Over the last six years, Sanctus Real has grown into a leading voice in the new generation of Christian rock. We Need Each Other, the band's fourth release, is their best collection yet of explosive rock songs packed with infectious choruses and soul-stirring lyrics. The band's first three albums have all seen substantial sales growth, and their new album is certain to take them to a whole new level.
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Top 10 Release Of 2008| Posted December 16, 2008
Christian music will always have groups like Sanctus Real that assemble the masses and give something for everyone to enjoy. Getting parents, grandparents, youth pastors and pastors jumping in the same room isn?t easy, but entirely possible with the music from We Need Each Other. Sanctus Real has quickly become that band, left empty by the passing of Audio Adrenaline and Delirious, to name a few.
Their music is packed with emotion and dynamic energy, released in full force on songs like ?Turn On The Lights,? ?Leap Of Faith? and ?Legacy.? ?We Need Each Other,? ?Lay Down My Guns? and ?Sing? drive home messages of love and unity with resonating choruses, multiple harmonies and crowd like chants. ?Whatever Your Doing (Something Heavenly)? and ?Half Our Lives? are radio-friendly ballads destined to dominate radio airplay.
Their fourth studio release offers one of the most solid collection of tracks from the entire year, and I have yet to find a track that I consistently skip over. That?s tough to find in this day of the digital single.
Amazing album, best of 2008!| Posted September 30, 2008
I have really enjoyed this band since "Fight The Tide" and "Everything About You" hooked me. I read somewhere that Sanctus Real is filling the void left by Audio Adrenaline retiring and that is a great description of a great Christian band. I find their sound to be in line with my favorite Christian alternative rock bands, Jars of Clay and Downhere. This is a key album in their career, following up the great "Face of Love", which was among the best of 2006. "We Need Each Other" grabs you right away with the stand-out songs "Turn On The Lights", the title track, "Black Coal", "Sing" and "Legacy", which rank among the best ever Sanctus Real. There are no filler songs and my favorite song is "Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)". In my opinion, so far this is the best album of 2008!
Another Great Installment| Posted February 05, 2008
Sanctus Real is back with yet another good album packed with good music.
"Turn On The Lights" opens the album on a strong note which continues into the exciting title track. "Whatever Your Doing" is destined to be a radio hit. "Black Coal" and "Leap of Faith" are also among the album's highlights. Unlike previous albums which closed on a soft ballad, "We Need Each Other" closes with the exciting "Legacy" leaving quite a strong impact. Another track or two would be appreciated but the album is still quite strong. It should be noted that not all tracks work that well, such as "Half Our Lives" which tends to feel a little bit slow. But as a whole, this album is definitly a winner. It's early yet but this could end up being Sanctus Real's best work yet and easily become one of the Highlights of 2008 in terms of Christian Music.
WE NEED SANCTUS REAL| Posted September 29, 2008
The fourth time is the charm for the always positive, always uplifting Sanctus Real. We Need Each Other is more than just the band’s best release; it is one of the most melodic Christian pop albums to come along in quite some time. Radio has always been all over Sanctus Real, and this hook-filled hit fest will be no exception. The album opens strong with the rocker “Turn On The Lights,” which immediately hits the listener with an amazingly catchy guitar riff that will seer itself into the brain. The band flows effortlessly between these rocking riffs, contemporary pop and modern worship. The stunning production and the band’s flawless performance permeate this release from start to finish. The title track is a brilliantly written pop anthem that will move you and have you singing along. This is one of those songs that does not come along very often, with an unforgettable melody and a chorus that will put this at the top of your Most Played list.
The only thing more powerful than the music and the hooks on We Need Each Other is the message. Frontman Matt Hammitt and the band have come a long way as songwriters, and the lyrics are powerful and mature. The song “Sing” is yet another smash anthem which brings the overall theme that the band is trying to convey to light saying, “Sing, oh, sing with one voice. How sweet it will be when we sing, One church under one King, and we will sing!” The message here is clear, as Christians and as people we need each other. The Church needs to come together as one to unite in Christ and we definitely need artists like Sanctus Real to help convey this message of unity through artful pop hooks and heartfelt anthems. - Dr. Tony Shore
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
Sanctus Real [We Need Each Other]| Posted September 24, 2008
[Main Review]
Sanctus Real returns again with their fourth album titled “We Need Each Other”. In 2005 Sanctus Real won the Dove Award for “Best Modern Rock Album of the Year” for Face of Love as well as many other nominations. Throughout all their success they have also obtained five #1 hits and eleven Top 5 hits. Their newest album recaptivates and shows us why Sanctus Real is rated as one of the best Christian Modern Rock groups around.
We Need Each Other is actually a laid back album, the only rock-style song is Track 1, and the rest is simple and meaningful.
Track 1—“Turn On The Lights” it starts the album saying that we are the light of the world and that it is truly time to allow our light to shine in our worship, walk, and witness. We are the light of the world. So we need to be effective in our purpose; to witness and spread the word of the Living God.
Track 2—“We Need Each Other” it explains to us why we need each other and that everyone needs someone. It tells us that we need someone to get us through the good times and the bad times, no one needs to be alone. No one.
Track 3—“Black Coal” is a unique and very interesting way to look at an unsaved person. The song starts off by saying “Do you believe in the restoration of a broken life?” and goes on later to say,
“It’s so sad when something so radiant is kept from the light
‘Cause I’ve seen divine transformation that Jesus provides
And like a jeweler with a lifeless gemstone, yeah, He can make you shine
You could be a…
A diamond in the black coal”
This is truly fascinating. For you could be covered in darkness and all you have to do is turn to Jesus and he can mold you, clean you, and turn you into a diamond. Something that will sparkle when hit by the light and will be so radiant.
Track 4—“Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly) is a song that describes the transformation process that is discussed in Track 3. For once you surrender everything to God is the place where you can truly find peace and know everything is going to be okay…you just have to have faith. The chorus of this song says it all; it is the basis of your transformation and yes once again you have to have faith,
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
And it is hard to surrender to what I can’t see, but I’m giving into something heavenly
Track 5—“Sing” is more aimed at the church in my opinion, the song constantly throws the idea of singing as one in unison, so the word unity popped into my head. Then at the end of the song it expresses peace, simplicity, and unity. This is where we need to be, not constantly fighting each other and going back and forth on the little things; but look at the big picture and be the light in the darkness, for the darkness will flee when the littlest light is present.
Track 6—“Leap of faith” is a song literally about taking a leap of faith and not giving up, just hold on to your faith and believe that everything will be okay. For all you need is the faith of a mustard seed to move mountains.
Track 7—“Lay Down My Guns” is a song that works on two levels, the thought process came from our soldiers in Iraq that serve us each and everyday and they use this on he basis to discuss spiritual warfare. You are in spiritual warfare as long as you serve the Lord, Jesus Christ; it is the way the devil tries to tear us down. The song then goes on to say, “lay down my guns and lift my hands, Surrender to love and live again.” This is powerful, for if you remain in the light and on the path of righteousness, you will one day leave the war and have everlasting peace and joy in Heaven; with all your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Track 8—“Eternal” portrays how everything on this earth will one day fade away, but you will always have your heavenly father.
“And in this marriage of our hearts there is no, “death do us part”
For you are eternal, and I am eternally yours”
For God will never fade away, he is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. As long as we serve him wholeheartedly we will be truly eternally his.
Track 9—“Half Our Lives” wants us to focus on and reflect on the past. What have we done? Have we used our time effectively? Did we make a difference?
Track 10—“Legacy’” asks a huge question, what will you be remembered for? What will be your legacy? Will they see Christ? It is time to stop living in the humanistic nature, even though we are humans. But according to the book of Ephesians we are to imitate Christ, we are to be Christ-like; and Christ was not of this world, he was perfect. So what will they say when you are gone, will you just be a memory or will you be a history maker?
This whole album is a powerful, powerful testimony of the way we are to be, and I strive that this whole album will be as real in my life as the words are in it
CLOSING THOUGHTS
________________________________________
Once again this album is terrific. In my opinion, it explains a lot and is a basis for the way a Christian should be. For you must witness to others, surrender to God, fight the war over your soul, and let your light shine. Do not be afraid to strap on the Armor of God and let your light shine; for where there is light, darkness cannot be. For God sent his only son Jesus to us, a man who knows no sin and yet became sin for us. Jesus died for you and I think today we take that for granted and get caught up in our everyday lives. Jesus is a history maker and everything will be okay, for we are in his hands. So I have to ask you again, what will be your legacy?
We need each other, for support, accountability, and to just get through the day to day ordeals. We are always in Spiritual Warfare and we can always use a friend. So let’s all stand together and be one in the body of Christ, unified in what we do.
Review written by: Barry Collins
(barry.collins@christianmusicreview.org)
Review can also be found at:
http://www.christianmusicreview.org/sanctusreal_weneedeachother.html
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from ChristianMusicReview.org. Click here to visit ChristianMusicReview.org today!
Sanctus Real's Newest Album| Posted September 14, 2008
This is one of my favorite albums! What I like soo much about this cd, is the words in the songs. They are so very good :) "We Need Each Other" made me sing the songs to it over and over again. I can't tell you how much I love this cd! The very best songs are *drum roll*: "Legacy", "Leap of Faith", "Turn on the Lights", "Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)", "Black Coal", "Eternal" and "We Need Each Other". I luv the other songs too!!! 5 REALLY HUGE stars. Super nice album...Yup!
We Need Each Other| Posted July 29, 2008
Sanctus Real is yet another band I joined in late with their latest album. I'll admit, their single 'We Need Each Other' got ahold of me and wouldn't let go. It's so anthemic and catchy that I couldn't resist turning up the volume and with the "Oh Oooh we need each other" part in the chorus I could picture being at a concert and the whole crowd joining in joyfully. It's made to be played in an arena, that's for sure and a few other songs like 'Turn On The Lights' and 'Sing' are too. The former is a heavy rocker with a fantastic guitar riff and where Matt Hammitt's vocals soar, showing his impressive range. Unfortunately he doesn't show it off all that often as he's a bit lower key through the rest of the album but he still does a great job. 'Sing' is a top-notch worship song that boldy states 'One church under one King', and make no mistake, it's a fast-paced worship song that doesn't sound like a knockoff.
I can really connect to the lyrics on this album and I'm glad they aren't afraid to show their faith. 'Leap of Faith', in particular, I can relate to with it's talk about failing in your mind before you even try and being stuck in the same place, needing to take a leap of faith. Really, if it wasn't for the lyrics and great anthems this album would feel like any other Christian Rock band. The album also goes slow after 'Lay Down My Guns', a song for not only soldiers but anyone fighting with situations in life. 'Legacy' is a decent rocker to close the album but not very memorable. The bonus track, 'Hero', that is a free download upon buying the album should've been added at the end to close it out instead. I can't help but feel this album could've been more with better planning of the tracklist and the addition of the extra track but it's still a powerful rock album that will be one of my favorites for what it does have. It hasn't done so well the longer I have it though as it doesn't have much to come back to once the hooks wear off.
Gems of this album are: 'We Need Each Other', 'Turn On The Lights', 'Sing', 'Leap of Faith'
We need something else (the death of a Sanctus Real fan)| Posted February 08, 2008
Sanctus Real's sophomore album Fight the Tide really was an impressive rock album, numerous hits off of it and it set up for many more. The Face of Love came after that with a handful of number 1 hits ("I'm not alright", "face of love", and "don't give up") but the rest of the album was okay. We need each other, Sanctus Real's newest album, had many good impressions starting with the smash hit single "we need each other". But is this how rock music dies?
The beginning of the album certainly sounded like prime time Sanctus Real, as "turn out the lights was a gritty, but still a good rock song. The title track "we need each other" is excellent, it has a great intro, and it flows nicely. "black coal" is rough, and "whatever you are doing" is a soft song boarding on light rock, after that lose all the impressions of a once rock band. The song "Sing" is upbeat but is a worship song, not something the Band has really done.
The album moves closer too really soft and father away from rock. "Leap of faith is pretty okay, and songs don't get much slower than "lay down my guns". "Eternally yours" is, guess what, a slow song, and so is "Legacy" which has an odd sound to it. One of the great things about Sanctus Real is the way they threw original rock tune, but sadly that is not the case here. By the time the upbeat medium rock song "legacy comes around, it's too late to same "One of the top Christian rock bands, rock CD's".
The music slightly excusable, a band changing their music happens all the time, but what happened to Sanctus Real's cleverly written lyrics, and the original ways they conveyed in their messages? The album starts with "turn out the lights" which says absolutely nothing of meaning. "We need each other" is a wonderful song about relationships and people and their value, after that is "black coal" is a good song but the message is oddly told. "Whatever you are doing", "leap of faith", and "lay down my guns" all have good lyrics but nothing listeners have not heard and It isn't different way either. Same goes with the rest of the album.
Let's look back to older Sanctus Real: catchy tunes, original lyrics, and clever ways of conveying them. Now let's look at We Need each: not many infectious songs, slow tunes, basic messages, and bland lyrics. There is a major difference, while change is good this peculiar "rock" band may not have been than great. This Sanctus Real CD is not for long time fans or rock fans.
We Need Each Other| Posted June 26, 2012
Sanctus Real is my favorite band, by far. All of the music they come out with is spirited, honest, and amazing, lyrically and musically. We Need Each Other is no exception, and the amount of emotional connection I think everyone can have with this album is what makes it special.
Great| Posted March 04, 2010
We Need Each Other is a great album. It is a great follow up to The Face of Love.
5=Love it. 4=Like it. 3=It's Alright. 2= Don't really like it. 1= Don't like it at all.
Turn on the Lights- Great song, a fantastic opener, a great rocker that shows that the whole album is great. Great song witha great message. 5/5
We Need Each Other- Fantastic song. This song is about understanding that God created us to love. To love Him, to love ourselves, and to love each other.
5/5
Black Coal- Another good song. I like this song because of its message. Its about God's perfection washing away our impurities with his grace and making us shine like jewels. 5/5
Whatever You're Doing(Something Heavenly)- My personal favorite on this album. I love this song because of the hope one can find in it. This song is about understanding that even though things may seem chaotic, God is there working in the background. Peace can be found in God even through chaos. 5/5
Sing- Yet again, another great song, very peaceful, a soft message calling the church to worship God. 5/5
Leap of Faith- Great song about faith. About taking a leap of faith and believing that god is in control at all times. 5/5
Lay Down My Guns- Another highlight in this album. This song is in a soldiers perspective. A soldier wanting to lay down his guns and come back home because its hard to be faithful in such a chaotic area.
5/5
Eternal- Another one of my favorites. This song is about God's love, which endures forever. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Half Our Lives- Personally, i really don't like this song. It just doesn't satisfy like the rest of the album. 2/5
Legacy: Another good song that asks how we will be remember when we are gone, if we have made an impact on people. 5/5
Overall this is a great album. I am more into heavier rock but i truly enjoyed this album and i highly recommend it to anyone who loves music.
Amazing Album| Posted March 02, 2010
Sanctus Real's fourth release is great and will bring in a totally new fanbase. Some of the old fans will probably not enjoy the move from rocky to soft more cotemplative sounds.
awesome| Posted February 28, 2010
this was the first sanctus real cd i ever owned and i fell absolutely in LOVE with it! matt's vocals are so authentic, and the lyrics are so honest that it's hard not to just love them! i love all their albums, but i especially love this album. :)
Sanctus Real| Posted March 26, 2009
Sanctus Real Truely has done a very good job on this outing,We Need Each Other,melodic and inspirational the vocal are huating and the instruments don't overpower.The message string thru out the album flow nicely into each other and truely tell the story that we rally do need one another and we are "One Voice ,One Church Under One King" Thanks guys nicely done
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