With “Come Undone,” Jackson Waters, the 5-piece modern rock band out of Arkansas, lives up to the expectations set up by their earlier EP, “Center of Attention.” “Come Undone” offers eleven tracks of pop-rock with a Southern edge, a radio-friendly blend that easily straddles hard and soft rock while supplying an endless stream of hooks. Keyboardist/lead vocalist David Leonard and his merry band (guitarists Toby Friesen and Jesse LaFave, bassist Brian Meek, and drummer Ryan Hawk) were students at John Brown University in Arkansas when they discovered their common desire to reach young people through music. […read more]

Jason Gray’s “All the Lovely Losers” is just in time, the perfect antidote to your winder blahs. But these soaring pop melodies will work beautifully anytime, anywhere. I’ve previously raved about musical beatitude “Blessed Be” and “Sing Through Me” in our earlier preview, but the ten remaining tracks only continue the trend of excellence. It’s pop at its best all the way through “All the Lovely Losers,” providing a winsome carrier for his nimble lyrical expressions of vulnerability and brokenness. […read more]

Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen has been heard to says he enjoys the band’s relative anonymity. “Five Score and Seven Years Ago” is going to bring an end to that. Relient K’s second joint Gotee Records/Capitol release marks the band’s ascendancy to the hallowed realm of the Definitely Significant, in the company of fellow ambassadors Switchfoot and U2, or it should anyway. The writing is mature without being overly-serious, the execution sublime, and the spirit of the project is defiantly joyful. Lookout: in my earlier preview of the album I cracked the lid slightly on my deep enjoyment of “Five Score and Seven Years Ago,” but here comes a full-throated rave. […read more]

Longtime Christian recording artist Geoff Moore still has plenty to say, with the heart, the chops and the calling to back it up, as per his latest album “Speak to Me.” With 16 albums to his credit in a 22-year career, Geoff Moore shows no signs of slowing down. “I believe this is what God has called me to do as my life’s work: to write and record songs that make Him known, and then travel and sing those songs, using the platform they create to be a voice for the poor and oppressed who have no voice.” It’s great in this day of muddy motives to hear an artist so confident in his calling, with a solid plan in mind to accomplish it. Like I said, the man knows who he is, and “Speak to Me” backs it all up. […read more]

Nate Sallie’s passionate and stylized pop sound drips with awareness and recognition; it is the foundation and strength of “Ruined for Ordinary,” Sallie’s sophomore offering. His story is not unfamiliar: saved at an early age, he let his God-awareness drift into sleep mode, until about three years ago. While reading John Bevere’s “Drawing Near: A Life of Intimacy with God,” the classically-trained Sallie began to desperately desire anew the God he had laid aside. “Ruined for Ordinary” overflows with this new vigor, from the first hooky chorus of opener “Breakthrough,” its lyrics openly needy: “Would you please ruin me/for this life ordinary/All I seek is Your Holy covering/ moving over me.” […read more]

There’s a good reason John Waller was named one of Billboard’s “Faces to Watch in 2007.” One listen to this worship leader/songwriter’s “The Blessing” and you understand. After Suite’s recent conversation with John Waller, I was eager to hear his debut album, especially given its back-story. Waller founded According to John, a band that came within inches of breaking through a decade ago but stopped just short of hitting. After giving up the band dream, John moved to Colorado to serve a small church plant as worship pastor, content to write songs to lead his congregation to the Lord on Sunday morning. […read more]

The idea behind the rootsy compilation album, “Glory Revealed,” is to draw listeners into the Word, enabling them to find God’s glory revealed in His Word. A tall but noble task in this frenetic day, but if warmth, well-crafted songs, and intelligent production have anything to do with it, “Glory Revealed” should prove effective. The concept was birthed through the friendship between Mac Powell (Third Day frontman) and David Nassar (speaker/author/minister), and resulted in a multi-artist worship project which features straight Scripture lyrics and an Americana acoustic set of ten original songs. […read more]

If there was ever Christian singer/songwriter who truly deserved a retrospective, it has to be poet laureate Nichole Nordeman. “Recollection” is worthy of her great gift. For my money, there is no other artist penetrating and articulating the human soul with the fierce accuracy of Nichole Nordeman. Her incisive, thoughtful prose, her majestic piano playing, and her gorgeous vocals make her a triple threat. You would think it would be difficult for a best of collection to truly bear witness to the scope of her talent and her music, but amazingly, “Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman” does just that. […read more]

For those who love Toby Mac, the new release, Portable Sounds, will be another treasure for your collection. In fact, you had better make a copy of it so you don’t wear it out! For those who are new to the front guy for DC Talk, this CD will make you want to crank up the volume on whatever system you use to hear it. If you like music at all, (ok, so if you like classical or jazz, maybe not) you will find a track or a “joint” as Toby’s son, Tru Dog, calls them, that you will enjoy. Most of these songs will find their way onto your ipod if you know what that means. Overall, this CD is a fun, energetic, non-stop party for your ears and your soul. […read more]

Shawn McDonald’s second live album, “Scattered Pieces: Live,” is provoking commentary about its quick appearance, but with a talent as fresh as his, can it be too soon? It’s not too soon for me. I found “Scattered Pieces: Live,” an assortment of live acoustic performances scattered over the waning months of 2006, to be very satisfying, serving up enough diversity to hold my attention easily. Moody and evocative, it’s an album that sets a certain tone, almost transporting in its scope. […read more]

Geoff Moore’s legacy of 22 years of music ministry, and 16 albums, including the recent “Speak to Me,” gives his thoughts a certain legitimacy we were eager to hear. Suite: Geoff, your sense of calling comes across so prominently in your music. How essential is that to a Christian artist? Geoff: Being a Christian artist is my job. Everybody’s job can be a ministry, but not everybody’s job is in full-time ministry. Because I feel like mine is, my calling is central to all I do in my music life. […read more]

While not an unpleasant listening experience, Essential Records’ “Far From Home: The FFH Collection” still leaves you scratching your head a bit. It’s not that FFH is undeserving of a retrospective collection, or that the ten songs included are not good songs; not at all. In ten years with Essential, FFH released a total of 6 albums, selling almost 2 million in total, including17 Top 5 hits, 7 of which topped the charts. “Big Fish,” the opening track on “The Collection,” was actually the highest charting single by an indie artist in the history of Christian radio. […read more]

Sandi Patty faces the restoration process head-on following her well-publicized ’90s marital failings, and on new CD “Falling Forward” celebrates the mercy she found. “Falling Forward” opens tellingly, with the airy praise track “Make Me Glad.” I like its gentle opening, not Sandi Patty’s usual approach. She shows sensitive restraint on this emotive song, before moving into the more exuberant “Sing to the King,” splashy with sound, its bells, rhythm guitars and solid drums working hard. […read more]

Seventh Day Slumber serves up their third album, “Finally Awake,” drenched in fervency, along with their standard guitar-heavy pop-metal fare. From the beginning, Seventh Day Slumber made it clear where their allegiances laid. Always willing to address the tough issues confronting their young audiences, the quartet (lead vocalist Joseph Rojas, guitarist Jeremy Holderfield, bassist Joshua Schwartz, and drummer Ray Fryoux) unapologetically offered the Solution that had worked so well for them: Christ. […read more]

John Waller is a talented singer, songwriter, and worship leader with a debut album coming out March 6th from Beachstreet Records, “The Blessing.”
No stranger to the music scene, Waller previously gained national attention fronting the group According to John. His story back to the studio is one full of inspiration, struggle and redemption that everyone can relate to. Suite: John, I read about your earlier disappointment as a recording artist, when your old record label fell apart on your band According to John. What is your perspective on that experience now, given the benefit of hindsight? […read more]

Michael Olson’s “Where Fear and Faith Collide” debuts on Feb. 13, & I think listeners will enjoy the depth of his sophomore album. We talked a bit about how he got there. Suite: Michael, our Suite review of “Where Fear & Faith Collide” heard what came across as a deep sense of blessed desperation in your music. Is that an accurate assessment, and one you’re comfortable with? Michael: Wow….that’s quite a phrase you’ve coined. A good one. I would feel comfortable with that description. […read more]

Derek Webb brings his startling powers of articulation, authenticity, and accuracy to “One Zero: Acoustic,” ten acoustic takes on some of his more prophetic songs. As you might have noticed on Suite’s 2006 List of the Year’s Best Albums, we think very highly of Derek Webb around here. He topped the list, his “Mockingbird” riding in the catbird’s #1 seat. Many of the songs on “One Zero” are actually from that same album, but these stripped down versions sound fresh enough to be completely new, imbued as they are with deep passion. I’m talking, dripping in it. […read more]

Fresher than this morning’s latte, Group 1 Crew’s self-titled Fervent Records debut will knock you out, their hearts shining through as fiercely as their bangin’ sound. Coming on strong from the get-go with the previously discussed single “Love is a Beautiful Thing,” the album quickly moves into the clap-happy sizzling second track, “Let It Roll,” its melodic chord movements positively mesmerizing under the nimble tongue-lashing of Manwell Reyes, Blanca Reyes (no relation), and Pablo Villatoro. […read more]

When The Showdown releases its sophomore album, “Temptation Come My Way,” from Mono vs Stereo Records, on Feb. 20, you’ll see: it’s petal to the metal all the way. Frontman David Bunton openly proclaimed the band’s intention to “bring back masculine.” We won’t repeat all he had to say about whiny sensitivity and “stuffing jokers in trash cans,” but suffice it to say that The Showdown is deliberate in coming on strong. […read more]

Our recent chat with one Article One founder, violinist Matt Piche, revealed a bit about the major changes ahead for these pop-purveyors. Article One’s Inpop debut doesn’t hit the street until May, but Suite offered up a brief preview last month. Suite: As brothers who have both been playing for many years, do you find that you are well connected to each other musically? Knowing when a zig or zag is coming from the other? […read more]