Christian music reviews

CCM Magazine rated this as one of the Top 100 Christian Albums Ever in a book they released. (#14 if you're scoring at home). It's nicknamed the "grunge" album and while there are clearly hints of the influence of Nirvana et al. here and there, it's more as accent: DC is still a pop group first and foremost. This also marks the first time that rapper Toby McKeehan tried his hand at vocals. There are some wretched missteps here that keep this from being a spotless release, but it probably is their finest effort overall at trying to reach out to a mainstream audience while hanging onto their Christian base. They were able to get a minor Top 40 hit with "Between You and me". (Though it's not one of the better songs here in all honesty...)

HIGHLIGHTS:
Crusty guitar blasts lead off "So Help Me God" announcing instantly that DCT's members had been listening to stuff other than hip-hop. The title track overcomes its often goofy lyrics ("I saw a man with tattoo on his big fat belly/It wiggled around like marmalade jelly..") thanks to a snappy guitar riff that propels it (though the guy who compared it to the second coming of Hendrix is seriously smoking something), use of "quiet/loud" grunge dynamics, and its singalong "What will people think/when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?" hook. "What If I Stumble?" ponders the impact the group has on its audience of mostly teens and its emerging status as one face of Christian rock to those outside the Church. ("What if I stumble?/What if I fall?/What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?") "What Have We Become?" questions individual believers presentations of Jesus to the world at large. ("A preacher shuns his brother/Cause his bride's a different color/And this is not acceptable/His papa taught him so..")

LOWS:
"Day by Day" is an attempt to update the Godspell tune for the modern age, but hearing someone sing "Thee" against rock guitar just sounds quaint at best. It's definitely not the bold move into relevancy I'm sure they wanted. Skits "Mrs. Morgan" [the elderly next door neighbor complaining about the noise from the drummer's practicing] and "Jesus Freak (Reprise)" [a mock operatic version of the title tune] fare about as well as most skits do. You might get a brief chuckle at first or second hearing but they quickly become automatic skip button activators.

BOTTOM LINE:
While I'm not so sure I'd rank it among the Top 100 contemporary Christian releases ever made, it probably is the finest effort by the band.

3 1/2 stars

I own all of the DC talk CDs and this one is probaly my favorite.The only missteps are:Mrs.Morgan,and the Jesus freak reprise.My favorites are :so help me God,colored people,Jesus freak,what if i stumble,between you and me,like it,love it and need it,in the light,and mind's eye.I really recommend this!

One of the best of all time. Every song is different and amazing. The recording quality is a tad rough, but that was the times. This is tied with Delirious's "World Service" for greatest Christian CD ever.

Ok, I heard Flood recently(I know this has been out for like ten years now). Real cool song, but that's all. This album really sucks. It's really mellow and almost boy-bandish. The drum machine the band utilizes is laughable. This is a horrible record. Thats all

How heavy do you expect a Christian group to be? Honestly, do you people buy CDs just to trash them? If you don't like the style then don't buy the music. If you like the style but don't like the group, then say why.

I'm 23, married, and Christian, and I can't get enough of Jars of Clay (or Superchick for that matter). I'm going to sing them both at Karaoke Night next week. I hope I get pelted with tomatoes and thrown out on my arse. There's not much middle ground with Jesus. Either you try hard to make him yours or you try hard to make him go away, but there's no yawning through him.

I bought this cd not knowing that they where a christian band but I guess it shouldn't matter. I am all about the music and I love being a musician becuase it helps you apreciate music alot more with out saying oh they are jesus freaks they suck or, there name is godsmack? that is stanic! I am anti-christ and I don't like any form of christianity. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy music some one is making who thinks differently than I do. I like the acoustics in the cd and it seems very positive. It is more soft than what I usually listen to but I still enjoy it. If you like acoustics and are free minded about music then buy this album. There other albums arent bad either but remember this is a really soft band.

Easily his best album. I love the instrumental piece titled "The Journey." Two other great Christian releases are Delirious's "World Service" and D. C. Talk's "Jesus Freak." Lifehouse's self titled third album is also quite excellent.

This album is awesome. I love the song Dive. This song kinda reminds me one of the songs that I used to sing in my church youth group. He always sings how a true christian (or should I say disciple) should feel. Especially in the song The Change. I saw him in concert in California. I was sixteen years old. The feeling that I had while I was at that concert was the best. I own all his albums. He never disapoints me. He is the main reason I listen to Christain music.

I love this cd. It has great praise and worship music. Speechless has both great lyrics and rhythm. I love all of the songs on Speechless. Steven Curtis Chapman has such a soulful voice. I play them during daycare hours. My daycare toddlers love the music too.

One the best things about this album is that Fred was selling it at $12.50 when double albums were going for at least eighteen dollars or maybe more (I bought it in a name brand record store on Independence Drive in Charlotte, and I don't remember the name) in those days. Fred not only blessed my soul with this great collection of songs, but he blessed my pockets, too. This album started great ('Let The Praise Begin' was an absolute smash I still hope I can sing somewhere in a church) and, although there are some dead spots and some sketchy production of songs that had the potential to be huge (sometimes the way Fred presents some songs seem to lack the oomph the song needs to truly be great, although the lyrics are normally superlative and, at the least, fitting), the studio album leaves you with the confidence that you have bought a quality album. My personal favorites are the last two on the first disc, 'You Called Me Friend' and 'Lord, You Are My Song.' I started to like both of these after a while, though, because nine of the first eleven songs on this disc tend to monopolize your attention. The best of these songs are the aforementioned 'Let The Praise Begin,' 'Your Steps Are Ordered,' 'All Thing Are Working,' 'Please Don't Pass Me By,' 'Jesus Is All,' 'I Will Bless His Holy Name,' and 'He's God.' I would always listen to 'Jesus Is All' and 'You Were Much Closer,' but they always seemed to be not my cup of tea. That being said, only 'No Way, No Way [You Won't Lose],' 'Your Love,' and 'I Wanna Be Yours' weren't immediately enjoyable.
The second disc, Live, can be summed up in one word: fuggedaboudit! The live portion of the CD is awesome because it not only takes you down memory lane, you really only have to remember until 1995! It is the greatest short attention span theater in the history of man. I'm writing this review in 2006, eight years after this album was released, and the live disc resonates in my spirit even now. GET THIS DISC SET. It is essential for christians. You do not want to miss out.

Wow! What a gift Fred Hammond and RFC are to us! These were my first cd's and I absolutely fell in love with the music listening to a sampling at the music store. Fred and RFC are my very favorite gospel musicians and singers!!!

This is still a gospel super work. I have been listening to this CD for years, and I recently started listening to it again.

I think it's still the best gospel album ever produced. It's a rich and anointed piece of work. Once you get this CD you will absorb every song for months.

If you are just getting into Fred Hammond I would recommend this CD the most, followed by "Hooked On the Hits".

Jennifer Knapp is a style unto her own as many here have already described. An unashamed testament to faith and her own (and Mankinds collective) shortcomings, Trinity is an inspired, insightful song causing one to look within one's self for their own core values. It has a great deal of meaning to me personally and I would suspect others would find it as such as well.

Praise God that Ms. Knapp and others like her have chosen to give their unique talents and gifts back to Him.

Music can speak to people and touch them to lift their spirits, and faith in God. I think that this music is real and speaks to many.. I wish I could send it to everyone I know. I am working on it. : )

This is an excellent album by a very talented artist.

Her sound is superb. She combines a folk and rock type sound with solid Christian lyrics. It is all combined with her strong, throaty voice that is very unique.

If you are looking for a great sound with strong meaning, I certainly recommend Kansas.

This video is on my top 3 list of dynamic videos. It's moving from the very first song to the last. The video allows you to see what's really going on, the stuff that doesn't air on the cd. Kirk is spectacular! I'd really like to give it 10 stars but you guys won't allow me so I'll just say "Kirk, here's two times (5) stars!

These CD is fresh. I love how real the songs are and how many people these songs can reach

This is his best CD to date. I have them all and this by far my favorite one. Very inspirational.

This CD is just so amazing!My favorite songs on this album are:I've always loved you,believe,your love oh Lord ,and give.These 4 songs I would say,when Third day wrote these songs they really reached down into their hearts.But,let me tell you,there is no missteps or fillers.I would really recommend this album.

After their worst-selling album, "Conspiracy no. 5," Third Day must have known they needed to stick with their roots and create a CD comprised of their signature southern rock and classic rock blend. The final product ends up being 33% southern rock, 33% Christian contemporary, 33% country, and 100% pure genius.

While lyrically this album is not as completely open or beautifully written as some of their later work, the music varies from soft ballads to raucous rock and roll. When the album starts with the gentle ballad of "I've Always Loved You" and rolls right into the deep southern blues "Believe," it's apparent that the album will be a rollercoaster of emotion and feeling in their music. "Took my Place" is a heart-and-soul southern rock peice with their typical message of Christ dying for us, while "Never Bow Down" is a rockin' call for Christians to stand up for what they believe in. "Your Love, Oh Lord" makes it's debut on the album, quickly turning into a crowd favorite on and off stage. "Don't Say Goodbye" is a rootsy classic-rock style peice. "What Good" calls for the giving up of material treasures for Christ, and "Sky Falls Down" is a fun tune with an optimistic outlook on the end of the world. The album ends on "Give" which is probably the most openly worshipful song on the album.

Overall, Third Day's album "Time" is easily the best. It's no wonder they gained almost instant popularity at this time and grew into the Christian band that almost everyone from the southeastern United States loves.

Well, at first, the reason I purchased this cd is because of the song; 'Your Love Oh Lord (Psalm 36)'. I saw the video for that song many years ago on the christian music t.v show 'One Cubed' and the song struck me. It was kind of like my initiation into christian rock. It is such a fantastic song and it means a lot to me. It reminds me to deepen my faith and sometimes when I struggle, that song brings me back to that time and place when I first heard the song, on my knees in front of the telly. It is a source of comfort to me.
The rest of the cd is very strong e.g the opening song, tracks 4 and 6, as well the others.
Something I must mention is that this was also my introduction to southern rock. If you don't like southern-rootsy rock, you might not like this compilation, save for the ballads but I believe if you do listen to it enough, it'll grow on you.
Maybe, I'm already a biased Third Day fan but I have to say they are one of the greatest rockers of my generation and when you compare all of their recordings, album by album, something you can not fail to notice is their ability to smoothly adapt to and churn out different styles of rock while sticking to the Truth.

I'm not a huge Third Day fan, and I find the worship album genre to be totally saturated. However, this album emerges near the top.

Quite frankly, I find just about every song on this recording to be memorable. My personal favorites are "All the Heavens" and "Love Song," which wrap things up admirably.

The live nature of several of the tracks are great, as we experience some of the beauty of a Third Day concert. (I saw them in concert years ago and found that experience to be much better than any of their other recordings besides this one.)

Third Day chose songs for this worship album with great spiritual depth, outstanding musical diversity, and great technical skill. And Mac Powell's voice is fantastic, as always.

If I could only choose one worship album for my collection, this one would certainly be in the running!!

I love Third Day, and this album, while a different feel from their other, more "rock" cds is fantastic. I love worship music that doesn't feel drippy or trite, and this is it. From the beautiful "Love Song" to the powerful remake of "Agnus Dei" and the great cover of Dylan's "Saved" this is a picture perfect modern rock CD. The song "Thief", basically a narrative of the repentant man on the cross next to Jesus is very thought-provoking and moving, and don't miss the hidden track at the end.

I love Third Day and, of all their CDs, this is the one I keep putting in the car stereo. I just saw them a couple of weeks ago on their current tour and they played several songs from this CD (my favorites are "Consuming Fire" and the one they said was their most-requested song, "Thief").

This is worship on a stadium-sized scale.

(A note about the one-star review below by Joseph Izzo: of the almost two-dozen reviews he's written, he trashes other CCM artists with the same sentence pushing Neal Burse. I don't know who Neal is...but he might want to check into an order of protection....)

I bought the CD when it first came out back in 2000 not knowing much about the artist or his music. I still get so moved everytime I listen to this CD. I acutally feel as if I was there at the concert. You also can feel the presence that GOD had in that place. It is truly an awesome CD. I love all of the songs but my favortie is "Great is Your Mercy".

This CD was my introduction to Donnie McClurkin sometime ago and remains my favorite. It is passionate and inspiring. Donnie has the voice of an angel and the words to these songs minister to the spirit.

I owned another CD by Donnie Mcclurkin and thought it was the greatest, most spiritually uplifting cd that I had ever heard, until this one. Again, I have been experincing health and personal issues, really going through the fire. This cd has helped to keep me uplifted, inspired, ministered to and incredibly blessed. Thank you Pastor McClurkin for using your talent, as The Lord has clearly instructed you to and sharing it with the world. We are truly blessed to have you in it. And I believe that one day, I will have the opportunity of hearing you preach in person. May God continue to bless and keep you!

The Canton based band has a sound not unlike that of Blink 182 or The Starting Line: pop songs overlayed with somewhat punky guitar, a sort of power pop with a more jagged edge. This 3rd release isn't quite as strong as its predecessor ANATOMY OF THE TONGUE IN CHEEK was, but there's much to recommend it as standing out of the pack.

HIGHLIGHTS:
For the most part, the band is at its best at its most smart-alecky. "Mood Rings" suggests that emotionally volatile girls be forced to wear the 70s accessory. ("So that we're tipped off/To when they're ticked off/Cuz we'll know just what they're thinking") "Forward Motion" finds lyricist Matthew Thiessen struggling to self-improve but taking 1 step back ("Every time I gain some ground/I gotta turn myself around again") "In Love with the 80s" saddles Psychedelic Furs keyboard onto the group's punkish sound as Thiessen recalls when he was "working on this mustache all summer long". It should bring a smile to anyone who grew up during the decade. The bad relationships thread rears again in "Trademark" ("It's my/my trademark move/To turn my back on you..")

LOWS:
Acoustic ballad "Getting into You" is a nice song but it sounds way out of place amid the rest of the album. Maybe it would have been held better for some sort of unplugged fan club album. "Gibberish" is basically that..random made-up phrases tacked into a weak plea for clear communication from friends.

BOTTOM LINE:
Stands out a bit from the punk-pop pack but not their finest work. I'd go with ANATOMY OF THE TONGUE IN CHEEK instead if you're new to the band.

3 1/2 stars

I think this is my all-time favorite Relient K CD, and that's saying something, because they're all awesomely great. I think Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...But Three Do, is somewhere between maturity and just plain silliness. The lyrics are fun, yet relatable, which is one of the reasons I think Relient K is so popular. Definitely get this CD, it's SO wonderful.

Relient K's Album Two Lefts Don't Make a Right..But Three Do is an awesome Cd.They diliver fun fast lyrics while making a point.
The cd is better than the "Anatomy of the tounge in Cheek". My favorite songs are:Chap Stick chaped lips and things like chemistry,mood rings,falling out,forward motion,and collage kids.
All of Relient K's Albums are frickin sweet!!