1. Hope
2. That's What Mercy Is
3. Too Wonderful
4. Give Yourself Away
5. Magnet
6. Song Of Songs
7. God Hears
8. Thousand Steps
9. Beauty Of Our God
10. First Day On Earth
11. Every Child (deserves A Home) [*]
I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when the opener to this album burst in sounding like the Newsboys, considering the name was already in my head from looking up this band. There really is a striking resemblance to the sound the Newsboys achieved on their current album which put me off a bit but after the first track the similarities fade.
In truth, this album seems pretty eclectic in its influences, from the Newsboys opening to Train, but the biggest influence seems to come from Country music. It's been said that one of the things which separates country... Read More I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when the opener to this album burst in sounding like the Newsboys, considering the name was already in my head from looking up this band. There really is a striking resemblance to the sound the Newsboys achieved on their current album which put me off a bit but after the first track the similarities fade.
In truth, this album seems pretty eclectic in its influences, from the Newsboys opening to Train, but the biggest influence seems to come from Country music. It's been said that one of the things which separates country music from other genres (apart from the fetching fashions and line dancing) which is the honesty and story-telling that litters the lyrics and that is what this album takes.
This is certainly not a country album by any stretch of the imagination but it takes that storytelling writing style and makes it fit to the rock/pop elements of the album. If I have to be honest, it is hit and miss though; some tracks thrive on the conversational style which others seem to just swim in the cheese of it, have a listen to Give Yourself Away for a classic example.
Melody wise there are some very high points, notably That's What Mercy Is which is one of the tracks that the Train comparison is most obvious on. After the cheese of Give Yourself Away, Magnet brings back some pumping beats and the excitement about the album pours back. This is one of the tracks where the story telling works, and the mix of the catchy melody really makes it a highlight.
On the whole, this album is a bit hit and miss; picking the Stand Out Tracks was easy because the high points are so high. Unfortunately, in the same vein, picking the low points would have been just as easy.
Review by Suzanne Physick
LTTM Rating 2 out of 5 Stars Stand Out Tracks That's What Mercy Is
Magnet
Beauty of Our God
