The Greatest Hits
by
Newsboys This is a very good collection of songs as everyone else has said, and if you are a casual newsboys fan who has never bought an album, go ahead and get this over Shine: The Hits. It has more recent...
When I saw the album preview on NewReleaseTuesday, I didn't even know who these people were. When I saw that it was former members of Audio Adrenaline, I was a little worried. ...
TobyMac, the more hip-hop member of dc Talk, released this album when the band took an "Intermission" in 2001. This review is being written almost 10 years after its release, so it's...
Not too bad, though not new... (HA!) | Posted March-10-2011
This is a very good collection of songs as everyone else has said, and if you are a casual newsboys fan who has never bought an album, go ahead and get this over Shine: The Hits. It has more recent music on it that you will know, rather than a bunch of the closet hits that more hardcore fans (like myself) are into.
That said, I will say that I did not buy this album. As a fan, I already had all the songs except the two new ones, so I just downloaded those two. Shine had a lot more new songs that made the entire album worth buying even if you already had most of the songs. This album lacks that and will therefore never be a part of my album collection. Another thing that's a little weird is that "Real Good Thing" didn't make the cut on Shine, but makes it here. I mean, I like the song, but it's just strange. I do like the inclusion of "In the Belly of the Whale", but I do wish a few more newsboys songs could've made the list. "Love Liberty Disco" and "Beautiful Sound" have made neither greatest hits album, and that's a shame, as they are both great songs. Also, there's no really old song on here from before they MADE it, like "I Got Your Number" was on the first album. It'd have been nice to see one of those again. Most of this is nitpicky stuff, but things I'd like, so I'm saying them. :) Casual fans, buy it. Hardcore fans, download the extra stuff, then leave it alone.
Not bad, even if it's not new | Posted February-23-2011
When I saw the album preview on NewReleaseTuesday, I didn't even know who these people were. When I saw that it was former members of Audio Adrenaline, I was a little worried. I had seen Audio Unplugged in concert a few years ago, and it was rough and kinda ruined my view of the band from when I was younger. However, since it was free, I decided to give it a listen.
I was very impressed with the first few songs. I noticed that there was a remake of an AudioA song and also a song I had heard performed by newsboys (my favorite band), so I thought that was pretty cool. Soon, however, I noticed that many of the songs were redos of others. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, I just felt like the album was missing something. I like original music, and while the stuff that is there is decent, it just wasn't enough. I think only about 15 to 20 minutes was new, original stuff.
If you've never purchased an AudioA CD before, this isn't a bad choice if you're looking for good, quality worship music. However, if you're a fan of AudioA and Christian music in general like I am, you probably already own over half these songs in some form or fashion. I feel like purchasing them just wouldn't be a sound investment. If you're one of those people that will by different DVD versions of the same movie, this might be an album for you. If you're not (like me), give this a free listen, download the new songs from iTunes or Amazon, and enjoy.
The best Jars since Jars | Posted February-10-2011
I am not the type of person to give out 5 star reviews all the time. In fact, I save it for when I think an album is very special. I think this album is very special. :)
This album does not sound like a Jars album. If you're looking for that acoustic-y sound of their first release, you might be disappointed. However, I encourage you to give it a chance.
The album starts with two of its strongest pieces, "Work" and "Dead Man (Carry Me)". Both of these songs have very interesting lyrics, but that's not really what gets me. The driving build of the songs and the intense emotion of the song just make you want to sing along. "Work" was on repeat in my house for about a year after it came out, as I just love the song.
The next song, "All My Tears" is a cover, but I'd never heard it before, so it might as well have been a Jars original. They take the song and make it their own, and it's great. The next song, "Even Angels Cry" is my least favorite, as it's an awkward change in tempo, but it's still good. "There Is A River" and "Good Monsters" are both great entries, but probably not something you'll go home and tell your friends about.
The rest of the album is fantastic and some of the best songs to come out of the band in a while, in my opinion. The material covered in "Oh My God" and "Surprise" is a little darker for those people who only listen to worship and upbeat, happy Christian music, but I still think it's necessary. "Take Me Higher" is my least favorite of the last half, but I still listen and sing along to it. "Mirrors and Smoke" is a great duet that is a little different but very enjoyable. "Light Gives Heat" and "Water Under the Bridge" are both great songs that finish off an all-around fantastic album.
Some people give this album bad reviews simply because it's not normal Jars. I think we should applaud the band for taking a different and very successful approach to their music. This album still goes into my CD player regularly and doesn't come out until about 4 playthroughs. If you haven't bought this album, do so. You can get it used for cheap, and you won't regret your investment.
Here is how a picture this album came to be: the 'boys were sitting on their tour bus in 1998, talking about their music and how they've been doing the same music for years. Then, the BeeGee's "Stayin' Alive" comes on a radio nearby and Jody Davis, just goofing around, picks up a guitar and starts playing a disco-type riff. Peter Furler adds in some random lyrics talking about love and liberty, staples of the era, and failing to come up with another word, adds "disco". A hit is born, and an album is created.
While I love that song, as well as "Beautiful Sound" most of the rest of Love Liberty Disco is a bit of a disappointment. I still listen to this album from time to time, but when I put it in thinking "Oh yeah! I used to love this CD", I remember that I used to love only a few tracks. I find myself ejecting the CD after the first 6 tracks, as the last 4 are nothing really special. Even if you do listen to the whole album, you're only getting a little over 35 minutes worth of music, which just seems a bit short.
I like that the band did this. I think it's good for the creative process for bands to experiment from time to time. Personally, I would've released "Beautiful Sound", "Love Liberty Disco", "Good Stuff", and "Say You Need Love" as an EP for a cheaper price, rather than putting a lot of fluff in there that's not really that good to complete a CD. I love the newsboys, and I like some of this disc, but it's not the best. If I were you, I'd just download the few songs you've heard of and leave the rest alone.
A rough beginning to a great career | Posted February-10-2011
TobyMac, the more hip-hop member of dc Talk, released this album when the band took an "Intermission" in 2001. This review is being written almost 10 years after its release, so it's easy to look back now and have a new perspective on this album. While it looks very rough these days as it did now, it shows the building blocks of what would become one of Christian music's premier entertainers.
The first thing I notice looking back on this album is the large amount of covers. While I know this is a big thing to do in the hip-hop world, it's not something you see that often in Christian music. While it was nice to have a new spin on these songs, they aren't really well done. As other reviewers have said, they are simple. I feel like I could've made the beats in the background in about 30 minutes on Garage Band. The lyrics are okay, but seem to fall short of the high expectations we had with each dc Talk release.
While there are highlights like "Yours" and "Love Is In the House", there are more songs on this album that you will skip rather than listen to. "J Train" and "Extreme Days" seem to try survive simply by being intense and it doesn't really work all that well.
Am I saying this is a bad CD? No. TobyMac has become one of the best Christian artists out there, and I believe this was him trying to hone his new place in the industry. Now that he has found his niche, he has thrived. If you like TobyMac a lot, pick this album up. If you're only a casual fan, you'll probably do better to check out other albums.
A great start for a good band | Posted February-09-2011
Red Umbrella is not a band I intended to listen to. I guess this is a case where I judged a book by its cover, as I was very attracted by the unique album artwork. The CD was also on sale, and I had a little extra cash, so I figured why not give it a shot. I'm happy to say that I don't regret this decision, as I still pop in this CD from time to time several years later.
Red Umbrella has a sound to it that I haven't really heard in Christian music. Since that's most of what I listen to, it was different, but in a very good way. The singer's voice isn't something I think I would've classified as great, but it works so well with the music. Having a very laid back sound that's not too heavy but also not super slow, it's good music to pop in and listen to with anybody, or something to sing along to on a 30 minute car ride.
Several songs stand out to me. I love the starting track and the second, as they set a good pace for the rest of the album. The title track is fantastic, but my personal favorite would be "Slide". Just a happy song! :)
All in all, I think this is a great album, and if you're looking for something new, try it out.
I'm not a huge music buff. I like to listen to music, but I listen mostly to bands that are well-known, not artsy fartsy bands that nobody else has ever heard of. However, when I listen to this album, I feel cultured. :)
David Crowder has very poetic lyrics while at the same time making them very singable. I never get lost in his lyrics or wonder what he's talking about. Many of the songs at the beginning of the album could be done in a worship setting in most churches. As the album progresses, you arrive into more experimental, artistic-styled music and you begin to wonder "What is this?" but you like it the whole time.
I love how this album flows. It's very hard to find the breaks between songs. Other artists do this, and Crowder does it on "Church Music", but this was my first experience with something this clean. There are also a variety of styles throughout the album, and while I might not consider myself a fan of bluegrass or more electronic sounding stuff, I still loved it.
This isn't an album your mom or your grandma would enjoy listening to, but I think you will. So you should get it. I'm sure it's pretty cheap used these days. :)
Let's Not Get Out of Hand.... | Posted December-22-2010
Okay, I like the newsboys a whole lot. I have every album but two of their first ones, and I've been listening to them since 1997, which is over half my life. I have purchased all of the CDs in CD form (no downloads for me!), bought remixes, and been to several concerts. I'm not saying this to brag, but rather to give you a little background so that you know this is coming more from a big newsboys fan rather than just a Christian music buff.
Now, to the review. This is a GOOD album, yes. There are a lot of things on here to get excited about. "Born Again" is a very cool song that gets you pumped up every time you sing it. "Way Beyond Myself", my personal favorite track, is a good dance song reminiscent of "Something Beautiful". "When the Boys Light Up" is a good reminder of old newsboys with that same feel and funk. A few other songs on here are worth a listen, with the "Mighty to Save" and "Jesus Freak" versions rounding it up well.
Okay, so that's all well and good, so why only 4 stars? Well, it's because a lot of the other tracks on here are very forgettable. "One Shot", "Escape", "Miracles", and a few others are kinda fun, but after a few listens, I just never really got the desire to go back to them. The covers of the songs are good, but not great. The biggest disappointment is the exclusion of "I'll Be" from the standard CD, as it is very good and shouldn't be something we have to pay an extra $1.29 on iTunes for after we've already bought the album. That suggests to me a desire for more money, which I don't attribute to the newsboys, but somebody along the way made the decision.
Yes, it's different. Yes, I can't look at it the same as a Peter Furler newsboys. It's basically a different band and that's part of the review. If you're thinking it's the same thing, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're a Christian music fan, you'll like this. I like it. It's worth buying. But do not say this is the best newsboys album yet, because Go is way better. So is Step Up to the Microphone. And Take Me to Your Leader. This is good, but let's not get too crazy. :)
rwhite3787's Music and Book Reviews 
