a unique upbeat step to what songs like I Can only Imagine have done lyrically before. I wont take too much time describing this cd, I believe that if you have followed MercyMe you will enjoy this cd just as much as the others and may even be what people are looking for. Just know you wont find as many of the same cookie cutter songs on this cd as the previous ones.


Almost There: A
Undone: B-
Spoken For: B-
Coming up to Breath: B+
All That is Within Me: A

Jars of Clay

I have to admit that I havent yet bought this cd, but if you have followed Jars of Clay this their conception then you dont need to. Just buy the one new single off of itunes, and call it good.

No, the reason why I am specifically evaluating this cd is because of its comprehensive arrangement of of Jars of Clay's music. So I will try to comment on the set up of the cd and its ability to draw from Jars of Clay vast array of music.

At first glance, it is a quick making of the cd. That is, it is put together by cd, progressing from their self titled cd, to Much Afraid, then to If I left the Zoo, the Eleventh hour, and finally Work. The only good part of this is that the cd starts out with the song that got Jars of Clay started, and in my mind one of their greatest up beat singles to describe our need for Jesus, Flood. With all this being said, let me break the cd into small paragraphs by cd.

Debut Album: Songs on Cd: Flood, Love Song for a Savior, Like a Child, and Worlds Apart.
This is a good combination from there first cd. They cover the best parts of the album(where they could have picked any song, as long as they got Flood and Worlds Apart, they would have been safe) but in general the first album has similar sounds throughout. Love Song for a Savior is a very solid song and the lyrics say more than most listeners will know, but oh well. Worlds Apart is still probably Jars of Clay best song, and if you have heard it live or a live recording you understand why. The only song, which unfortunatly is not on this cd, that might rival Worlds Apart is Oh My God, which has received less play time, but lyrically and musically just as powerful.

Much Afraid: Songs on CD: Crazy Times and Frail: This is a poor catching of this cd. Although these two songs are highlights off of this cd, they are not the best songs. They should have either incorporated Fade to Grey or Five Candles(you were there). Although Much Afraid was probably one of Jars of Clay worst showings, it is still a solid cd because of the fact of their ability to change their sound enough from their first cd to their second; something that would come to define Jars of Clay's sound through out their careers.

If I left the Zoo/Eleventh Hour: This is the worst combination of the Greatest Hits album. Only having one song from each(Unforgetful you and I need you respectively) they do not catch at all the highlights of each. If I left the zoo had some harder highlights like Collide, but then wit songs like unforgetful you it shows just how talented the group is. Although their are no other songs of note off this cd(that i can remember of the top of my head) I do know that this cd was another change in sound, and only having Unforgetful You on it really is disapointing. As for Eleventh Hour, there are a whole list off of this cd they could have put on this cd, yet they put their most repetitive song next to Unforgetful you to date on their album. They could have put songs that are much stronger like Disapear or Something Beautiful or even the title track. Each of which are better songs, each of which stronger displays of Jars of Clays talents.

Who We are Instead: This is probably one of the better showing, highlighting the two best songs on the album. The only other one they should have put on is Trouble Is.

They actually dont put any songs from their hymns album, which is too bad, so moving on.

Work: They missed Oh My God, but otherwise they did highlight the strongest sections and most played songs. This is expected from the Christian industry, realizing that Jars of Clay simply would have recorded the one single on the cd and approved the rest.


Overall I am a bit disapointed in the lack of showing Jars of Clay unique change through each cd. Leaving out the Hymns cd is one of the big reasons for this, but overall any listener who wants a good compilation of Jars of Clay will find what they are looking for. Unfortunatley it is another greatest hits album that ultimately isnt worth the time, simply putting out another cd for people to buy.

Yet because it does have some of Jars of Clay's best music I will give this cd on Overall of a B. But if you have Jars of Clay's cds since their first one like me, then you would be better off burning a collection of your own favorites so that you can include twice as many songs, accounting for the songs left out on this particular collaboration.

Overall: B
Recommended for anyone who is new to Jars of Clay or simply wants a good greatest hits album. Not recommended for any Devout fan.