Christian Music Artist Reviews

So I haven’t done an album review in a longggg time, and so I decided to do one when I heard Fireflights new album… because well… it’s amazing. :D

I wasn’t a huge fan of their 3rd album (For those who wait). It just wasn’t as impressive as “Unbreakable”. That album was unbelievable, and I loved seeing them in concert when they toured with it. I was nervous that this album wasn’t going to be as amazing as it could be, but it is definitely right back up there with “Unbreakable”. 

In this album they incorporate some electronic to their normally impressive rock sound. Dawn’s voice is amazing as usual, and the guitar is especially great in some of the songs.

Songs are as follows:

1. Stay Close

2. Ignite

3. Escape

4. He Weeps

5. Keeping Me Alive

6. Stronger than You Think

7. Prove Me Wrong

8. Dying for Your Love

9. Rise Above

10. Now

The lyrics are really inspirational and encouraging. It is geared more towards those who are struggling with bad situations in life. “He Weeps” poses and answers the question of where is God when there is suffering. I definitely like this song a lot. My favorite song for upbeat goodness is “Now” and “Stronger than You Think”. The guitar is so catchy and awesome sounding. :) 

Overall the lyrics are great. The music is great. And the vocals are perfect. BUY THIS ALBUM!

Ratings:

Vocals: 5 out of 5

Lyrics: 4.5 out of 5

Instruments: 4.8 out of 5

Ok guys.. so I know I just posted about these guys, but I figured you might appreciate a FULL album review and not just their EP release. 

This album includes 10 songs with 1 music video and then the digital booklet if you get it on itunes. Otherwise it has 10 songs in hard copy form. 

The songs include

1. Can’t Shut Up

2. I wanna Know You like that

3. Circles

4. Can’t Get over You

5. Stranger

6. Outta My Mind

7. Lifeline

8. Lighthouse

9. Freedom Into Slavery

10. Where the Light is

11 Can’t Shut Up official music video

Something that I noticed about this album that I was a fan of was that these songs don’ have the typical break down of songs… you know… same sounding verses with a semi catchy chorus.. maybe a bridge… they all fit in together and they SUPER predictable. Well I can say that there are some awesome songs on here that take a fun twist MID song. They keep it fresh. With pop vocals and a band sound they rock it out. And then they add electronic sounds for good measure… and I gotta say the whistling in Freedom into Slavery was a brilliant idea. I love it when  artists add normal human abilities besides singing into their songs.

Lyrically they definitely stepped it up in the full album. I pretty much love the whole album. I’m not a huge fan of Lighthouse… and that is more about the music being a little lack luster, but every other song is definitely something i’ll be enjoying.

Overall… BUY THIS ALBUM. It’s a winner for sure! 

Anthem Lights is a new Christian boy band. They have four members (from the left) Kyle Kupecky,Caleb Grimm, Alan Powell, Chad Graham. Their group started with Chad Graham. He was pursuing a music career and his friend Alan Powell teamed up with him one day to do some writing. In that time they realized that the music would be better with multiple voices. With that they added Kyle and Caleb to the team. 

The main idea that they are pushing right now is the idea that as Christ followers we don’t really belong here, and it’s not our home. We shouldn’t be comfortable. We are still here to make an impact, but we’re here for a mission and not to be comfortable. 

Kay now to break the sound down. They have a full album set to release this month (May 2011) but they released an EP in February. From that EP this I’ve gathered a decent grip on if they’re any good. Musically they are pretty good. Their music has a good beat and it’s definitely catchy. They definitely incorporate a lot of electronic synth sound as well as normal band instruments. Their vocals, although varied between members, are pretty good. I actually like that they all have a distinct sound apart from each other, but then they can also blend extremely well in their harmonies. If I have one complaint with them is their lyrics. It seems like so often catchy music lacks in the lyric department, and I have to say that fits for Anthem lights too. I think they could use a bit more focus and less generalities. 

Overall these guys are pretty good. I bought their music. I like variety. When I want more upbeat and fun I listen to them, and when I want a little more focused lyrics I listen to other artists. I like them, and I look forward to their new album. I’ll definitely buy it.

SOOOO my ratings!

Music: 3.8 out of 5

Voices: 4 out of 5

Lyrics: 2.75 out of 5

Message: 2.9 out of 5

Jeremy Horn is a newer artist in the music world. He has been freshly signed by Ardent Records and before that he lead worship at his church. This guy is pretty cool. He’s got a heart for the church and seeing true worship emerge from it. Part of that is the emphasis he puts on a lifestyle of praise, and not only an hour of singing on Sunday mornings. I definitely support where he stands on worship. He’s also a small town kind of church guy. He doesn’t seem incredibly interested in fame, and he shows that through a focus on the individuals

Music wise I’d say the guy is decent. His music is pretty average in the sense that it sounds pretty much like everything that goes through churches. He has a couple songs that are more out of the box that I liked. On his newest album “Sound of the Broken” that was originally set to release May 3 (a single is available on itunes now) he continues that average sound. However, I’d say that “Sons and Daughters” has a little something special. It has an electric sound that plays in the back that gives this song some extra interest. Other songs on the album include “Sound of the Broken” and “Only God Who Saves”.

Although his music is pretty average his voice gives it a fresher sound. His voice is on the higher end of a male voice range with a brighter more distinct voice. It is reminds me a bit of Reily because of that same bright sound. It also has this Country music feel to it, which adds a nice variety. 

The best part of Jeremy Horn’s music has got to be his lyrics. Where he lacks musically his lyrics make up for it. His lyrics are inspirational, and very meaningful. A lot of Christian music has become typical lyrically, but he definitely has a way of writing with power. 

Here are my favorite songs: 

“Sons and Daughters”

“My First Love”

“Atmosphere”

Overall I give Jeremy Horn the following ratings:

Music: 2 out of 5 

Voice: 3.5 out of 5 

Lyrics: 4 out of 5 

Image: 3.5 out of 5

For more information on Jeremy Horn go to www.jeremyhornmusic.com