JTindie.com Review of Live Life Loud
Posted October 25, 2009
By jtindie,
Artist: Hawk Nelson
CD Title: Live Life Loud
Style: pop/rock
Website: http://www.hawknelson.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hawknelson
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Playlist
1. Live Life Loud
2. Never Enough
3. Eggshells
4. Meaning of Life
5. Alive
6. Ode to Lord Stanley
7. Long Ago
8. The Job
9. Shaken
10. Lest We Forget
11. Tis So Sweet
12. The Final Toast
Well it isn’t often that I go into a review not knowing much about a band but hawk nelson is just one of those bands i never really got into before now. I can see now that this was my loss. “Live Life Loud” is a good mixture of soundscapes and styles that keeps the listener from ever getting close to bored. With a title of “Live Life Loud” I was smart enough not to expect the rock ballad to be a running theme in the album, and from the first song “Live Life Loud” the mood is set with a new shiny pop/punk sound that had my toes tapping from the first few measures.
The Style of this CD is rather difficult to define. Just when I am ready to use the term Pop-Punk I hear a song like “Never Enough” that pretty much reminds me of classic rock. This CD runs the genre of music, showing the versatility and talent of the band. I half expected that the strengths in one area to reveal a weakness in another. While I wont claim to be a big fan of their ballad skills, I found “Eggshells” to be the weakest song on the CD. After listening to the Album as a whole I would say that Pop-Punk/Rock probably describes the CD as whole.
While I was impressed with the use of strings and even bag pipes on the CD I felt that this CD never really coalesced as a complete project. While the Individual songs were all solid and many of them were really good, so many stylistic difference on a single project just didn’t really work for me. I know I usually complain that all the songs on a CD sound the same, and one would think that the more change you have on an album the more I would like it, that is simply not the way it is. Please understand, the Cd is a good Cd and a lot of fun to listen to. Everything from the more traditional songs, to the pop-punk rifts and semi power ballads. I do think that the second half of the CD is a more complete package than the First Half. Culminating in the song “Tis So Sweet” Complete with a bagpipe opening. I am always pleased when Bands remember the tradition of the past, with out being ruled by it.
One of the items I was happy to find was the songs are very clearly Christian, and not the fuzzy “Love God and everything will be OK” but the kind of Christianity that demands a change in your life. “We don’t have to embrace the lies that we’ve been told” and “The only thing were missing is a whole new state of mind!” both of these lyrics are from the Song “Alive”. Some of the songs are just fun. “Ode to Lord Stanley” is just one of these songs. Overall “Live Life Loud” is a roller coaster ride, complete with flashing lights stuffed animal and cotton candy at the end.
I’m giving this Cd a 4.25 out of 5.0 stars, in the end the whole thing jumped around just a little to much for my liking, still every song on the CD is well done and the CD as whole is well produced. I can say that it will be quite a while before it works it’s way off my mp3 player, even if I do skip over a song or two every now and then.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from JTindie.com. Click here to visit JTindie.com today! View All Music And Book Reviews By jtindie | View jtindie's Profile
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