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| Francesca Battistelli - My Paper Heart (Fervent)
One of the biggest songs in Christian music for the summer of 2008 is "I'm Letting Go," the first single from singer/songwriter Francesca Battistelli, a twenty-something who decided to become an entertainer after seeing The Secret Garden on Broadway. But the song isn't big because of the newcomer's thespian background. It's lighting up the phones because it sounds just like Sara Bareilles' "Love Song," one of the biggest songs at mainstream adult contemporary stations in 2008. Read More.
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| Relient K - The Bird and the Bee Sides (Gotee Records)
Since their first album in 2000, Relient K has made a habit of releasing a short EP between major releases. But The Bird and the Bee Sides is different than the norm. With 26 tracks spanning 71 minutes, this is considerably longer than the average EP offering around 5 or 6 songs—sheesh, it's also longer than the average album. True to the title, there are several b-sides to be found, as well as demos and alternate versions of previously released songs, but there are enough newly recorded songs to fill a short album. For that matter, with so many different musical styles represented here (including country and reggae), how can we be sure this is really a Relient K album? Read More.
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| Jars of Clay - Greatest Hits (Essential Records)
Released April 2008
By Russ Breimeier
Sounds like … the band's blend of folksy pop and modern rock, similar to Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sixpence None the Richer, Caedmon's Call, Counting Crows, and Gomez.
At a glance … the songs are all great, including the new one, but this skimpy and disappointing single-disc anthology doesn't do justice to Jars of Clay's impressive 11-year catalog—especially in light of their previous two-disc collection. Read More.
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| Hawk Nelson - Hawk Nelson Is My Friend (BEC Recordings)
Released April 2008
By Russ Breimeier
Hawk Nelson wants to be your friend, and not just in the MySpace sense either. The power pop/punk rock band has long held to the idea of not just winning fans through their music, but making friends in the process. Clearly they've made more than a few since their 2004 debut Letters to the President and their 2006 follow-up Smile, It's the End of the World, which together have sold close to 350,000 copies. Known for their fun-filled concerts and their willingness to connect with fans, Hawk Nelson has quickly become Relient K for a new generation. Read More.
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| Starfield - I Will Go
Starfield
I Will Go(Sparrow)
Released April 2008
By Andree Farias
Sounds like … a lighter, less muscular version of Hillsong United with nods to Vertical Horizon, Leeland, By the Tree, and Lincoln Brewster.
At a glance … little has changed about the way Starfield attacks its brand of melodic, anthemic, rocking-but-not-really style of modern worship.
At a time when major labels are quick to drop artists, the longevity of Starfield in the Sparrow Records fold is curious to some. Already on their third album for the label, the Canadian band has released a new disc like clockwork every two years since their 2004 stateside debut. That self-titled effort released with little fanfare, failing to distinguish the foursome from the glut of modern worship hopefuls at the time. Starfield's follow-up Beauty in the Broken fared a little better, outpacing the first album 2-to-1 commercially. Musically, it found the rockers stretching their wings with a few Switchfoot-styled rockers, only to rely on middling modern worship songs for most of the rest. Read More.
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| Addison Road - Addison Road
By Christa Banister
We all love a good underdog story, so it's hard not to root for Addison Road. The Dallas-based band has been working the indie circuit since 2001 before finally signing a record deal with INO—a tribute to the power of perseverance. After three independent albums and a slew of tour dates to their credit, the expectations are high for "the little band that could" now that they have a bigger budget and better production values. All the ingredients are here—standout vocals from frontwoman Jenny Simmons, radio-friendly pop hooks, meaningful lyrics for teens and young adults. Yet there's still something lacking about this self-titled effort. Read More.
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| The Afters - Beyond Ok
By Andy Argyrakis
With their freshman effort I Wish We All Could Win, The Afters not only met with instant favor in the Christian music world thanks to their support from MercyMe—they also found unexpected success in the mainstream. The Texas-based pop/rock band's signing with Simple/INO Records didn't come with a plan to break the secular scene, but the company's general market distribution through Sony quickly led the single "Beautiful Love" to a sixteen week run in Hot AC Top 30, MTV airplay, and various radio and television appearances. Though The Afters could have opted for a quick and easy follow-up to strike while the iron is hot, frontman Josh Havens, guitarists Matt Fuqua and Brad Wigg, and drummer Marc Dodd made a conscious decision to take their time to retool their sound and get it right for their follow-up, Never Going Back to OK. And as Havens noted in a recent conversation with Christian Music Today, it became an album about never settling for mediocrity in any part of life, including spiritually. Read More.
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| Pillar - For the Love of the Game (Flicker Records)
By Russ Breimeier
Sounds like … the melodic, pop-influenced hard rock of Thousand Foot Krutch, Disciple, Linkin Park, Spoken, Red, Seether, and Finger Eleven.
At a glance … some of the songs are a little hackneyed, but overall, Pillar sounds more invigorated and focused on their fifth album, showing newfound energy and inspiration in their faster pop-metal.
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| Stellar Kart - Expect the Impossible(Word/Warner Records)
By Christa Banister
If All Star United cranked up the decibels a little higher and ingested an entire box of Frosted Flakes before hitting the recording studio, the resemblance to Stellar Kart's third album would be uncanny. And that stylistic similarity isn't at all shocking since ASU's Ian Eskelin not only returns to the producer's chair, but also co-wrote eight of the tracks with Stellar Kart frontman Adam Agee. What's truly surprising is just how similar these two bands have become. Beyond the style, Agee's vocals are a dead ringer for Eskelin in some instances.
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| Demon Hunter - Storm The Gates of Hell
By Jackie A. Chapman
For many, the term "Christian heavy metal band" is something of a paradox, even after years of Petra, Stryper, and other bands as evidence to the contrary. Still, some feel that Demon Hunter appears scarier than most, from their symbolic skull on the album covers to their hardcore metal sound with guttural screams. And yet ironically, few metal bands have made as much an effort to vary their sound and make hardcore metal more musical, or taken as much to explain what the band is about—meeting young listeners where they are to share the love of Christ. Lead singer and songwriter Ryan Clark explains the thinking that went into the making of Demon Hunter's latest record, Storm the Gates of Hell. READ MORE
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