CD Review: Soul'd Out Quartet "What the World Doesn't Know"

All Things Are Possible - I don’t know…the message here seems to be saying that all things will happen, instead of all things can happen.  For example, part of the second verse says:

…You can ask, you can wish anything on your list, as long as you believe…


Obviously, just because we ask for something in faith doesn’t mean we will get it.  God isn’t Santa Clause who gives us everything on our “list.”  I’m probably being a bit too critical, but perhaps the message could be a bit clearer.

Go Out and Get Them - This song is a bit better than the last I think.  The tune is catchy.  The soundtrack is nice and has a good beat.

Since I’ve Been Saved - If you’ve always wanted to hear Southern Gospel in a classical style then this is for you.  “Since I’ve Been Saved” is set at a medium-slow pace.  It doesn’t have a whole lot of orchestration when compared to most SG numbers.  Soft violins, a very light percussion track, and jazzy piano make up most of the soundtrack.  I can just imagine hearing this music on an old movie like Mary Poppins or the Sound of Music.

That’ll Be a Great Day - We quickly move from classical to something half resembling a light rock song.  The electric guitars are extremely prominent.  We also hear a solid drum track.  The song itself isn’t that incredible, but the soundtrack sort of redeems the lack of profoundness in the lyrics.

Worthy the Lamb Is He - The intro may lead you to think that a patriotic song is right around the corner.  The percussion is the kind you’d hear in an army tune or the “Little Drummer Boy.”  It’s a fairly light ballad that lasts for five minutes and twenty-one seconds.  The chorus to “I Will Praise Him” makes for a nice bridge between choruses.

If You’ll Just Ask Him - This isn’t a particularly outstanding song.  The soundtrack leaves behind, in my mind, the impression of being rather very light poppish/modern/techno even though it’s not very fast.

He Is There - Rather memorable of the last song, even though the tune is much better.  The music has a pretty distinct acoustic sound.

When They Had Prayed - Finally!  A truly fast song after an intermission of about three slower tracks (granted, “If You’ll Just Ask Him” was medium-fast, but it wasn’t a foot-stomping, classic SoGo).  This is a fun song, definitely one of the strongest numbers on What the World Doesn’t Know.  Soul’d Out has a lot of songs like this.  A good number of their fast songs have a similarity to each other.

What the World Doesn’t Know - I was expecting a fast, contemporary song here, like some of the songs on Worth Every Mile.  While the song does have a progressive feel, it’s pretty tame compared to some other songs.  I was pretty surprised when I heard the words “Evolution is a myth” as the group was singing about various truths.  I applaud Soul’d Out for having the courage to sing this.  I’m sure they realize that many so-called “Christians” try to hold to the theory of evolution.  These kind of people are called “theistic evolutionists” if I remember correctly.

Thank You Lord - You might think of Brian Free & Assurance when listening here.  The song has a modern feeling during parts of the verses, due to an echoing effect.  It reminded me of a futuristic/space colony sort of soundtrack.

Comments:
What the World Doesn’t Know is definitely better than Soul’d Out’s last album, Worth Every Mile.  Still, I’m not so sure that it ranks higher than the project Blessed which had some great songs.

This is a good album, and several of the songs, especially, deserve to be heard.

CD Rating: 4 stars
Favorite Songs: What the World Doesn’t Know, When They Had Prayed
Main Styles: Modern Southern Gospel, Progressive


Digital review copy provided by Crossroads Music

CD Review: Poet Voices "Grace and Glory"

Grace and Glory - This song has a pretty distinct contemporary flavor, with a cool electric guitar track playing continuously in the background.  Even though I don’t like some progressive songs, I have to admit that this is a great one.  The other contender for first place in the “best fast song” category would be “Love of Christ.”

Get Away - Hearing the first part of the song, I wasn’t too impressed.  It has redeeming qualities though.  Not quite halfway through, the organ comes in, and then some other instruments (drums and more guitars mainly) join to harmonize with the electric guitar(s) that had previously carried the soundtrack.  The music really sounds like a soundtrack for a movie like Fireproof or Facing the Giants.

I Am Redeemed - This may be the strongest ballad on Grace and Glory.  The orchestration isn’t extremely heavy, though it does climax, especially toward the end.  The track has some great horn and string sounds.  I was elated…no, that’s too strong of a word…I was glad to hear the group sing part of another song near the end.  Another song titled “I Am Redeemed”:

I am redeemed by love divine, glory, glory Christ is mine, he’s mine!
All to him I now resign, Jesus loosed the chains of sin and set me free.


I’ll Fly Away - While I did enjoy “Grace and Glory” which had a contemporary flavor, I’m not wild over this one.  The beat, as well as the electric guitars, is a little heavy for me.  And the way they handled the verses…well, it’s just not my favorite style.  It’s okay, but not as good as the other up-tempo songs.

Jesus Built a Bridge - This isn’t a bad song, even though it may not get as much attention as some of the others.  When I listened to it for the first time, it reminded me of a part pamphlet, part book I read before.  The pamphlet depicted two cliffs, with a deep hole in between them.  On one cliff was Jesus, Salvation, eternal life, ect.  On the other side was a group that wanted to get to God.  How did they get over?  There was no bridge.  But the way to God was across the canyon (across = a cross).  A simple illustration?  Maybe, but that has stayed in my mind since I read it.  For some reason, the line that says “With only three nails and two pieces of wood”, along with the title of the song, reminded me of that pamphlet/book.

Love of Christ - This song is awesome!  I love the beat, the music, the chorus, the key change, everything!  I also enjoyed hearing part of the hymn “My Saviour’s Love,” even though the group only sang one or two lines.  It’s a great song with great lyrics.  One of the lines that caught my attention was this one:

It’s the unexplainable, uncontainable, wonderful love of Christ.


It’s the part of the song where they had to sing quickly to get everything in!

Comments:
I’ve never really listened to Poet Voices much.  Of course I’ve heard at least part of their popular song “Stepping Stones,” as well as two or three others, but for the most part I haven’t kept up with their music.  I’m glad I listened to this album though!

Even though there are only six songs, almost every one of them are awesome.  The exception, IMHO, would be “I’ll Fly Away.”  But, hey, five out six ain’t bad!  Three of them (Grace and Glory, I Am Redeemed, Love of Christ) are five-star material.  The other two (Get Away, Jesus Built a Bridge) will likely, for me at least, rate according to the mood I’m in.

If you have five extra dollars to spend, head on over to http://philcrossmusic.com/store/store-poet-voices/ and buy a digital download of Grace and Glory.

CD Rating: 5 stars
Favorite Songs: “Grace and Glory,” “I Am Redeemed,” “Love of Christ”
Main Styles: Progressive; Mild contemporary

Review copy provided by artist; a positive review was NOT required.