Artist: Switchfoot
Album: The Beautiful Letdown
Format: Audio CD MP3
Bitrate: ??? kbps
Track Listing:
Album Review
Switchfoot has been a force in the Christian music industry ever since their debut The Legend of Chin in 1997. With many acts dumbing down different secular genres, they created their own with much success. Their originality paid off, with mainstream Columbia Records calling to co-release the band's fourth studio album along with longtime partner Sparrow Records. It could have been their four-song addition to the Mandy Moore film A Walk To Remember or it might be that they really are just that good. Now with The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot is on pace to break down a barrier that always seems to build back up while assembling a partition around themselves as the only artist to do whatever it is that they do so well.
Leading off are two songs where Switchfoot shows the progression they’ve been making in their musical craftiness. “Meant to Live” comes in as a radio rock powerhouse that should be played and overplayed like any good rock station does while “This Is Your Life” molds techno beats and rock greatness to create the greatest song of the album presenting what new addition Jerome Fontamillas (keys/ guitar), formerly of Mortal fame, has to offer.
Now comes the quirky Switchfoot we all know and love. “More Than Fine” and “Gone” bring happy go lucky hits that the Beach Boys wish they were making back then, where doo whopping wonderment ensues. ”Ammunition” and “Adding to the Noise” add mid-tempo rockers with lyrics of true greatness and meaningful self exploration into the soul. “Redemption” takes a bit of both; rock journeyment and cheerful liveliness while “Dare You to Move” is a slight remake of a song on their junior release Learning to Breathe. “The Beautiful Letdown,” “24,” and “On Fire” slows things down beautifully only adding to the fact that lead singer Jon Foreman is the ballad prince of song.
Switchfoot has never really been anything but a mainstream caliber band, being one of Christian music’s best kept secrets. But now, the gloves are off and like the proud parents we die hard fans are, it’s time to let them go into the world. With The Beautiful Letdown, it’s now time for Switchfoot to take over everyone’s hearts, one soul at a time.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown (2003)
Friday, October 13, 2006
Hillsong Australia - Forever (2003)
Artist: Hillsong Australia
Album: Forever
Format: Audio CD
Bitrate: 192 kbps
Track Listing:
01. Carry Me
02. Forever
03. You Are My World
04. You Are Near
05. Irresistible
06. It Is You
07. Song Of Love
08. You Are Holy
09. Come To Me
10. Agnes Dei
Album review
Hillsong favourites including "You Are My World," "Irresistible" and the title track "Forever", all in an instrumental format. I found it pleasant enough, but not compelling listening. I think I may have benefited more from it if the song lyrics had been printed on the sleeve, instead of it being filled with advertisements for various Hillsongs products and events. As it was, I was alternatively trying to remember the words to the ones I knew, and wondering when the tune was going to start on the others. As for the musical style, my wife walked in during my first play through and kept expecting one of the tunes to turn into a Dire Straits number! It's OK I suppose, if you are a Hillsongs (or Dire Straits) fan, but there are more creative and original instrumental albums out there.
Review from Crossrhythms.co.uk
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Hillsong Australia - Hope (2003)
Artist: Hillsong Australia
Album: Hope
Format: Audio CD
Bitrate: ???
Track Listing on CD1:
01. Better Than Life
02. Glory
03. Ever Living God
04. Need You Here
05. My Hope
06. Still
07. Angels
08. Can’t Stop Praising
09. You Are/You Are Lord
10. Here I Am to Worship/Call
11. Highest
Tracks on Bonus CD :
01. Song of Freedom
02. Shout Your Fame
03. Exceeding Joy
04. King of Love
05. To the Ends of the Earth
06. Free
07. Highest (reprise)
Album review
With state-of-the-art sound, lighting and media technology, the facility has been referred to as one of the most technologically-advanced in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Hillsong phenomenon continues and this lavishly presented live album, recorded at the new Hillsong Convention Centre in Sydney earlier this year, breaks no new musical ground. It is still an effecting, atmospheric celebration however, with several outstanding new songs such as Reuben Morgan’s stirring “Glory” and Raymond Badham’s “Ever Living God”, the latter showing that Darlene Zschech is still a superb vocalist. Despite all the musical excellence on display, the Hillsong team on “Here I Am To Worship” can’t improve on Tim Hughes’ classic original. But there is one breathtaking original, the Celtic-tinged anthem “Highest” which builds and builds. On the DVD it’s 15 minutes in length though on the CD you get seven minutes on disc one and the rest on the bonus disc! An epic item of majestic, evocative power with spine tingling instrumental passages.
Review from Crossrhythms.co.uk
