Style: Worshipful pop/modern rock; compare to Newsboys, Tree63, Savage Garden
Top tracks: “Faster and Louder,” “Reach,” “All In Your Head,” “I’m Alive”
It’s perplexing why Peter Furler would bother going solo considering On Fire sounds pretty much like any other Newsboys album of the last decade. There’s plenty of programming, power chords, and praise, all tied together by alt-pop arrangements and his signature Aussie accent. Everything’s likeable but nothing’s remarkable, at least not when stacked up against the best of Newsboys from the 1990s. While Furler’s creative spark and satire may have softened, he’s still a catchy songwriter—with a little help from guests Steve Taylor, Jimmy Abegg (Ragamuffin Band), John Painter (Fleming and John) and Phil Joel (Newsboys).
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