Ever since 2002, Kutless has been bringing the rock with songs like "Your Touch," "Not What You See," "Treason," "Strong Tower" and "Shut Me Out." The Oregon quintet adds to that list of outstanding songs with To Know That You're Alive (BEC). There's not a single dud on the 13-song album.

This album features the first instrumental song from Kutless in "Sleeping City," written entirely by new guitarist Nick DePartee. The album also features the standard rockers you expect from them, with songs such as "The Feeling," "The Disease & The Cure," "Overcoming Me" and "Loud." Some of the highlights of this album, though, come in their more worship-style songs like "Complete" and "I Do Not Belong," with lyrics like, "In You I am complete/It's all because of love/I'm not who I was/I'm who I'm meant to be/In You I am complete," and, "I do not belong in a world of broken pieces/I was meant to be in the arms of Your redemption/I am moving on to the place of Your perfection?'Cause I do not belong, no/I do not belong." There are also some slower-tempo songs on this album, the title track, "The Rescue" and “Promise You," are a welcome addition to the album. My personal favorite from this album comes at the end, "You." This is a light acoustic song with wonderful lyrics, such as the chorus, "You/You're the love I have always known/And it's You/I'll never be alone." It's the perfect end to a wonderful album.

Kutless has found its strengths over the last six years and elaborated on them, which has been hard since only two of the original members remain, and they've had three different bass players and two different drummers during that time. As the years go by, Kutless' lineup has changed, but their message and their music style have not. Simply put, these guys rock.

My rating: 9.5 out of 10

Usually when I write reviews, I purchase the album, listen to it a number of times, then review it. Since this album only came out this Tuesday, I haven't really had that luxury. However, I figured it would be a nice challenge; plus, this album is so great I just had to write a review right away.

Third Day's new album, Revelation, picks up right where the band left off in 2005 with Wherever You Are. The album follows a story, if you will, of a man lost in sin, finding God, and choosing to live for Him. They do such a terrific job of it, too. Songs like "Run to You" and "Revelation" show the brokenness, where songs like "Call My Name" and "Let Me Love You" show God's tender heart.

One of the great things about Third Day is their exquisite lyrics. Mac Powell (lead singer/principal songwriter) delivers yet again on this album with instant greats such as "This Is Who I Am," "Born Again," "Ready," "Slow Down" and "Run to You," just to name a few. Mark Lee (guitars) also adds his songwriting touch on this album with "Take It All," and Tai Anderson (bass) helps Powell out writing the song "Otherside." You can clearly see their heart in lines like, "Give me a revelation/Show me what to do/'Cause I've been trying to find my way/ I haven't got a clue," and, "I want the world to turn because of love/And mercy to find each of us/Doing what we can to just believe."

There's a reason Third Day is so widely known. These guys know how to put together a great album, and they do so again with Revelation. This album shows some of their best yet, and I won't be surprised if we see some more Dove Awards and Grammys coming their way.

My rating: 9.8 out of 10

It's always nice to find good worship music these days. But when it comes to the Michael Gungor Band, "good" may not be the right word. A better word would probably be "incredible." Every track on this album is a great worship song with great lyrics. Gungor also loves to add different instruments from your standard band instruments and some other programming and such that add to the overall brilliance of Michael Gungor Band. These guys are genius.

The album starts off with three straight-up worship songs in "Be Praised," "Giving It All" and "I Will Never Stop." These three songs are a great way to start the album, with deep, original lyrics and real musical quality. Next comes "Ancient Skies," a slower tempo song with some of the best lyrics on the album, which is saying something. More of Gungor's lyrical genius is seen in the next two songs, "Prodigal" and "Grace for Me." "Prodigal" is basically the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 turned into a worship song. "Grace for Me" is an acoustic song that shows the perfect blend of musicianship and lyrics.

The second half of the album starts with undoubtedly the best song musically on the album. "Fly" starts off very acoustic, with a very nice acoustic guitar solo in the middle. Then all the instruments drop out except for the piano for about 5-7 seconds, and then all traces of acoustic are gone as the band rocks out for the rest of the song on electric guitars and the like. To describe the song in one word: WOW. After that comes "You Alone" and "Spotless," two more great mid-tempo worship songs ("You Alone" is one of my personal favorites on the album). This is definitely what Gungor excels at; writing wonderful worship songs. The second to last song on the album is "Heaven's Song," which keeps the upbeat rock going at the end of the album. Last, but most definitely not least, is the song "Glory Is Here," a perfect end to a near-perfect album. With lyrics like, "Help me to see/You're all around me," and the chorus, "Our praises arise/As we come to recognize/Jesus is near/Glory is here," this song is virtually unforgettable. (There is also a little bonus track at the end of "Glory Is Here" that is just Gungor and his acoustic guitar, and it is very good as well.)

Michael Gungor Band's music excels where many worship artists don't. Gungor is able to keep away from using cliche lyrics most of the time, and all of the band's music sounds different from some more standard worship songs. This is a great band, and I hope we get to hear a lot more from them soon.

My Rating: 9.7 out of 10

After four years of fairly good alt/rock music from Hawk Nelson, their
new album just doesn't impress. The record unfortunately brings in a lot
of songs that sound similar to songs on previous albums, as well as
being similar to songs earlier on the record itself. Simply put, the
Canadian quartet didn't deliver with Hawk Nelson Is My Friend.

The first three songs on the album, "You Have What I Need," "Friend Like
That" and "Turn It On," all seem to follow the same basic formula that
Hawk followed on their previous record, Smile, It's the End of the
World. "You Have What I Need" is the one really hard rock song on the
album, just like with the Smile song "The One Thing I Have Left." Also,
"Friend Like That" and Smile song "The Show" are fast, energetic songs
that make you want to jump up and down. Then comes an even more rockin'
anthem-style song on each album, with "Turn It On" for Friend and "Bring
'Em Out" for Smile (which, interestingly, you can get an alternate
version of if you purchase the special edition of Hawk Nelson Is My
Friend). It just seems as if Hawk Nelson is just sticking to a formula
that seemed to work well for them once, but it doesn't this time.

Lyrical confusion comes in the song "Let's Dance," where lead singer
Jason Dunn sings, "I don't wanna look inside myself cause/Then I'll have
to change something else and/I don't wanna live like someone else
I'm/Happy in my skin, being my self/Let's dance." While this may be okay
in regards to living like other people, this is false in Christian
views, where we are supposed to live like Christ. This may have been a
small slip-up on their part, but needless to say I am not impressed with
this song.

The four songs that I really enjoyed were "Somebody Else," "Arms Around
Me," "Not the Same" and "I Still Miss You." "Somebody Else" and "Not the
Same" show some real improvement in Hawk Nelson's musicianship and their
maturity in playing together. The lyrics in "Arms Around Me" are
wonderful, including lines like "Every time I stand up, I fall without
You." "I Still Miss You" was written by Dunn after his grandmother
passed away from cancer, and is a very meaningful song. Another
interesting song is "Words We Speak" because it stands out as a song
with a style unlike anything Hawk Nelson has ever done.

All in all, not a great album, but showing some glimmers of potential.
If Hawk Nelson can take some of the problems that arise in this album
and improve them for their next album, then they will be back in their
good form placed through their first two releases.

My Rating: 7.4 out of 10

After 3 successful albums with Say It Loud, Fight the Tide and The Face of Love, Sanctus Real returns with possibly their best work to date. We Need Each Other showcases 10 songs with catchy, flowing melodies and well thought-out lyrics. These songs will find their way into your mind and will stay there, but they will surely be welcome.
The album starts out on an energetic, jump-outta-your-seat feel with "Turn On The Lights." It leads into the title track, which is a little slower in tempo. Tempo speeds up again with "Black Coal," describing in a sense how Christians are in this world, a "diamond in the black coal." Following this are "Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)" and "Sing," two fairly soft and slow songs, the former more so than the latter. Lead vocalist Matt Hammitt sums up the theme of "Whatever You're Doing" when he sings, "It's hard to surrender to what I can't see/But I'm giving in to something heavenly." "Sing" paints the picture of everyone singing praises to God together with one voice, and "how sweet it will be." The next song brings the slow-tempo rock in with "Leap of Faith." The next three songs, "Lay Down My Guns," "Eternal" and "Half Our Lives" are a little softer, but definitely not lacking in lyric content, with lines like "Lay down my guns and lift my hands/Surrender to love and live again," and "You are eternal, and I am eternally Yours." The album ends on a high note with "Legacy" (probably my favorite song on the album), an upbeat, catchy song saying, "Oh, I want to leave a legacy to be remembered/More than just a memory that fades away/Because we only, we only get one life."
All in all, this album is worth the money. The right mixture of upbeat and slow songs, along with wonderful lyrics showing us how much we really do need those around us, make this album a knockout. If this is how Sanctus Real will continue to be, and they can elaborate on this style, I'm excited for their future. We need each other, and we need Sanctus Real, too.
My Rating: 8.9 out of 10

For someone who enjoys hard rock but prefers songs with good music and stand-out lyrics (a la Casting Crowns), Fireflight's new album Unbreakable is quite a find. The Florida quintet finds a way to blend catchy, fairly original melodies with deep, meaningful lyrics. It seems as if the phrase "sophomore slump" isn't in their vocabulary.
The title track kicks off the album in true rock fashion, and displays the theme felt throughout the album, that God is there for us to guide and strengthen us, making us, well, unbreakable. Dawn Richardson's vocals come through loud and clear, while blending well with the instruments surrounding her. The strings in "Brand New Day" were unexpected, but very welcome. The ballad "Forever" showcases some of Fireflight's softer side, which is right on track with their usual hard rockin' side ("Wrapped in Your Arms" also does a nice job of this). Applause is required for this band's wonderful musicianship.
Though rather short (clocking in just under 35 minutes), these ten songs travel from a desperate need for God ("Forever," "So Help Me God") to finding God's help ("Unbreakable," "Brand New Day," "Wrapped in Your Arms") to the emptiness of an unbeliever ("The Hunger") to a call to "stand up" for your beliefs ("Stand Up"), while staying true to the theme of being "unbreakable" in Christ. One can only be excited for what's to come from Fireflight.
My Rating: 9.7 out of 10