Christianity Today

Style: Anthemic rock; compare to Lenny Kravitz, Switchfoot, Needtobreathe

Top tracks: "Coming Alive," "Collider," "One Thing"

A rebel musician of sorts, pop-rock singer-songwriter Dowler has made a name for himself writing and recording songs to confront social injustice (last year's single "Silence is Shameful" directly benefited International Justice Mission), and opine on sticky subjects like war and suicide. On his Dream Records debut, the Montana native covers several subjects with scorching electrics, arena-worthy gang vocals, and an occasional horn and glockenspiel indie tribute. But his rhyming protests sound more like cliché agendas ("But you can't change the world with a gun / You can't change the world without love" from "Gun") than convicted mission, mainly due to the lyrics' lack of pointed spiritual hope.

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