It Is Well
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Kutless Over the years, Kutless has made a name for themselves as a one of the leading Christian rock bands. But one thing that many fans don’t know about is Kutless’ versatility as a worship leader. In their...
Live Life Loud
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Hawk Nelson Hawk Nelson has become a staple for many across the Christian music scene. From their stellar debut of Letters to President to their latest release Live Life Loud Hawk Nelson pushes the limits...
Breaking The Silence EP
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The Letter Black The Letter Black has certainly "Broken the Silence!" The first single, "Moving On" might seem rather heartless at first listen, but once you think about it, the meaning jumps at you. It talks about...
It Is A Well-Done Album | Posted November-02-2009
Over the years, Kutless has made a name for themselves as a one of the leading Christian rock bands. But one thing that many fans don’t know about is Kutless’ versatility as a worship leader. In their second worship album, Kutless releases It Is Well.
It Is Well is a catchy rendition of the classic hymn. Out of all the songs on this album, this song stands out the most. Lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall manages to capture the song in a desperate plea that “it is well with my soul!”
Amazed is captured in it’s title. A brilliant song with both captivating lyrics and music.
Though not an original, Hungry is a powerful song about waiting for God’s timing and wanting only Christ. Kutless manages to take a song and slow it down just enough to make it powerful, but upbeat enough to make it worship song.
Taken By Love is a good worship song by itself, but seems a little clique at times.
What Faith Can Do is a reminder that God is always there. Many have praised Kutless for their hit single “Strong Tower,” but What Faith Can Do is a song that rivals all other Kutless singles. Powerful in lyrics and music, this song is sure to top the charts!
For a worship project, Remember Me feels a little out of place. Even though the song is a compelling worship song, the arrangement seems more fit in Kutless’ regular albums.
God of Wonders is a staple of worship songs. Every band has put forth its own version of the worship song. Kutless gives the song an interesting twist with more electric guitar and bass, but still the same song.
Everything I Need is a beautiful worship, but it sounds too much like Matthew West’s version of the song. Enough said.
Give Us Clean Hands is another good cover to a well-known song.
A praise song at heart, You Save Me is a song of praise for God’s mercy. The highlight of the song is it’s powerful cords combined with the lyrics.
Redeemer is a piano driven worship song. Jon Micah’s voice rings true as Keith Green’s “Oh Lord, You're Beautiful" and "There Is A Redeemer” are blended into one impressive song.
I’m Still Yours is a mind-boggling song. It ties directly to the title track, “It Is Well.” The lyrics declare a true devotion to God no matter what.
Even though it is well is not the most innovative album released, out of worship albums it scores high in both new songs and classic renditions. The only downfall of the album is that some songs seem a little out of place and the album doesn’t flow like it should. Nonetheless, this album is must buy! 4 out of 5 stars!
The Silence Is Broken! | Posted September-30-2009
The Letter Black has certainly "Broken the Silence!" The first single, "Moving On" might seem rather heartless at first listen, but once you think about it, the meaning jumps at you. It talks about how "I don't care about you", but the "you" can be seen as an ex, or as our sinful nature.
The first single, "Hanging On By A Thread" is a hard hitting single that screams that everything isn't alright, and that someone must come and save me. It's an earnest plea out to God to come save.
"The Best of Me" is about how “I’ll you the best of me” and how we shouldn’t hold back from serving God. A great, uplifting song! Two thumbs up!
“Collapse” tells how even though we’re in pain, God can heal our scars and give us new life. It says, “I can’t live without you.”
“Away From Me” is a hard-hitting song that is telling that which holds us down “to get away from me!”.The scream in the song seems a little out of place at first, but later grows on you. Great guitar rifts!
“Perfect” is a fantastic ending to a first release. It’s a praise song along the lines of “All Around Me” by Flyleaf. It lauds God about how “perfect He is”.
Even though comparisons to Fireflight will certainly occur, The Letter Black is a talented band deserves recognition. The highlights on this album are the vocals and the guitar rift. I give this EP a 4 out of 5. Expect big things out of this band!
The | Posted September-30-2009
Hawk Nelson has become a staple for many across the Christian music scene. From their stellar debut of Letters to President to their latest release Live Life Loud Hawk Nelson pushes the limits of their artistic capabilities. Live Life Loud is definitely a change for the band as this will be their first full album the band has written by themselves.
The title song, “Live Life Loud” is certainly one of Hawk Nelson’s best songs. This song could certainly serve as the anthem for the Rebelution’s “Do Hard Things Tour”. I give this song points for its lyrics and its innovativeness.
“Never Enough” is a song in true Hawk Nelson fashion. In specific parts of the song, Dunn seems to get in a rap. But under the fluffy surface, Hawk Nelson says how everything that we do is never enough to satisfy us, and that only God can satisfy us. This song sounds strikingly similar to the make up of “Let’s Dance”. A good song, but it looses points on lack of creativity.
“Eggshells” is certainly new for Hawk Nelson. Its highlight includes a guest appearance by TobyMac. The meaning of “Eggshells” talks about how a relationship feels “like I’m walking on eggshells.” It has an earnest plea to save the relationship and to start anew. The only downer on this song is the music doesn’t do the lyrics justice. But overall, it’s a good song.
“Meaning of Life” calls for us to “find a way, to make a change in the lives of all of us who need to find the meaning of life”. It’s an earnest call for us as Christians to go out and show others the “meaning of life.”
“Alive” talks about how we feel alive in Christ. The lyrics for this song are really good; however, the music arrangement combined with the way the song is sung makes a mediocre song.
“Ode To Lord Stanley” is simply Hawk Nelson having a fun time. No meaning to the song whatsoever, just a bunch of guys goofing around.
“Long Ago” is a ballad about missing an old love. To start off, I’m going to have to have a grammar police moment. The third line states when we didn't have no worries. Please, don’t use double negatives in a song! XP Overall, there isn’t anything new about this song. After all, it’s only been done a few thousand times.
“The Job” is a song that overly repetitive and gets old extremely fast. The lyrics explain this song pretty well: So I wrote this song to try to pass the time.
Of all the slow songs this one hit home with me. “Shaken” is about how even the most painful situations can be used by God for good. It tells how "I’ve been shaken/ from my head, on down to my toes/ Lord use me, take me where you want me to go/ I can't help it, my heart has been replaced with a face/I'm ready, these hands are dedicated to change." The lyrics say it all.
“Lest We Forget” asks that “we never forget.” Most likely, this song is asking for the person to never forget the times we had together. A good song, but pretty much every single artist has released a similar song. Nothing new artistically, but still a good song.
“‘Tis So Sweet” is a heartfelt rendition of the classic hymn. Though this song features a drastic change in the arrangement of the music, the song’s message still rings true. This is a song worth getting! Enough said.
“The Final Toast” is a sad song that is truly a “last toast” to those who have passed away and will be forever missed. This song is a good ending to a good song.
Overall, Live Life Loud is a solid record for a band with a proven track record. This album scores high in lyrics and innovativeness in some areas, but in others it falls in its refinement. So I give this record a 3.5 out of 5. One reason for this is the noticeable absence of Trevor McNevan(front man of Thousand Foot Krutch and FM Static) in the song writing process. As stated earlier, this is the first album that was entirely written by the band. This is both good and bad. On the bad side, the quality of the music has dropped in some areas, but on the good side, we can see the real Hawk Nelson.
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