Rarely has a new band delivered an album with more emotional punch than Tenth Avenue North’s 2008 debut Over and Underneath. Musically inventive and lyrically compelling, the collection helped earn the band the New Artist of the Year accolade at the 2009 Dove Awards. Needless to say their 2010 sophomore album is one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year. With one listen to The Light Meets The Dark, it becomes obvious the band has taken a bold next step on their musical journey. Once again the songs are poignant and powerful, and in recording the new tunes, the band brings a more seasoned level of musicianship and intensity, honed from relentless touring.
“It’s been kind of crazy I guess when you think about it,” Mike says with a smile. “In a lot of ways, we don’t feel like anything has changed. When we get up on a stage, more people are there to see us play and more people are familiar with the songs, but the objective really hasn’t changed. The objective is for people to encounter truth and be changed.”
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Fantastic...| Posted May 14, 2010
I'm really loving the new CD. The band has definitely matured since their last album. I like hearing about the meaning behind each of the songs like Healing Begins and seeing the messages that the band is trying to convey with each one. I really enjoy You Are More, Empty My Hands and Healing Begins. The new album is simply fantastic. Can't wait to see what is next for this band!
The Light Meets the Dark, A deeper look| Posted May 13, 2010
Wow, been waiting for this one for quite a while. Especially after getting to see these guys live a couple of months ago, they were awesome by the way. But I am a little puzzled about the direction the guys are going....it is going to take me a few days to really get into the lyrics and melodies before I make a final judgement, but "The Light Meets The Dark" seems to be heading in a different direction from "Over and Underneath" musically. To me "Light" is heading toward a sound very similar to Switchfoot, and lyrically even though their faith is in there everything is mainstream friendly. Not that there is anything wrong with that, look at Switchfoot and Needtobreathe, they get to share their faith with a lot more people than the average Christian artist or band ever would. After a couple more days of listening I hope to update this review with my final thoughts.
Update 5/13/2010 - I have spent the last two days listening to "The Light Meets The Dark" trying to get a better feel for the music and the lyrics. I must say this is a really good CD, and would be a great second album for anybody else, but I was expecting more for these guys. From a Christian stand point I was really looking for more of what they gave us with Over and Underneath. As a fan of Tenth Avenue North I definitely like the cd, the music is good, the lyrics are deep:
The Truth Is Who You Are
Flesh and blood, You offer us
Oh to eat the bread and drink the cup
Oh to taste, to see, to feel, to touch
Emmanuel
God with us
Emmanuel
God with us
Cuz You came to bring the chains apart
You wake the dead and sleeping of our hearts
You gave us truth
The truth is who You are
Its who You are
Its who You are
Its who You are
For some reason at the end of the CD I am still looking for more. There are some good tracks, I would recommend:
The Truth Is Who You Are
All The Pretty Things
House of Mirrors
Empty My Hands
On and On
The guys have definitely grown as musicians since their first release. This album is very well produced, lots of nice overlays and fills that definitely add to the overall feel of the album. Again if you are buying this expecting more of what you got with Over and Underneath you will be a little surprised. Musically this CD is somewhere between the first release and the mainstream. If you are looking for Christian anthems or praise and worship go get the Passion Awakening CD.
Don't get me wrong this is a good CD and I am definitely not knocking the guys for their growth as musicians. I didn't buy this CD expecting it to be full of praise songs, but I was a little surprised at the direction that they went with this CD.
No Slump Here| Posted May 11, 2010
I anticipated this album to be so fantastic that I spent the $30 to pre-order the CD; boy was the wait and the order worth it. For the money, the pre-order package was nice. It included a T-shirt, the CD, an autographed cover, and a journal that covers the heart behind the songs. I tell you I first got excited for this CD when they starting putting out video journals that correlated to the songs on this CD. It is hard to miss the passion and the heart of the band on this album. The album starts off strong with "Healing Begins (one my favorites)," "Strong Enough to Save," "You Are More," and "The Truth is Who You are." While the next songs are great in lyric content, style, and mixing, the strongest and the best songs are "House of Mirrors," and "Empty My Hands." I don't know of other listeners of this CD pick up the call of being transparent and putting the past behind you to the live in Christ theme, because it is all over this album. And I love the concept. If the summer keeps going this way (MercyMe last week, this Cd this week), I am going to go broke. I suggest buying this album, and I will tell you that you won't be disappointed.
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