2 of 6

Click here for the original review.

Anti-Records

With more than 50 years of music experience, the legendary Mavis Staples has yielded plenty of classic recordings in her time, but We'll Never Turn Back is sure to become a highlight in her storied career. The album brings her full circle with her past, offering new interpretations of songs that were influential during the civil rights movement of the '50s and '60s ("We Shall Not Be Moved," "Eyes on the Prize"), along with other traditional favorites ("This Little Light of Mine," "Jesus Is on the Main Line") and some new songs written in the same spirit ("My Own Eyes," "I'll Be Rested"). This is not traditional gospel in the purest sense (like her albums with the Staple Singers), but breaking from the norm is part of its charm. And thanks to brilliant production from guitarist Ry Cooder (Captain Beefheart, Rolling Stones), it's a near perfect gospel-rock hybrid reminiscent of Spirit of the Century by The Blind Boys of Alabama: thick bass, textured percussion, and shimmering guitars. By connecting the songs and events of her past with the present, Staples sincerely hopes to inspire change in the future through faith and understanding. To which we can only offer a resounding Amen!

Click here for the original review.

sixsteps/Sparrow Records

No, Remedy doesn't build on the over-the-top brilliance and creativity captured on David Crowder Band's 2005 masterpiece A Collision. Nor does it try to. And you know something? That's perfectly okay. The album is still interesting enough and relatively unpredictable in its sonic delivery to remain an example of alternative worship music at its finest. It's no less meaningful or heartfelt than its predecessor, yet perhaps more accessible because of its straightforwardness, like a pause to catch a breath and absorb all that David Crowder Band has to offer. The simplistic lyricism is still inventive in driving home the message that God is the balm for hurting hearts, and we are his instruments of healing to a hurting world. All set to a distinctive sound and style that grows more confident with each album, blending organic and electronic elements into a beautiful tapestry of worship for the iPod generation. And besides, the future is bright enough for the world's most unconventional worship band to later devise another crazy album with which to glorify our Creator. This one will do just fine in the meantime.

Click here for the original review.

Red Decibel Music Group

Adam Watts is best known for co-writing and producing on Jeremy Camp's first three projects. He's also gained exposure writing for Jesse McCartney, Miley Cyrus, and the smash hit High School Musical. But this is a terrific artist in his own right who sounds nothing like any of those projects, starting strong in 2004 with his sadly underappreciated debut The Noise Inside on BEC Recordings. The fact that Sleeping Fire surpasses that effort—with no record label support—is all the more impressive. Watts does everything right here: writing, producing, and even performing most of the instruments himself. It's a sophisticated sound that leans toward PFR's Beatle-esque pop for "Something Better," only to switch to modern rock a la Switchfoot on "My Prayer," and then later letting loose with bluesy grunge resembling Soundgarden for "Storm Is Gone." But Watts earns highest marks for relating themes of grace, redemption, and renewal in ways that are both subtle and refreshing in today's Christian music climate. Brimming with conviction and a sense of purpose, Sleeping Fire is proof that Christian rock can be artful without compromising the message or catering to a single trend.
Click here for the original review.

next page... |  2 of 6