Two time female vocalist of the year, Natalie Grant, says of her new album, Relentless, "God is relentless because his love for us is limitless, unconditional and undying. And as God has always relentlessly pursued me, I will be relentless in my pursuit of Him. I pray this album will awaken the relentless spirit within others, knowing that as you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. Features the hit, "In Better Hands."
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Great Album, Top 10 of 2008!| Posted June 25, 2008
Natalie Grant has seemingly risen to the ranks of Amy Grant and Rebecca St. James as a multiple female vocalist of the year winner. "Relentless" is an important album in Natalie's career as it follows up Natalie's best-selling "Awaken" and it doesn't disappoint her fans and will probably win her some new fans. I am very impressed with the opening song "I Will Not Be Moved", which resembles power pop like Kelly Clarkson and has the awesome bridge referencing Christ as our Solid Rock, such as in 1st Corinthians 10:4.
The hit song "In Better Hands" is next and it is one of the best songs I've ever heard, and the strongest track overall. The other highlights for me are "Back At My Heart", "Let Go", "Perfect People" and "Our Hope Endures", written by Christa Wells who wrote "Held". Overall, it is a great album and top 10 of 2008 in my opinion.
EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER| Posted September 29, 2008
Natalie Grant’s latest album, Relentless, is a reminder why she wears the crown of top female vocalist in the Christian industry. From the opening strains of the first track to the achingly simple refrain of the last, this 11-song power-packed emotional roller coaster succeeds at making familiar ideas fresh, compelling and emotive.
The pure emotion with which Grant delivers each song indicates she is coming more into her own, not only as an artist, but as a woman, a mother, and daughter of God. “Better Hands” captures the essence of a soul lost in self-doubt, and yet saved in the power and sovereignty of a savior. Another standout presentation of compelling, yet familiar language and gripping delivery lies in “Our Hope Endures;” Grant should be commended for becoming a vessel of the power of Christ to look on human frailty and folly and shine through with the power of an all-sufficient King.
With a solid package of truth, soul, incredible musicianship and production that is at times overbearing, but overall, well-balanced, Relentless earns a spot as an important contribution to the musical world and the body of Christ. -Caroline Lusk
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
It's about time Natalie Grant got Relentless| Posted July 22, 2008
It’s been a while since Natalie Grant fans had something to cheer about. It had been almost three years since her last album Awaken in 2005. Recently the two time female vocalist of the year gave her fans the hit single “in better hands” which sounded like a former hit “held” and that set the stage for her latest Relentless.
It’s hard to tie down Natalie Grant’s music to one or two simple genres and Relentless is not exception as she throws out pop, medium rock, adult contemporary, and even a hint of hip hop on one track. Surprisingly there are no real worship songs, save the hymn “in Christ alone”. One thing that sticks out about Grant (that probably made her popular in the first place) is her emotional and sometimes over dramatic songs. There is plenty of evidence for that on “in better hands” which is a emotional, simple piano driven song, and “make a way” which is a ballad that stays very light from start to finish. Grant also tried her hand at rock a few times, most notably the single “I will not be moved” where in the middle of her medium rock chorus is the main piece from the hymn “my hope is built on nothing less” (which has a lot of twang to it).
Her success may not be rooted by the fact that she is attractive, as much as her voice is very solid, even among her moments of twang. An example of that lies with “safe” where her voice shines among the piano and violin in one of the albums abundance of ballads. The wild cards on Relentless may surprise fans musically like the up beat rock tune “make it better” and, especially “so long” where her music has a hip-hop flair and a style similar to that of Mary Mary and “shackles”. Natalie doesn’t seem to act her age, or at least what music style she should be doing on “let go” when her music gets up beat and almost catchy.
The key phrase and the reason for the title can be summed by Grant: ‘God is relentless because his love for us is limitless, unconditional and undying’. That theme definitely plays a part in her album on tracks like “make a way” (a song about a girl who left home in pursuit of fame but found hard years, but eventually Christ) and “our hope endures” which deals with the hope we can have when the darkest time hits. “I will not be moved” is taken from Psalm 62:2 and “so long” reflects on the redemption and her past self (‘Apathy, hunting me/Like some contagious disease/Hypocrisy hiding in the shadows… Those stains of my history are gone, gone, gone’).
For the hit single the fun of the song lasted about twenty seconds until the line ‘You cant love if you don’t love yourself’ (God’s word says something’s that contradict that statement) and while that line may have had you thinking this was somewhat about the matter of “self esteem” think again. According to Grant it’s about a person who suffered burns over 85% of his body. Okay nice but that story is not at all reflected in the song. And a few songs are not quite that impressive, especially “wonderful life” where the deepest line is ‘Is the perfect day to be alive/So no more waiting now’. While “make it matter has is a decent song at heart it gets a little cliché (‘Take my life and lift me up to the sky/Take my dreams and help me to fly’).
Except for the over stocked ballads and over dramatized tunes, her album is surprisingly musically sound… and diverse to, making Relentless a solid listen from beginning to end with few pot holes. However the album as a whole is not without faults because in the midst of her sweet sounding songs there is some lyrical depth lacked. That aside the time taken from Natalie Grant to make paid off enough to please fans and maybe make some new ones.
Really Good!| Posted August 17, 2010
This was an awesome album. I wasn't that big of a fan for Natalie Grant until I heard this album. Now, I really like her stuff and really hope to get more albums. My favorite track from this album is I will Not Be Moved, which is a great song with a great tune. Better Hands is another good song that everyone will enjoy. Whether or not you're a Natalie Grant fan, you will enoy this album. Trust me.
Great cd!| Posted January 14, 2009
When I got this cd I was slightly doubtful I would like it. I only knew two songs from the cd and I didn't know 'bout the others. So, I grabbed my earphones, my cd player, and hit the play button. Let me tell yah, her cd is great! Natalie Grant really had outdone herself on this cd. All the songs on it are great to listen to and I recommend this cd to anyone that likes this kind of music.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!| Posted November 19, 2008
AMAZING CD!! I only have 3 of Natalie Grant's Cds...but I honestly think that this is probably her best. Well out of the ones I have it is for sure. Don't get me wrong, the other ones are amazing as well, but this one just blew me away!! There aren't very many songs that make me cry. I almost never cry from listening to a song. "Safe" is the song that really got to me and made me break down the very first time I heard it. This song just really hit me because I struggle a lot with often feeling as if God has left me and that as long as I've got Him in my heart, I'm always going to be safe no matter what life may throw my way.
"Perfect People" is another one that really got to me because I constantly struggle with trying to please everyone around me and make sure that everyone is happy and what not. Despite the many times I've listened to this song, I still struggle with my people pleasing tendencies. But with every time I listen to this song, the closer I become to fully realizing that I need help in getting through and overcoming this because it's not good for me and it's only bringing me down. But I know that it will ultimately be a process.
Every other song has a special meaning for me and means something different and special to me. But those are the 2 songs that I really wanted to point out because they are amazing songs and just 2 of the songs from this album that really got to me. I recommend this album for new and old Natalie Grant fans. So go out and buy it if you haven't already!! :) :) :)
Natalie Grant is relentless| Posted May 27, 2008
After "Awaken," I had thought that Natalie Grant had already seen her best days. Although it remains to be seen how "Relentless" will be received by radio, I personally believe this is Natalie's best record to date.
"I Will Not Be Moved" rocks like nothing Natalie has ever done. I was pleased to see that it is being released to radio. "In Better Hands" is memorable from the very first listen. "Back At My Heart" is the type of introspective ballad that Natalie does so very well. "Perfect People" would fit on any project by Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne. The only track that puzzled me a bit was "In Christ Alone," which seemed a bit out of place. This CD leaves me wondering what Natalie will do next . . . .
Sweet Album!| Posted November 13, 2008
This album is sweet! I love her mix of pop and rock and jazz. My favorites are "Let Go", "So Long" and "Wonderful Life". Though the best song is "I Will Not Be Moved". Yeah, Natalie, this is just sick.
:)| Posted May 11, 2008
Natalie Grant has an amazing voice. I had never really heard of her until I went to the Revolve tour and I fell in love with her. The day after this album came out I bought it.
:)
Relentless---No Better Word could Describe Natalie Grant| Posted March 04, 2008
"Relentless" is the much-anticipated 5th studio album---7th if you include a live worship album and a holiday album---from numerously Dove-nominated Natalie Grant. "Relentless" is a lot of "Awaken" with more upbeat tunes, but also more ballads. In fact, half of the album is made up of ballads, which can be a good or a bad thing. In this case, it is definitely a good thing, though I would like to have seen more upbeat songs. Only someone like Natalie Grant can pull off having 6 ballads on a 12-track album. There is honestly not one bad song on here.
The album opens with the pop-rocker "I Will Not Be Moved." The song is a bit harder rock than any of Nat's previous work, and the perfect way to open the album. The song reminds me a lot of BarlowGirl, and could have easily fit into any of their albums. Track 2 is a little early for an album's first ballad, but nevertheless, the first single "In Better Hands" falls here. The song was well received since it hit radio airwaves last August, and has hit #1 on several charts. "Better" starts as a soft ballad, but builds and builds until it reaches the climactic 3rd verse, giving Nat a real chance to show off her awesome vocals. "Make It Matter" and "Wonderful Life" are catchy, fun pop songs that are real highlights on the album. Matthew West helped pen the rock-fused ballad "Back At My Heart," which is mostly a cry to God for redemption. "Let Go" and "Perfect People" are catchy rockers, following pursuit of "I Will Not Be Moved." "Our Hope Endures" has been compared many times to her signature song, "Held." Both songs are written by Christa Wells, and both are about crying to God in troubled times. However, musically and melodically, they are very different. "Hope" has a distinct soft rock ballad sound, and could easily be a single from the album. The lyrics are probably the best part of the song, stating, "Our hope endures/The worst of conditions/It's more than our optimism/Let the earth quake/Our hope is unchanged." "So Long" is an acoustic pop song, with a horn-driven chorus. The lyrics remind me a lot of MercyMe's "So Long Self", and the chorus is catchy and easily accessible. The album ends with three back-to-back-to-back ballads. Tiffany Arbuckle-Lee (aka Plumb) co-wrote "Safe," which is probably my favorite of the album's ballads. The Plumb influence is obvious and could have easily been recorded by her. Natalie's vocals even sound a little Plumb-like in the middle parts of the song. The lyrics and vocals alike are beautiful, powerful, and majestic. "Brittany's Song (Make A Way)" is another deep ballad. The lyrics are definitely a stand-out. The song tells the story of a girl (her name is never mentioned, but it is obviously Brittany due to the title of the song) who gets pregnant as a teenager and is left to live the rest of her life alone. The tune isn't the most catchy thing you've ever heard, but the lyrics make up for it in so many ways. The album closes with Nat's remake of the Newsboys' "In Christ Alone," which was previously available on WOW Worship Aqua. Natalie does an amazing cover of the song, straying from its churchy feel and giving it a more contemporary vibe. Her vocals are also amazing in the song.
"Relentless" is a must have for any Natalie Grant fan, or CCM fans, at that. The album blends everything popular in the Christian music scene---from peppy pop tunes (Make It Matter, Wonderful Life), rock songs (Will Not Be Moved, Perfect People, Let Go), powerful ballads (Our Hope Endures, Safe, In Better Hands, Back At My Heart, Make A Way, In Christ Alone), and even a jazzy acoustic song (So Long) for good measure. If you buy music digitally, this will be one you will want to buy the entire album. Well, that pretty much sums it up!
Recommended Buy| Posted February 13, 2008
Natalie Grant is an experienced artist, and this album highlights her artistry and musicianship. It is very well produced -- the tracks have just the right amount of energy, and her vocals shine through. Infused with rich synth, string, and world textures, as well as classic pop guitar and drum tracks, these songs speak to the heart of worship and prayer, and have a powerful message, while staying true to the popular contemporary sound. The arrangement of In Christ Alone (bonus track) is amazing and captures the true power and spirit of the classic song.
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