This week was a rather large release week; the largest purchasing of new release CDs so far in 2006. Five CDs on Tuesday, one of Wednesday (Also one on Monday, but it Brad Paisley's Part II...great disc, but not a new release...unless 2001 is still new to you). The five Tuesday were decent overall. Rascal Flatts' Me And My Gang was a surpsingly well done disc. Blue October's Foiled was solid enough to be enjoyed. And Sanctus Real's The Face Of Love was a solid effort...a solid effort I expected that contained no real shockers, but a solid effort nonetheless. Everything Glorious, the 2006 release from the Passion conference, was also pretty solid (Though it continued to make abundantly clear the gap between David Crowder Band and Chris Tomlin compared to the rest of the worship community today). A true disappointment was X 2006. It was an expected disappointment, but a disappointment. You can check the review page for the lowdown on the disc, but the short version is that it lacked any of the "Wow" factor that came along with the debut of the X series in 2003. It just seems like they're not trying anymore.
(Josh Gracin's Favorite State Of Mind just finished...great single to lead off his upcoming June release, if I do say so myself...and I do.)
But I shall not allow myself to dwell on the bad. Instead, I'll dwell on the surprisingly good. Rebels Insight, a local band that I knew of solely because the drummer plays for my church's high school group on Wednesday nights, released The Unseen, and eight-song EP. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about this disc. I don't necessarily like music that has been overproduced, but I'm generally not a fan of the raw sound that you find on self-produced discs. However, I found myself enjoying this disc quite a bit (Again, this is one that you can check the CD reviews page for). Yeah, it's roughly produced, as with most unsigned talent. But that's what I found...unsigned talent. Not just a group of high schoolers sitting around one day and saying, "Hey, let's make a band, 'cause that's the cool thing to do." No, I found lyrics that actually had thought. Guitar riffs that were simplistic one moment and rather technical the next. Drumming that...well, to not go too overboard with the bold statements (I am a little biased knowing the guy and all), let's just call the drumming "Quite solid." Vocals that I was not a fan of upon first hearing the band, but vocals that I have grown to enjoy for their uniqueness in today's radio world where everything seems to sound the same. Who knew a couple high schoolers could grow a 20-year-old's passion for music even more than it was already (And believe me, that is a huge passion. As I described it to a friend early tonight, "My love of music is beat only by my love for God and, whenever I end up finding her, the love of my wife")?
(Halfway through Hot Hot Heat's You Owe Me An IOU...right before this was Not Giving Up from newcomers Omnisoul...a band from Deleware? Who knew?)
Night of Worship May 5th with the high school group and our college small group. That should be a fun one. it's always nice to have those opportunities to be in community with a diverse group of people and just worship God for who He is. So often in church we get caught up in who's looking at us, and it hinders our worship. I'm getting ready to reread The Unquenchable Worshipper, a small, 100-or-so page book written by Matt Redman. And that excites me. I've highlighted so many things in that book that have sparked thought on what real worship is. So many people tend to forget about real worship. This night of worship with the high school group will be good for all involved.
And that's it. Still not tired, but I killed some time. That's a plus.