Take Everything
by
Seventh Day Slumber To be honest, when I first heard that Seventh Day Slumber was recording a worship project, I didn't know what to expect. Didn't know if they were writing their own stuff, or if they were doing covers of...
Call to Die
by
OK, if you are freaked out by the title of this review, let me explain: the death that awaits you is good. David Nasser is not trying to kill you with this book. He is trying to help you take up your cross...
X Rocks the House Once Again | Posted May-06-2009
The X Series brings Christian rock/rap fans the very best year after year... and sometimes for a Christmas present, too. The 09 Edition of X does not disappoint, giving fans a two-pack that includes a DVD chock full of music videos.
On the CD, X hands you the singles that have been dominating the Christian Rock airwaves for the past year. The disc starts off with tobyMac's Ignition from his Portable Sounds record, an adrenaline filled classic tobyMac single. Then Kutless gives us their newest hit, the heartfelt To Know That You're Alive. Follow that up with the always catchy Friend Like That from Hawk Nelson and the title cut from Thousand Foot Krutch's The Flame in All of Us.
Then the compilation slows down a bit with We Need Each Other by Sanctus Real, but not before Switchfoot offers their hit Awakening. We crank it back up with the "krunk classic" Radiator by rising band Family Force 5. Southern Weather, the hit from Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie's side project The Almost, comes next.
Outrage from Capital Lights is track number nine, a real sure-fire single that will make you sing along. The Smile, The Face is Emery's addition to X, a short but powerful screamer of a song. Hello Alone, a big played single from Anberlin's Cities album is the next track. Then get ready to unleash your metal-loving side with Desperate Times, Desperate Measures from Underoath. Another in-your-face song is next from another in-your-face band, Skillet with Live Free or Let Me Die.
Surrender, a popular pick from Seventh Day Slumber's worship project Take Everything, follows, giving the listener a look into what it's really all about, giving praise to God through our music. A chapter from FM Static's Dear Diary follows, as Thousand Foot Krutch lead man Trevor McNevan gives you a realistic look into the life of a teen with The Unavoidable Battle of Feeling on the Outside. Then you can Rock What You Got thanks to Superchic[k]. The melodic Sure Shot from Run Kid Run is next, proving that any rock fan can get a song from this album that they'll love.
The two bonus cuts show two different genres: The Difference, a hit from punk-pop band Philmont is clearly way different than the thrashing metal track Disaster from Since October.
Bottom line: Any fan of Christian rock music will love X 2009, and it's also a great way to introduce folks to the genre as well. X 09... don't miss it!
40 Days of Death Awaits | Posted May-05-2009
OK, if you are freaked out by the title of this review, let me explain: the death that awaits you is good. David Nasser is not trying to kill you with this book. He is trying to help you take up your cross daily and follow God, dying to your flesh. For those of you brave enough to read this forty day devotional, get ready for a month-plus of consistent challenges day by day. The book starts each day with a short passage of Scripture and a devotional written by Nasser, including lots of great insight into God and His Word. Using personal stories and good illustrations, Nasser gets the point across in A Call to Die. Also get ready for fasting from worldly things like TV, Internet, and secular music. Scripture memorization and deep prayer times await as well. If you are serious about growing in your walk with Christ, A Call to Die is a can't miss. Get ready to die to self for forty days and see if it doesn't change your life.
Seventh Day Slumber Amps Up Everyone's Favorite Worship | Posted May-05-2009
To be honest, when I first heard that Seventh Day Slumber was recording a worship project, I didn't know what to expect. Didn't know if they were writing their own stuff, or if they were doing covers of worship songs. Turns out, they did both.
The result is one of the best worship albums to date.
To fully understand the sound of Take Everything, one should imagine Passion Conference: Chris Tomlin, David Crowder* Band, Charlie Hall, etc. Imagine the bands taking the stage at one of the biggest worship experiences in the world. Modern anthems are being sung, and everyone is loving it.
Now imagine Louie Gigilo announcing the newest band to take the Passion stage: Seventh Day Slumber. You know, Seventh Day: Finally Awake, Caroline, etc. The hard rock band plugs in and goes crazy like usual. But the lyrics are different. The same style you heard the others perform has the same words as these that Seventh Day is doing.
Welcome to Take Everything.
From the get-go, Take Everything rocks you with the usual Seventh Day Slumber hard rock intro. If you played Track 1 without knowing the album, you would have zero idea what the song would be called. Try "How Great is Our God".
The Chris Tomlin cover starts off the newest album from Seventh Day, which turns into one of the best worship albums ever created. Great modern worship songs soon follow ("Everlasting God", worship song of the year "Mighty to Save", "From the Inside Out")and are coupled with some amazing worship tracks from the past ("Nothing But the Blood" and "Surrender").
The songs that Seventh Day Slumber wrote for Take Everything are great, too. "Take Everything" and "Carry Me" are really good worship songs that you would expect from SDS lead man Joseph Rojas.
Bottom line: Hard rock junkies will love the sound of Take Everything, the tone of classic Seventh Day Slumber. And, whoever listens to Take Everything will also get to hear the real heart behind Seventh Day Slumber as well. Get ready for a great worship project: Take Everything takes the cake.
Two Different Tastes, Two Different CDs | Posted November-17-2008
I recently purchased this 2 CD album at my nearby Lifeway because 1) it was on sale and 2) I always try to get the newest WOW album. And I have to say, the guys at WOW did a great job splitting the CDs up. Disc 1 is for fans of contemporary music (Casting Crowns, Selah, etc.), and Disc 2 is for people like me...the ones who want harder stuff (Hawk Nelson, RED, etc.). I enjoy a mix, and this is the album to purchase. Great for all-around Christian music junkies like me.
Starting off with Disc Uno:
Call My Name by Third Day, All Because of Jesus by Fee, and Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down) by Robbie Seay Band are the Top 3 songs on this disc. Third Day continues to amaze me with putting out great songs year in and year out, and Fee and RSB are the new breakout praise bands this year. Micheal W. Smith did a good job of Mighty to Save, and Above the Golden State's track surprised me on this CD.
Disc Dos:
My favorite CD, so this one will get a little more spotlight. The CD starts off with Everything Glorious by DCB, one of the best songs from Passion. This is Home by Switchfoot and Friend Like That by Hawk Nelson, two of the biggest hits this year, follow. The Best Thing by Relient K and Love is Here by Tenth Avenue North are next, two different songs that both are great additions to this year's addition of WOW. Needtobreathe's blues-like Washed by the Water is one of the best songs on the album. Brandon Heath's upbeat Give Me Your Eyes was a song for me that I didn't like at first, but after listening to it for awhile, it grew on me. I'm Letting Go is my only minus on this disc, could have been left off and replaced by another track. Then a triple shot of WOW is next: TobyMac busts out Lose My Soul, Stellar Kart tells everyone that Jesus Loves You in their unique way, and melodic rocking Leeland finishes it out with Count Me In. Fireflight's Unbreakable and RED's Already Over comes in with a Metal One-Two punch, and then Remedy Drive sneaks up with All Along. Then WOW finishes out with the best song, the newest hit, Sleeping In by Nevertheless.
Starting and finishing with a bang, WOW Hits 2009 is a must-have for any Christian Music fan. Now I can have the best songs on my Zune for the price of one album, instead of downloading the rest. If you call yourself a fan of Christian Music, then go out and buy WOW 2009! You won't be disappointed.
"Is This Album Good?" Mmhmm! | Posted September-10-2008
Relient K has been on a tear, impacting the Christian music world and music in general with their rocking music and hard-hitting lyrics. Mmhmm is an album that is pure Relient K: a full CD of songs you've come to expect from these guys.
Mhmmm starts off with one of the biggest RK hits ever: "Be My Escape". If you've ever heard of the song, you know how good it is. It really gets the album and its message kicked off with a bang.
A surprising song is the one that follows, "High of 75". It opens with an amazing and really quick acoustic guitar intro, then into a full blown assault of Relient K sound. The lyrics are about your life and attitude's up and downs, unpredictable just like the weather. The battle over "The Sun" and "The Clouds" for the weather in your life is some of the best symbolism I've ever heard in a song before. But, hey, this is Relient K. Their career has thrived off of word play.
"I So Hate Consequences" talks about running away in a sort of a getaway car from life and its mistakes. It's a conversation between this guy and God, where he finally tells God that "he just wants all of this to end". Very real, very good.
If you've ever had a Relient K album before, you know that the band would release a song that is:
1)Short
2)Paired with a title usually longer than the entire song.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the crazy 73 second ride called "The Only Thing Worse than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting On One". Find it, and listen to it. Right now.
OK, you're back. Good song, huh?
"My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend" is the next song, and it is classic RK. The song reveals the story of a scorned guy, who happens to be the ex of lead singer Matthew Theissen's girlfriend. It's kind of a "Ha, ha. I've got the girl, and you're going to be stuck with someone less than her."
If you've ever had a period of time when you think that you're just a mess-up, listen to "More Than Useless". The sound is some of the best on the album, with mixes of piano and rhythm guitar "solos". Just remember, you are not useless. God is looking down and he sees you as his prize creation.
There are more good songs on Mmmhm, but "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" is hit number two on this album. Just like the title states, this song talks about putting away your life before Christ and embracing the new. The throbbing intro with the best guitar part I've ever heard of should tell you this is a great song.
Mmhmm is a great album. Relient K has seemed to have grown up a bit, and that's fine by me. Some of their older albums have great songs, but Mmhmm won me over as a Relient K fan. And I have a feeling that even though this is the best RK album, the band hasn't finished putting out other great buys.
DecembeRadio Rocks Its Debut | Posted September-10-2008
DecembeRadio's self-titled album is a great album for anyone who is a fan of the genre Southern Rock. Being from the great state of Alabama, I was turned to Southern Rock from the first time I ever heard the song "Sweet Home Alabama".
And now there is a Christian band rocking to my favorite tune.
DRadio's first hit, "Drifter", is by far the big hit of the album. But make no mistake, there are other songs that make this album one of the very best I have ever heard. "Drifter" is a great song, my favorite on the album. If you haven't heard of it before, you either have been living under a rock for the past year or two OR you haven't listened to Christian music in a while. Radio stations have been playing this song over and over, and for good reason.
If "Drifter" is the only song you've ever heard of by DR, then try some of these out:
Album Opener "Can't Hide" gets the album out and rocking.
"Dangerous" comes next and is by far the loudest song on the entire album, therefore one of my favorites.
"Razor" has some great lyrics to it, and it seems good music doesn't hurt a song, either.
"Table" is just like "Razor", but the guitar in the song is just plain awesome-er. (Is that a word?)
Finally, "Least of These" is a great calmer song; and has the best lyrics in the entire album--listen to the entire song, through the big pause, and you'll get to hear the band's little instrumental freestyle session.
So, if you've been living under that rock, go out... find some money... and buy DecembeRadio's self-titled debut album. It will be one of the best albums you will ever listen to, if you're a fan of the Southern Rock genre or like Rock in general.
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