Where to begin? First, let me say, Michael Tait just has an incredible voice. It runs in his family - his sister is Lynda Randle, and if you haven't heard her sing, make the effort. For the most part, the album definitely uses the strength of his voice to its betterment. The only real problem with that is that it also means less focus on the music that is behind the voice.
As a result, the album tends to sound more like a Michael Tait solo album rather than an album by a band. Not that there is anything wrong with a Michael Tait solo album. As I said - his voice could handle it. But, when I hear a band, I tend to expect more than a mere showcase of the lead singer.
The album has several songs that are very heavily influenced in sound by U2. Again, there are far worse things that could be said, but like the focus on a single voice, this is also a detrement.
Now, having said that, understand - I like the album. I really did. I was just left wanting more from it.
The openning song, the "theme" of the album Lose This Life is an okay, upbeat song. The chorus was very strong, but I found the lyrics of the verses to be a little simplistic, and all too rhyme-y (ooh, I like to make up words!) for me.
God Can You Hear Me is a song with fantastic lyrics, and is on the edge of being really great. It is a prime example of what I said when I was wanting "more" from the album. It was so close to being amazing, but just didn't have quite the oomph I was looking for. Maybe I was wanting a harder sound to it, or maybe, at least, a more distinctive sound for it. I don't know.
On Reconnecting, there is more of the distinctive sound I was looking for, particularly when it came to the chorus. A much more driving sort of beat, with strong instruments.
There were aspects of the album that were really great, though.
Heartache is a great song, with such a strong spiritual message. The music is also very good on this. The piano is great, almost haunting.
I also enjoyed Holding Out for Grace. It is a much more subdued sound compared to most of the songs on the album, but I also felt that it was a very good fit.
I was also impressed with the version of Electric Avenue on the album. I might even be willing to say that I enjoyed this version more than the original.
My favorite song on the album, though, and the one that I think has shown a real potential for the sound of the band, would have to be Numb. Great lyrics, a driving guitar, fantastic message. This song made me want the rest of the album to live up to it.
There is also a bonus "hidden" track on the album - and since the album has been out for a while, I don't feel bad about saying what it is - The Christmas Song. While it doesn't really fit on the album, it does absolutely show what kinda pipes Michael Tait has, and appropriately backs him up with some great orchestration.
(On a side note, listen up musicians - the hidden track thing? Yeah, I'm tired of it. It was fun when it was a novelty, but I'm no longer willing to listen to four or five minutes of silence to get to a surprise. If you wanna put the surprise in, just put it right after the last song. It'll still be a special bonus. When I loaded my Sansa with Lose This Life, I cut out the empty tracks, and lo and behold, I still enjoyed the bonus track. Just a thought.)
On a scale from one to ten, I'm giving the album a solid 7. There is a lot of room for improvement, but the potential is definitely there. When the band finds its "voice," then there will definitely be something amazing here.
As for next time... well, I've come to a decision. Doing these each week is starting to feel like real work instead of just the enjoyment I was aiming for. So, I'm going to do album reviews once every two weeks. Next week, it will be something else. In two weeks, though, (keeping with the post-DC Talk theme) I'll be looking at Welcome to Diverse City by Toby Mac.
Hopefully, the extra time will give me more of a chance to appreciate the music.
I'll type at you later!
(Sigh... couldn't get today's sketch scanned in. So, here's another old one. I don't think I've posted this one before. I think someone asked me for Darth Maul from Star Wars as a member of the Sinestro Corps. As for the pose... I don't know. Maybe he's dancing a jig? Oh well.)
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