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]

Shawn McDonald knows how to keep ‘em coming. Since launching his recording career in 2004, he’s not only released two studio albums proper—the sleeper hit Simply Nothing and the more progressive Ripen—but he’s also become something of a live album machine. Besides 2005’s Live in Seattle, he’s made exclusive live sets for iTunes and Sony’s Connect store. Without missing a beat, he’s now offering Scattered Pieces: Live, his second full-length disc recorded in a concert setting. […read more]

Christian music fans were first introduced to newcomer Jeremy Riddle last year with the Top 10 adult contemporary radio hit “Sweetly Broken.” Now signed to Varietal Records (Vineyard’s new artist-driven imprint) for the release of Full Attention, the worship leader and junior high pastor offers 11 more songs to the masses—and they’re terrific. […read more]

I caught Jackson Waters at a showcase in 2006 and they truly rocked the house. But when asked to explain what they were like, I struggled to find the words: “Um … rock band … they had guitars!” Interestingly, the press materials also had trouble describing Come Undone, suggesting that it’s incomparable and unclassifiable. The band itself—hailing from John Brown University in Arkansas—can’t elaborate either, describing their music as “life rock,” because it’s “music that is there for you, no matter what you’re going through.” […read more]

With many artists emulating Steven Curtis Chapman and MercyMe and relying on covers of familiar worship songs, it’s unfortunate that Christian adult contemporary has grown so stale in recent years. You wouldn’t think then that the former lead singer of a fledgling rock band from the late ’90s (now defunct) would offer much to change that. But ours is a God of second chances, and in an unlikely comeback, John Waller has already been named by Billboard as one of the ten “Faces to Watch” in 2007—the only Christian music artist on the list. He could well be the shot in the arm that Christian AC needs. […read more]

Glory Revealed: The Word of God in Worship is an interesting combination of both concepts. Part of the inspiration comes from Glory Revealed, a new book by Bible teacher David Nasser that explores the visible manifestations of an invisible God. However, the album itself is also a 10-song set that draws on several passages from different corners of Scripture to expound on the premise of the book. The “worship” part of the title is more of a marketing hook than an indication of the album’s corporate value. […read more]

Success has come easily to Relient K. Three of their first four albums have gone Gold, and the band has gained mainstream exposure with late-night TV appearances and high-profile tours. Yet frontman Matt Thiessen almost seems pessimistic in the way he regularly notes that the band won’t last forever.

Forever is a long time, fair enough. And the band’s days would certainly be numbered if they were content to rest on their laurels. But judging by their fifth album Five Score and Seven Years Ago, Relient K isn’t leaving us any time soon, growing stronger with age while showing potential to break bigger. [ …read more]

Like so many of us, Adam Cunningham admits that he’s often relied on his own strength when his life was going well. But when his son Brock was born with an unexpected, life-threatening medical condition, Cunningham found himself with a situation he couldn’t fix himself, and promptly turned to God for help. When his son was eventually healed, he vowed to rededicate his life in service of the Lord. That led him to switch careers from financial manager at a car dealership to worship leader, which in turn led to a deal with Trackstar Recordworks to record Cunningham’s self-titled debut, which was largely written during that tumultuous time. […read more]

With such an expansive legacy, you just can’t do Tramaine Hawkins justice with a paragraph of biography. She participated in the recording session of the gospel standard (and mainstream hit) “Oh Happy Day,” traveled the world with the newly-christened Edwin Hawkins Singers (married to Walter Hawkins, Edwin’s brother), and even sang for secular celebrities. Such crossover appeal rubbed off onto her solo years as one of the first gospel artists signed to Columbia Records—a period marked by criticism from her gospel peers who refused to accept that dance beats and gospel music could work hand-in-hand. […read more]

Don’t worry if you experience a little bit of déjà vu with this release. Some may recognize newcomer Jason Gray as Jason Gay, the acclaimed indie artist from Minnesota who recently changed his name to improve his marketing. And if the track listing for his national debut All the Lovely Losers looks familiar, it’s because this is a reworked re-release of his independent album The Better Part of Me from 2005. Now that he’s finally found a label home with Centricity, it’s as great an introduction as any for Gay/Gray’s artistry. […read more]

Too soon, or not too soon? That is the question when it comes to best-of albums, especially lately with so many summarizing only a few years work. Four albums seems like its on the borderline of early, though it has been nearly ten years since Nichole Nordeman made her debut—and she’s amassed nine Dove awards in that time, including wins for Female Vocalist and Songwriter of the Year.

It’s easy to think that one more album’s worth of hits would have made Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman perfect, but this is actually a well-rounded compilation—and generous at 74 minutes of music. With tracks hand-picked by Nordeman, all four albums are fairly represented. And there’s nothing that feels out of place here, demonstrating consistency in her excellence. […read more]