The Heat by Needtobreathe Reviewed by Susan Lloyd "NEEDTOBREATHE's debut disc, Daylight, made me sit up and take notice, but The Heat made me a fan for life. " To say that NeedtoBreathe’s latest effort, The Heat, is one of my favorite CD’s of the ...
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The Heat by Needtobreathe
Reviewed by Susan Lloyd
"NEEDTOBREATHE's
debut disc, Daylight, made me sit up and take notice, but The Heat
made me a fan for life."
To say that NeedtoBreathe’s latest effort, The
Heat,
is one of my favorite CD’s of the summer would really be an understatement.
It’s one of my favorite CD’s of the year. This four man band
hailing from my home state of South Carolina has grown by leaps and bounds
over their last CD. Their debut disc, Daylight, made me sit up and take notice,
but The Heat made me a fan for life. Musically and lyrically, the band has
produced a solid effort that hopefully will earn some much deserved critical
acclaim
Brothers Bear and Bo Rinehart
have done a great job with song writing, and as always, bands who write
their own material seem to earn my respect immediately.
I love the southern rock undertones of stand out songs like “Run Away” and
with lyrics like:
It’s
easy to find potential in the before, but we look the same in the afters…
listeners are challenged to think
about what they’re hearing. “Run
Away” actually happens to be my favorite track in the collection and
features an impressive acappella breakdown in the middle of the song that
builds nicely into the final repetition of the chorus. There are layers and
layers of sound on this particular song, and the first time I heard it, I
hit repeat before the song was even over.
The songs are well crafted musically,
and a variety of instruments are brought in to create sounds that are reflective
of the musical tapestry the Rinehart
brothers were exposed to growing up. Subtle southern rock with a tinge of
the blues (The Heat), bold gospel inspired soul (Washed by the Water), big
brass similar to the sounds of the 70’s band Chicago (Movin’ On)
and lilting acoustic (More Time, Second Chances) are all painted beautifully
over a canvas of impressive lyrics. I can’t say enough about the distinct
southern crawl (that’s not a typo… listen to the man sing and
you’ll know what I’m talking about) of Bear Rinehart’s
voice. Honestly, his voice is so well textured and so flexible that it is
arguably the most impressive instrument on the album.
I was most moved by the song “Return”. The lyric reminds me
of the story of the prodigal son, and the plea “return to me” is
repeated in the closing bars of the song over a very sparse instrumentation.
Gorgeous. Equally moving is “Streets of Gold”, a surprisingly
upbeat song about losing someone to a protracted illness. The line,
All
of the time it takes to figure it out could be the moments you can’t
live without is one that anyone who has loved someone with a terminal illness
can fully appreciate. The whole song is underpinned with a strong bass line
and has a very nice percussive break in the first verse.
Another topic tackled is the typical
commitment phobic behavior of the modern male. “Looks like Love” will
earn the favor of all women who hear it because of this one line;
Our
hearts can only shake when there’s risk that they could break.
Yeah it’s a chance that I will take
I can hear the sighing now. The
song is a refreshing reminder that some men “get it” where relationships are concerned, don’t
go the way of the world, and can commit to what is right in relationships.
Nestled in the center of the album
on track eight is the stunning “Signature
of the Divine”. There is no question that this is a praise song. It
reminds me of something that the Newsboys might do, and placing it in the
center of the CD I believe is no accident. It has potential to be used in
many churches due to the overt praise centered lyrics, easy chord progression
and readily learned melody line. I definitely plan to find a way to incorporate
it into our church’s contemporary service!
There are so many other songs
that standout on this album and each track is unique. I had trouble writing
this review, not because there wasn’t
enough say but because there is too much to say! The CD is incredibly rich
and deserves a Dove award nomination this year. I’ll even go so far
as to say that I believe it deserves a Grammy nod. I have the pleasure of
attending a NeedtoBreathe concert in the very near future and I am really
looking forward to hearing these songs performed live. And yes, it’s
true that part of the reason I was initially drawn to this band IS because
they are from tiny Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, but their musical prowess
and attention to lyrics are the reasons I’ll stick around to hear what
they do next.
Hymned Again by Bart Millard
Reviewed by Dale Lewis
"...a
diversified smorgasboard offering the listener New Orleans influenced
horn-driven jazz to Texas blue-rock guitar to bluegrass to... country. "
Most of these hymns
on Hymned Again date back to the 1800s and talk about sharing one’s faith during the era when evangelism was
on the rise. Bart states, “These are the songs that were a huge part
of my upbringing.” As a pastor’s kid raised in The Salvation
Army with these powerful hymns, I would agree wholeheartedly!
Bart Millard, of the band MercyMe,
teams up with producer Brown Bannister as he did with the first release,
Hymned. Millard shares his passionate vocals
with a sweet, supporting line up of studio musicians. Hymned Again is a diversified
smorgasboard offering the listener New Orleans influenced horn-driven jazz
to Texas blue-rock guitar to bluegrass to . . . country. Don’t let
this scare you non-country fans from buying this CD!
One of my favorite cuts is “I Stand Amazed” performed as a simple
melody without the instrumentation consuming the powerful lyrics. It was
a needed reprise amongst all the other hymns. Others I liked were “What
a Day That Will Be,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “Leaning
on the Everlasting Arms,” which is showcased in a 1970s funk-soul arrangement.
The horn section has a Denver and the Mile High Orchestra flavor especially
on “What a Day That Will Be.” The clarinet and ukulele share
the spotlight also in these modern day arrangements.
Deep within there is a part of
me longing for the hymns of old to remain untouched — left as originally
performed for no better reason than out of reverence and respect for the
lyrics. And there is part of me that
thoroughly enjoyed these new arrangements, (well, most of them) . . . listening
to the joyful noise while drawing a new appreciation for the message of these
God-ordained lyrics.
Thanks Bart for stepping out again
and reminding us that the songs of the past need to find new life in the
present, (although I would consider deleting
that musical saw in “What a Friend”). I can’t wait to get
to heaven to sing these hymns, in whatever version, to God’s glory!
I might even pick up my trumpet and join in on the worship
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2
Reviewed by C.J. Darlington
"...if
you enjoyed the first installment you’ll probably
enjoy Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2."
If you saw the first Beverly
Hills Chihuahua movie, you’ll have
a good idea what to expect in this straight to DVD sequel. Cute dogs, silly
antics, an outrageous plot, and did we mention cute dogs? Lead pooches
Papi and Chloe have just gotten married and soon have a brood of five little
pups to keep them on their toenails. Dad Papi (voiced perfectly once again
by George Lopez) takes it all in stride and every night, with the best
of intentions, tells his little ones stories of the Chihuahua warriors
of long ago. The only problem is the puppies take the stories literally
and get into all sorts of mischief. Poor Papi ends up in the dog house
more than once for filling the puppies’ heads with grand ideas.
But it’s not
the dogs that need saving this time around. The parents of Papi’s
owner Sam are about to be evicted from their beloved home. After several
attempts to make things right with the bank, it's not
looking good. But when a pack of determined Chihuahuas is on your side,
how can you lose?
With the original grossing
almost 95 million in 2008, it was at first surprising to see the sequel
going
straight to DVD. But with little of
the same star power attached, it makes sense. At least Papi kept his original
voice. Chloe and Delgado did not, though it’s not too distracting
as their new voices are similar enough. However, it was disappointing to
see no human actors reprise their roles from the first film. Susan Blakely
takes over for Jamie Lee Curtis as Aunt Viv, but she only appears briefly
in one or two scenes. Most of the human acting was actually rather wooden,
but there were a few supporting characters who made things interesting,
namely
Elaine
Hendrix as the owner of a snotty French Poodle and the cat loving bank
clerk. Also, Morgan Fairchild does justice to a dog show commentator alongside
French Stewart.
The best part of the movie was seeing cool German Shepherd Delgado again.
The subplot involving his two estranged police dog sons was a nod to every
melodramatic father/son movie ever made, but it actually worked here and
was a touching addition.
All in all, if you enjoyed the
first installment you’ll probably
enjoy Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, especially if you’re a dog lover
or a kid. It’s clean entertainment with a good message about love
and family. Just don’t expect too much, and you’ll have an
enjoyable family movie night.
.
Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz
Reviewed by Caleb Newell
"Jonny
has put together an intelligent album whose lyrics are of great depth."
Jonny Diaz went to
college on a baseball scholarship, but God had other plans. Jonny soon
picked up his guitar and the buzz went out nationwide.
Jonny is the fourth of four brothers to go to college on a baseball scholarship,
so you can only image how big a decision it was to go the music route. Matt
Diaz, Jonny’s brother, currently plays for the Atlanta Braves as a
left fielder. Jonny released his debut album in 2003, and has since produced
four albums, the latest being “More Beautiful You”.
The title track, "More Beautiful You", starts out the album and explores
how most women have low self image. This song states that beauty is what
on the
outside but what/ who is on the inside. This verse says it the best, “So
turn around you’re not too far/ To back away be who you are/ To change
your path go another way/ it’s not too late you can be saved/ If you
feel depressed with past regrets/ The shameful nights hop to forget/ Can
disappear they can all be wash away/ By the one who’s strong can right
you wrongs/ Can rid your fear dry all you tears/ And change the way you look
at this big world/ He will take you dark distorted view/ And with his like
he will show you truth/ and again you’ll see through the eyes of a
little girl.”
“Love like You Loved” is a catchy tune, and a personal prayer
to be more like the Messiah and less like ourselves. “Waiting Room” shows
the condition of the human heart toward prays answered the way we don’t
want them. Jonny probably wrote this from his personal decision to become
a singer instead of a baseball player. “See the Wind” is my favorite
song on the album. It describes how through this life and its hectic uniform,
it tends to drown out God’s every day miracles---for now we can’t
see him but one day we will see the un-seeable.
Jonny has put together an intelligent album whose lyrics are of great depth,
all songs having been written or co-written by Jonny. This collection of
tracks from Jonny Diaz is a must have. As Theresa Ross said, “Jonny’s
sound is ‘now’”.
Greatest Hits by Avalon
Reviewed by Jennifer Bogart
"...a
highly pleasing album that provides not only an enjoyable listening
experience, but one that leads its audience into an interactive state
of worship."
Over the past thirteen
years Avalon has become a mainstay in CCM. Their blend of pop, dance, and
R&B inflected songs that invariably
bring the honor to God are both infective and musically solid. Newcomers
to the group can’t go in wrong in starting with The Greatest Hits,
a generous sampling of sixteen of their most well known offerings.
Hard-core
Avalon fans already in possession of the groups previous hit-filled compendium
Testify to
Love: The Very Best of Avalon will find a large amount
of overlap between the two discs. As a newcomer to the group myself, each
song is fresh and previously unheard, but long time fans will find only
five tracks difference from the previous collection. In fact, the tracks
that were recorded specifically for The Very Best of Avalon such as “New
Day,” and “Everything to Me” have been taken from that
disc directly into this one.
Still, dedicated fans may be able
to justify the purchase. A new song, “Still
My God,” proves to be a real tearjerker, highlighting God’s unchanging
nature through our trials and challenges. The last four tracks on the disc: “All,” “You
Were There,” “Orphans of God,” and “In Christ Alone” have
been swapped in from previous albums.
“Orphans of God” is a particularly moving inclusion from Stand – a
symphonic, tender song of reassurance that celebrates God’s unending
grace. “All” is a somewhat more two-dimensional tune, exhibiting
a bounty, R&B influence. “You Were There” is an introspective,
mellow song with a surprisingly forceful chorus.
“In Christ Alone” draws from the vein that is ever popular amongst
CCM artists – covering traditional hymns with their own distinctive
arrangements. A beautiful rendition, Avalon’s take on the hymn features
heart-plucking harmonies, big, bold vocalizations, and poignant guitar accompaniment
in the simpler sections that bursts into an array of strong percussion back
up during the chorus.
The classics that were previously
included in the last greatest hits collection are clearly appearing again
for a reason. “Testify to Love” is
an addictive headliner that pops into my head throughout the day and demands
to be sung. “Knockin’ On Heavens Door” proves itself as
a perennial favourite on account of it’s chorus that depicts the insistent,
never-ending prayers of a believer confident in her position as a child of
God.
Personally, I could have passed
on “Give It Up” from the oldies
but goodies section of the disc – somewhere between the heavy reliance
on synthesizers and the embellishing “na na na’s” I tune
out. Likewise the dance-style rhythms of “Wonder Why” generally
leave me cold. “New Day” rounds out the trio of tunes that I
wouldn’t have missed if they’d been left out of the compilation.
There are some true Avalon classics
included that make the album. “Take
You At Your Word” is an insanely catchy, upbeat song that catches me
every time and finds me belting out the chorus at full volume. “Can’t
Live a Day” makes me cry more often than not as I’m reminded
of my complete dependence on Jesus, “The Glory” is a story song
that recalls Jesus’ life and sacrifice, and “Adonai” is
a slow song with understated accompaniment that nonetheless a heart-rending
cry to the creator.
I’ll admit that at first listen, the music struck me as somewhat fluffy,
but after repeated listening many of these songs have become woven into my
life. I’ve come to appreciate their theologically sound, yet still
entertaining perspective (not always present in CCM), the variety of represented
moods, and the clear vocal abilities of the group’s performers.
Avalon:
The Greatest Hits is indeed
a highly pleasing album that provides not only an enjoyable listening experience,
but one that leads its audience
into an interactive state of worship. I’d be hard pressed to number
the times the songs I initially viewed as simple have led me to tears of
repentance and rejoicing. This resulting emotional response and turning towards
God in a listener should be the highest praise an album can receive.
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