Reviews

Newsboys are back, with a new album and a new singer, Born Again has probably been the most anticipated Newsboys release ever. Many questions were asked about the latest band line up and album release, would they sound better, worse, or the same? Would they keep the Newsboys sound or try something new? How would Michael Tait fit in as the new singer? For all of you who were worried about the answers, thankfully all these answers have positive replies.

Usually at this part of the review I would talk about the band's history and their band members, but as the Newsboys are LTTM's Artist of The Month you can click the link to find out more about them.

I have always been a Newsboys fan. In my opinion their last album In The Hands of Go’ was an amazing album and if you haven't heard it, it's well worth a listen. The album before that, Go had some great tracks, but also some average tracks. Adoration and Devotion, the worship albums, were at the time of release something new and fresh from this rock band. Love Liberty Disco wasn't my favourite Newsboys album yet Step Up To The Microphone was a fantastic set of songs and an album that got me into exploring Christian music more.

Born Again kicks off with the heavy title track, and from the word go the guitars and drums are in unison, with Michael Tait adding his own vocal style to the songs. He sings with meaning "This is what it is, This is who I am, This is where I'm gonna take my stand" and you can tell from the start, the new line up with their new singer means business.

The heavy guitars and big power anthems continue onto second track One Shot. Lyrically the song is about singing about God no matter what people think of you, with some very clever lyrics with modern cultural references: "Things change just like the Twitter that you update, or your Facebook status on your front page..." but the main call of the song is to join together and not stay silent.

Now for the change in style, which is very different to the previous two tracks and maybe one you were not expecting. Newsboys have gone for a modern dance edge which jumps out during the tracks Way Beyond Myself and Impossible. The energetic sounding beats are a fresh approach and a massive plus point to this new album.

The style on this album has a mixture of sounds, as said previously we have had some great rock songs and great dance songs. The album is full of anthems that you will be singing again and again. Miracles sounds like a Muse track, another style to add to the this album, whilst On Your Knees is classic Newsboys at their best.

The album ends with two covers, one is Mighty To Save by Hillsong, and the other being Jesus Freak by Michael Tait's old band DCTalk. At first I thought this seemed a bit odd, they didn't need to do it as the previous ten tracks are fabulous. On first listen to Mighty To Save I have to admit I wasn't sure, yet this edgier heavier version soon grew on me. I still prefer the original from Hillsong but this isn't a bad effort. Jesus Freak on the other hand is slightly different, this version features rap artist KJ-52 and is a good solid version. If you had never heard the song before I am sure you will really enjoy hearing this new version of the classic track, yet if you knew the original, this version will take you back to the good old days of Christian Rock.

Could Born Again be the album of the year? In my opinion it has to be up there as one of the albums of the year so far. Born Again is a top quality album, with the new line up doing songs that will keep the Newsboys fans from previous albums happy. On the other hand the band is pushing the sound and style barrier forward with some poppy/dance edge tracks that has something new. In finishing, Newsboys have moved forward since their last album In The Hands of God, with a wonderful complete album that gets top marks from myself and I cannot recommend the album enough.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
On Your Knees
Way Beyond Myself
Born Again