And, for the most part, it does not disappoint. Opening with one of the biggest names in Christian music (and gaining momentum in the mainstream arena) was a good idea, and Relient K's More Than Useless was a solid choice to lead the disc off. Following them with Pillar and Hypnotized was a good choice as well. Putting one of the few good tracks from Pillar's latest offering on this compilation was a good move. The disc is chock full of great songs and great artists, from Reinventing Your Exit (Underoath) to an updated version of Switchfoot's Sooner Or Later (the version found on the Elektra soundtrack) to some older (but still solid songs) from Sanctus Real and Skillet, there were a lot of good choices for this disc.
Jeremy Camp, Thousand Foot Krutch and Dizmas also add some good stuff to this disc. Camp puts forth one of the better songs on the disc, with Lay Down My Pride moving back toward the rock edge of his first singles (as opposed to the softer rock/country side of his more recent singles). Krutch also delivers with Everyone Like Me, a track from their now rereleased disc, Set It Off. It's one of the few tracks on Set It Off that can get you excited, but it was certainly a worthwhile addition to this collection. And Dizmas, a new name in the industry, definitely delivers with Let This One Stay. If this song is any indication, there is a lot of potential for this group to do quite well.
Not all the songs on X 2005 are this good, though. In fact, a few tracks were clearly added only for the name recognition. The addition of tobyMac in and of itself is not a bad thing, but pretty much any other track from Welcome To Diverse City could have been picked and fit this compilation 10 times better than Gone. Yes, it may be the single, but come on...it doesn't fit the disc at all, especially in between tracks that are so much harder musically. Likewise, the addition of Kutless to the mix just doesn't make any sense other than the name. It's Like Me is definitely one of the worst tracks on this disc both lyrically and musically. It's a real disappointment in the midst of tracks that are pretty sweet. And Apparitions Of Melody continues to prove that this band is still Kids In The Way of good music. But even these songs look golden when compared to Hawk Nelson's California. They're just such a cheap imitation of everything out there in music right now (in this particular song, they sound like a karaoke version of mainstream group Bowling For Soup, and they're not what can be called a good artist either...). I still don't know what the thought behind signing these guys was, and I understand even less how they've gotten anything to sell, because they flat out suck.
Most of this disc, however, is pretty solid. The best tracks on the disc are offered by Falling Up and Seventh Day Slumber. Exit Calypsan proves yet again that Falling Up is one of the bands to look at if you're looking for successful and good music in the Christian music industry (They also look like a definite possibility to have crossover success). Seventh Day Slumber provides the same effect, with Break Me providing solid stuff all the way around, from the music to the vocals to the lyrics. These two songs definitely deliver in a big way.
Overall, it's another solid X series release. There are some definite flaws that need to be addressed on the 2006 disc (Don't include Hawk Nelson or Kids In The Way, for one), but most of the songs are pretty solid. Unlike the 2003 release, X 2005 is not one of the year's must-have's, but, if you're looking for something to whet your rock music appetite, you should definitely give this disc a look.