13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Voting Starts Monday 12/2 | Tickets On Sale - Live Ceremony 4/8
bigmac's Music and Book Reviews
Return To bigmac's Profile
    Join The NRTeam
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest Music and Book Reviews
Born Again by Newsboys Born Again by Newsboys
In March of 2009, Peter Furler announced to everyone that he was officially leaving the Newsboys to spend more time with family and God. He also announced that Michael Tait, formerly from DC Talk, would...
In The Hands of God by Newsboys In The Hands of God by Newsboys
After great publicity from their previous album Go, Newsboys return with another album, In The Hands of God. This album is special for a couple reasons. 1. Jody Davis is back with the band as lead guitarist...
Today by 33Miles Today by 33Miles
In 2007, 33Miles debuted with their first album, "33Miles." Since then, they have released two other albums, one of them being a Christmas album and the other being One Life featuring the hit songs "One...

Showing 1-10 of 16 |   View Next 10 Album and Book Reviews
Peter Furler ends career with Newsboys with one final CD | Posted November-17-2010
After great publicity from their previous album Go, Newsboys return with another album, In The Hands of God. This album is special for a couple reasons.

1. Jody Davis is back with the band as lead guitarist in place of Paul Colman, who left the band in late 2008.
2. This is the last album with Peter Furler as lead vocalist with the band.

Peter's decision to leave Newsboys came as a shock to everyone. No one was expecting it and had all been excited about the upcoming album before recieving the news in March 2009. Peter's reason for leaving the band was family. As he says "Everything in my life was falling apart." His marriage was straining and he was falling from the Word. Driving around in a bus all the time, he had ceased going to church and instead listened to audio sermons on Sunday mornings. He decided to stop touring and focus more on his family and God.

I was one of the very shocked people when I heard the news about Peter leaving the band. I immediately pre-bought In The Hands of God and couldn't wait for its release date! Finally it came, and after listening to just the first song, I knew that it was a great buy!

In The Hands of God begins with the very upbeat song “The Way We Roll”. It sounds similar to “Giving It Over”, only even more more upbeat, catchy, and with more music! This is definitely my favorite song on the entire album. Peter sings about life with the band and the many things they do while on the tour and how they built up from being a new band with hardly any cash to one of the biggest bands in Christian music!

The second song is “No Grave”. This song is a rock song that gets a lot more serious and deep than the other songs. Peter sings "No grave gonna hold my spirit down...Lord knows they'll never keep me in the ground. Ain't no grave gonna hold my spirit down." As I said, the song gets very deep, but has a good tune and is another favorite off the album.

The next highlight on the record is “Glorious”. It's all about acknowledging the greatness of God with lines like "Glorious! Shining so glorious! Though I stumble, though I fall, You remain glorious!"

After Glorious is the title track, “In The Hands of God”. This would be my second favorite and was a big hit on Christian radio, climbing to the top of the CCM charts. The tune is superb and it’s a great worship song speaking about how we are safe in God's hands and that He'll always help us. The chorus says "In the hands of God, we will fall. Rest for the restless and the weary. Hope for the sinner. In the hands of God, we stand tall. Hands that are mighty to deliver. Giving us freedom." This is an awesome song that any fan of Christian music will love!

For those who like a funny song in an album, “My Friend Jesus” is the song for you! This is just a funny track with a Christian message still in it. Peter sings about being on hold on the phone and getting so annoyed with how long he has to wait. However, the song says that if we were like Jesus, we would not be so unhappy and we would forgive easily.

After the funny track, the album moves to another worship song. This one is “Lead Me to the Cross” by Hillsongs. I really liked Newsboys' version of the song, with its very slow and soft music.

“Dance”, the song before the last, is a fast, catchy song. The music makes you want to (you guessed it) dance! Peter Furler says about the track "The song is about giving yourself up, stirring yourself up and stepping out. It's about being led by faith, believing the best and making the most of every situation."

Finally, the album closes with the soft song RSL 1984. Peter Furler writes the song about growing up in Australia and not knowing where his life was headed. He was a preacher's kid, but he had no vision of the future ahead of him. The song has references to names of groups and surfing back in Australia. It's a great ending song to this album.

I really enjoyed this album a lot! It's a great finish to Peter's career with the Newsboys. However, after listening to it, I had to admit that it was not as good as I had hoped it would be and cannot compare to the band's previous album Go. Now, I'm a big Newsboys fan, so if I think that there's something missing from the album, that tells you something. Don't get me wrong, though. They did a great job with this album, but I don't think they did enough. The album only has ten tracks and one of them is not even their own. So, you get nine original tracks and of the entire ten, three are worship and two others are pretty soft songs. Newsboys is known for their pop/rock genre, but I just don't think they made such a great display of it on this album.

However, of the few songs that were pop/rock, Newsboys did a spectacular job! “The Way We Roll” is one of the best songs I have ever heard from them! “No Grave is magnificent, My Friend Jesus is totally humorous, and “Dance” is just such a catchy song! These songs, and the good worships songs such as “In The Hands of God” and “Glorious”, bring the album's rating up! Any Newsboys fan, or Christian music fan for that matter, has to listen to this album as it has songs for everyone on it!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
33Miles releases new album Today! | Posted November-08-2010
In 2007, 33Miles debuted with their first album, "33Miles." Since then, they have released two other albums, one of them being a Christmas album and the other being One Life featuring the hit songs "One Life to Love" and "Jesus Calling." Now, in 2010, they have released their fourth album "Today." The band is different now, however. Collin Stoddard (keyboard/backing vocals) left the band earlier this year and now there are only two band members, Jason Barton and Chris Lockwood. Now the question is, can 33Miles still make good music with one less band member? The answer: Yes.

The album begins with the catchy, upbeat song "What Grace Looks Like" which tells everyone that if they want to know what grace looks like to just look around at all that God has done us. Some of the lines from the chorus go "If you want to know what Grace looks like, let Love open up your eyes...It’s all around, look and see what God does for you and me." With the "oh, ah, oh"s in the beginning and end, "What Grace Looks Like" makes for a fun song and is one of my favourites off the album.

"Hold Me Up" follows "What Grace Looks Like" on the album. The song is a reminder to Christians that we need God to hold us up and give us strength. We cannot do all this alone and we must rely on God for help.

The fourth track, and first single, on Today is "Where I Wanna Go." It talks about our future dwelling place-heaven. 33Miles sing "That's where I wanna go. That's where I wanna stand" in reference to heaven. This is a slower track with a great message.

Another significant song of the album is "Live." This is a song written by Jason, of 33Miles, to his sister who, as he says "started to lose her enthusiasm for life" after some bad relationships. The song declares "You're worth enough that He died for you. His Heart burns with love and desire for you. Don't be afraid to receive. Don't be afraid to believe that you can live." "Live" is an encouraging song for anyone going through depression or similar times.

My favourite song on the entire album is the title track "Today." It is a catchy song with a great rhythm. Jason and Chris of 33Miles sing about living for God at every moment. The chorus says "Right here, right now I'm living for You and nothing else...All I got is the moment I'm in and I don't ever want to waste. This gift, this chance, right here, right now today." This song also talks about finding peace and joy in God when life isn't perfect. Some albums you'll find their title track to be a disappointment, but you won't find that here. This is a great song and totally deserved the honour of having the album named after it.

The Today album finishes up with the song "Worth The Wait." This song is about waiting for an answer from God. The song states "God has perfect timing. Never early, never late. It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith, but it’s worth the wait." I found this song to be a great closer and very meaningful and a good reminder to all Christians waiting for an answer from God.

This is actually my first album to hear from 33Miles. I did not know what to expect from it before I listened as I have never heard any of their music before. But I must say, this album is great. If you are a fan of Matthew West, Jars of Clay, and similar artists, you need to listen to this album as it has a lot of good songs worth listening to.

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Third Day Chronology, Volume Two shows the best from the band! | Posted October-12-2010
We have all heard all the great music Third Day has put together. They have some of the most popular songs on the radio! Well, now you can have those songs all in one album-Chronology, Volume Two!!! This album is a Greatest Hits of Third Day's music from 2001-2006, and you're gonna love it!
The album starts of strong with the favorite Come on Back to Me before moving to the slower song Show Me Your Glory. The next song You Are So Good To M is a special live version from Atlanta, GA! Then, RockStar picks up the beat as song number 4. Mountain of God and Sing A Song, two nice songs, follow RockStar. Come Together, one of my personal favorites, comes next-and awesome song! The next three songs-God of Wonders, Cry Out To Jesus, and Creed-are all live versions, which is pretty cool! Finally, it gets to my favorite part of the entire album-Tunnel, I Believe, and Nothing Compares! I love all three of these songs, and I think it's awesome that they are placed right after each other! Then, the final five songs-Blessed Assurance, Movin' On Up, I See Love, I Can't Feel It, and Carry Me Home-are all special with the former four being live version and the very last one being a special song from a 2001 album EP!

The Good: I'd say that almost the entire album is set up in a great way with the order of the songs. My favorites would be Come On Back To Me, Come Together, Tunnel, I Believe, Nothing Compares, and Blessed Assurance.

The Bad: Third Day could have made a better starting for the chronology instead of putting Show Me Your Glory in as second song. Usually, this spot is reserved for an upbeat song, but Third Day did it differently this time.

Conclusion: This is a great album to get! If you like Third Day, or even if you don't know their music that well yet but like good Christian music, then you're going to love this album. If you don't have many of Third Day's albums but want their best songs, just buy this one!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Chris Tomlin says Hello to Love | Posted October-04-2010
Chris Tomlin has already established himself as one of the top worship artists Christian music has ever had. He does a great job with this latest album Hello Love. This song is packed with many worship songs you will hear churches everywhere!
The song starts off with the catchy, upbeat song Sing Sing Sing which has been sung in many churches all around. Then, he moves on to Jesus Messiah which is another great song. You Lifted Me Out is also upbeat and keeps the excitement going! God of this City is a great song by Tomlin. I first heard it at my church, and then by Bluetree. I did not care much for it. But after listening to Chris Tomlin sing, I love it now! He does a great job singing it. No one can beat it! The fifth song is I Will Rise, which I'm sure everyone knows. This is a slow, beautiful song with such meaning to it. The song Love features with Watoto Children's Choir which adds a great touch to it. Praise the Father, Praise the Song comes after Love and is slower but still very good. The rest of the album goes on a slower tone with My Deliver, With Me, Exalted, God Almighty, and All the Way My Saviour Leads Me. I really like Exalted, especially when Chris repeatedly sings "Yahweh, holy is Your name" at the end.

The Good: Just about all the songs on this cd can be put in The Good section. All these songs have the potential to be sung in churches all around. My favorites, though, would be Sing Sing Sing, Jesus Messiah, God of this City, I Will Rise, and Exalted.

The Bad: The only bad thing I can say about this cd is that Chris Tomlin continues to bring the exact same styles and similar tunes as before. Now, to some people, this can be a bad thing. However, to other people, this is what we want! We don't want Chris's music to change!

Conclusion: Chris scores again with this cd. I'm sure that he'll get large sales with it. I definitely recommend this album to all my friends, family, and fellow NRT members!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Michael W. Smith scores again! | Posted October-04-2010
Michael W. Smith is an awesome worship leader and singer. Every one of his albums make big sales and his concerts are sold out every time. With A New Hallelujah, Michael W. Smith does not fail to write great songs of praise.
My favorites from this album would be A New Hallelujah, Mighty to Save, and Healing Rain. These are all great songs. They are being sung in churches all around North America. I really liked his version of Mighty to Save, especially the new bridge. Smith did a very good job with the song and with this entire album. Anyone who likes worship music cannot pass up buying this album.

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
A Great Collection of Worship Songs! | Posted September-29-2010
This cd features a great collection of worship songs by Chris Tomlin. Every single one of the songs on this CD are good! I enjoyed listening to the entire way through! This album has some of the best worship songs and some of everyone's favorites! So, I cannot put anything in The Bad section, and thus, that section does not exist in this review. Everything is in The Good section! I'm sure that everyone who listens to this album will love it!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Very Good Album | Posted September-29-2010
Strange name for an album, If I Left the Zoo makes up for it with its great songs and tunes! Jars of Clay does a great job with their third album and write their songs as if they have been doing this for years longer than they have. Goodbye, Goodnight is a quiet song with a catchy tune. I did not expect the album to start off with a song like this, but I have to admit that it was a good choice. Unforgetful You is another great song which is more upbeat. Collide, No One Loves Me Like You, and Famous Last Words keep the momentum going with good messages and tunes. Sad Clown is a very slow song which some audiences may still like. The next song, Hand, is very good and catchy. I'm Alright is upbeat and fun. Grace is one of my favorites from the album as it is very catchy. Can't Erase It is also a good, pretty catchy song. River Constantine slowly ends the album.

The Good: Goodbye, Goodnight is a very good song. So is Unforgetful You and Grace. These are my favorites from the album.

The Bad: Sad Clown will not be enjoyed by most people unless you enjoy very slow songs or like the lyrics. River Constantine isn't that great either, but as it is the last song on the album, we must give it a break.

Conclusion: This was a great album by Jars of Clay. Considering that this was just their third album, it is pretty amazing how well they did at it. I give this album 4 1/2 stars for a good reason, and that reason is because it totally deserves it!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Great Album! | Posted September-29-2010
After coming off Redemption Songs, an album of hymns, Jars of Clay returns to their old style and songs. Good Monsters is a great album by Jars of Clay. The album starts off with a catchy song Work. Then it moves on to Dead Man (Carry Me) which moves the rhythm up. All My Tears and Even Angels Cry are slower songs with good messages. There is A River and Good Monsters bring the rhythm back up and are both great songs. Oh My God and Surprise are slow songs without much catchiness. Take Me Higher is an upbeat catchy song. Mirrors and Smoke is another nice song to listen to. Light Gives Heat is a slow song with a catchy style to it that I enjoyed. The album ends with Water Under the Bridge which has a good message and tune.

The Good: Work and Dead Man (Carry Me) are both greats songs to kick-off this album. As for the slow songs, All My Tears, Even Angels Cry, and Light Gives Heat are the kinds of slow songs that I still enjoy listening to.

The Bad: Oh My God and Surprise are sorta bland in tune and not very catchy.

Conclusion: This is a very good album by Jars of Clay and one of my favorites from them. Jars of Clay did a great job writing this one and I'm sure that anyone who listens to it will agree with me.

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
The Best Jars of Clay CD every made! | Posted October-12-2010
After listening to this cd, I was surprised out how good it was! I like Jars of Clay a lot and knew that they were a great band, but I wasn't ready for them to make an album as good as this!
The album starts of with the music intro The Long Fall which turns into Weapons, which is a great song to listen to. The next song is Two Hands. This is the best song on the entire record, and I can't stop listening to it! Heaven and Closer keep the album running strong. Then, it moves to a slower rhythm with Safe to Land and Headphones. These are both very good songs and I really like them a lot too. The rhythm speeds up for Don't Stop and then drops back down for Boys (Lesson One), another great slow song. Hero and Scenic Route are a couple faster songs which are pretty good too, though not as good as the earlier songs from the record. The last three songs; There Might Be A Light, Forgive Me, and Heart; provide a great ending to a great album.

The Good: My favorites from this album would Weapons, Two Hands, Heaven, Safe To Land, and Forgive Me.

The Bad: I cannot find anything bad about this album, just good stuff!

Conclusion: If you like good Christian music, you will not want to miss this album which I believe is the best album Jars of Clay has ever released and the best Christian music album of 2009!!!

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
awesome | Posted August-26-2010
I really enjoyed this cd. I didn't know what to think at first after winning it off a radio station. But once i listened to it, I knew that how good Jeremy Camp really was. He has a great voice. My favorites are Speaking Louder than Before, Slow Down Time, and There Will Be A Day. I am sure that anyone who listens to this cd will enjoy it.

Comments (0)  |  Add Comment   | Is This Review Helpful? Yes | No
Showing 1-10 of 16 |   View Next 10 Album and Book Reviews

Christian Music, Facebook Christian Music, Twitter Christian Music, YouTube Christian Music, Instagram

ADVERTISEMENTS

13TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS: Voting Starts Monday 12/2 | Tickets On Sale - Live Ceremony 4/8

Christian Music

©2024 NewReleaseToday
A Division Of NRT Media Inc.

 

Secure
CHRISTIAN MUSIC
Discover New Artists
New This Week
Coming Soon
Playlists
Free Music
Album Reviews

NEWS
New Music
Movies / Media
Events
Tours
General

PODCASTS
NRT Now Podcast
NRT Podcast Network

VIDEOS
Music Videos
Exclusives

EXCLUSIVES
Articles
Devotionals
Interviews
Concert Reviews
We Love Awards

MORE INFO
RSS
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Advertising
Staff
New Music Email
Contact

RESOURCES
Music Studies
Artist Training

CONNECT
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube