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