Style: ’90s-leaning pop/rock; compare to Train, Edwin McCain, Darius Rucker
Top tracks: “Sweet Providence,” “Mission Field,” “Hold On”
Indicating lead singer/songwriter Eliot Sloan’s Christian faith, this spiritually charged track listing is carried by southern soul-tilting, inspirational-leaning pop/rock and Sloan’s noticeably less nasal—and newly affective—vocal. Though some tunes are unwisely influenced by the band’s early popularity, most of the album profits from enlivening messages and epic accompaniment, perfectly exampled by the title track’s stirring orchestration and words. Meanwhile, the soaring strings and wailing electric guitars on “I Still Believe” serves as rousing lyrical sequel to their 1995 starter smash, “I Believe.” Radio rock ’90s-style isn’t everybody’s election, but Union knows how to create strong arrangements with minimal kitsch.
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