Alive | Music | Christianity Today

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Ed Kowalczyk
Alive (Soul Whisper Records)
Released July 2010
Andy Argyrakis

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Style: Revived grunge rock; compare to Collective Soul, Live, Vertical Horizon

Top tracks: "Grace," "Drink (Everlasting Love)," "The Great Beyond"

For the past decade and a half, Ed Kowalczyk was lead singer of Live, the grunge rockers who racked up sales of over twenty million albums and five mainstream No. 1 singles. On at least half of this overtly spiritual solo debut, the veteran stays very close to the group's charging guitars, anthemic choruses, and meditative lyrics (most notably, the Haiti-inspired "Grace"). But Alive isn't always a paint by the numbers Live record thanks to "Drink (Everlasting Love)"—a modern rock co-write with Chris Daughtry—plus bits of blues, dance rock, and faith-on-sleeve lyrics in place of previously veiled messages.

Comments (1)

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[Reader Reviews]

Tony Waldron

July 07, 2010 7:27am

I appreciate Kowalczyk's more overt spirituality on this effort... the sound is less similar to the Live catalog than I would've expected, but the evolution in his musical style is definitely radio-ready. This will be a welcome addition to my music library. Thanks for the review and for the heads-up... I probably would've missed the release of this album altogether were it not for your inclusion of it here on CT.com. Blessings.

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