Music Review: Jadon Lavik - The Road: Acoustic

Genre: Acoustic Pop
Label: BEC Recordings
Release Date: October 20, 2009

Rating: 4/5

My familiarity with Jadon Lavik extended no further than recognizing his song “What If,” which I enjoyed for its exploration of works versus grace a few years back. Lavik has released 2 full-length studio albums (2005’s Moving on Faith and 2006’s Life on the Inside) as well as a collection of hymns on Roots Run Deep (2008). His acoustic pop sound, combined with a solid theological grounding, has gained him a modest following. Now, he’s stripped things completely down on The Road: Acoustic, capturing a truly intimate sound with just his voice, some sparse backup vocals, and a couple guitars.

When I first started listening to this album, I was in my car on the way somewhere, not exactly fully engaged in the music. I wasn’t hugely impressed based on that listen. In fact, I thought it was somewhat boring. The problem, I discovered, wasn’t the music so much as it was me. This is simply music you need to be prepared to listen to, or least you have to be in the mood to slow down and contemplate a little. As I said, there are no bells and whistles here; it’s just acoustic guitars, a couple voices, and the content of the songs. It really does an admirable job capturing that elusive “coffeehouse” feel. It’s not a live show recording, but it sure feels like one at times.

As I said, I hadn’t heard Lavik’s earlier stuff which makes up a lot of this collection. Two of my favorites, however, were from Roots Run Deep: “Come Thou Fount” and “Wonderous Love.” His takes on these classics are fantastic, adding enough acoustic pop flair without trampling on the reverence present in the hymns. He’s just bringing them to a new generation. Another standout was clearly “Father.” The emotion is weighty in this song, as Lavik sings a prayer to God, pouring out his heart in thankfulness against a beautiful acoustic backdrop. Extremely powerful.

Things are picked up a little bit on songs like “Come To Me” and a good version of the aforementioned “What If.” These work well to change things up a bit, but I really think the main strength of this album is the transparency of emotion and performance of the toned down songs. There’s simply no hiding when you have nothing but your acoustic guitar. The songs have to stand on their own when you have nothing with which to distract listeners.

As I said, you’ll have to be in the right mood to appreciate this album. I’d put it in the category with Shawn McDonald’s Live in Seattle in terms of good contemplative acoustic albums (but not quite as good – I love McDonald and Lavik is not at that level in my opinion). Numerous times while listening to this album, I encountered emotions that turned me towards God. That’s the essence of worship, and Lavik is able to take listeners to that place, provided you’re ready to be taken there.



*This album was provided for review by BEC Recordings.

Music Video of the Week

Flyleaf - "Again"

FLYLEAF:: AGAIN from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

Sexual Detox E-Book

Tim Challies' series on Sexual Detox (which I posted about last week) sparked some good conversations on his blog, and many people suggested the series of posts would function well as an E-Book. Tim has taken that advice, and he's produced a couple PDFs. You can download them from Tim's blog or below:

• For married guys
• For single guys

Thanks, Tim, for taking on this topic and providing this resource free of charge for young men working through (or struggling with) these issues.

Music Review: Thousand Foot Krutch - Welcome To The Masquerade

Genre: Rock
Label: Tooth & Nail
Release Date: September 8, 2009

Rating: 4/5

Thousand Foot Krutch is one of those bands where you pretty know what you’re going to get when you pop in their CD. Crunchy guitar riffs, pounding drums, a combination of singing and rapping, and vocals that won’t challenge your intellect a lot, but will surely succeed in sufficiently pumping up fans (“Rawkfist,” anyone?). That being said, I was pleasantly surprise with their latest album, Welcome to the Masquerade. Now they’re not suddenly lyrical masters, but this album shows increased maturity, both musically and even lyrically, to a lesser extent. The guys have cemented themselves as stalwarts in the Christian rock scene, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

Standouts here include “Fire It Up,” which is sure to be used as introduction music at a sporting event near you soon, “Bring Me To Life,” with a verse structure that sounds similar to Disturbed, “E For Extinction,” and “Smack Down,” a stellar pre-game song as well that was my favorite song on the album (and even includes some Queen influences). Mostly what you have here are songs with solid riffs and vocals, themes of Us-Against-The-World, and testosterone-infused beats. There’s not a huge secret to TFK’s appeal. Some will continue to criticize the lyrical content, but the guys know who they are and what their fans want. They continue to give it to them. For me, they’re growing enough to keep me interested as well.

They do attempt some deeper ballads, but I don’t really think they work all that well. “Watching Over Me” sports some decent harmonies and a driving, rock ballad chorus, but the lyrics are just a little too clichéd and cheesy for me. “Look Away” is similar in its effectiveness. Musically, the guys prove they can write these types of songs, but the lyrics just still leave some depth to be craved, although there’s definitely growth. The one notable exception to this is "Already Home," which closes out the album and utilizes great vocals, strings, and emotional lyrics. This slower tune is quite good. The guys are capable; they just have to be a little more consistent as they branch out in terms of style.

Overall, I doubt many TFK fans are disappointed too much with this one. The band just might not win over a ton more with it, either. I’ve been using it routinely during workouts as few bands can get you going more than these guys can, and that’s really their appeal in my opinion. They stir emotions and get your blood moving. Through that lens, this album is fantastic.



*This album was provided for review by Tooth & Nail (Thanks, Lori!).

Youth Group Rules

A sampling of rules that all church youth groups should employ from the Stuff Christians Like website:

2. Only one “dude with an acoustic guitar” will be allowed per youth group.

3. If you go on a retreat and you’re boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t go, they should expect to get dumped when you return home. Cause that’s happening.

6. All youth group retreats should be held at locations that could double for horror movie backdrops because it adds to the intensity of the weekend.

7. Youth group volunteers who are helping out primarily to relive their own high school glory days vicariously through the teens will be removed quickly and quietly.

13. The one parent who complains about something you did will not be empowered to steer the entire course of the youth group. The 50 other parents who didn’t complain will also be considered.

16. If the youth minister changes his/her tone of voice, vocabulary and outfit, when they get around youth, saying things like, “Yo, my tweets are blowing up, we ballin’ on a budget,” that youth minister will be hit with water balloons filled with honey.

Check out the whole list, which includes a discussion of "the side hug," at Stuff Christians Like.

The Prosperity Gospel in Africa

Our American Christianity export to Africa.

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

HT: Zach Nielsen and Jared Wilson

Landon Paul Skoog

My nephew was born a couple weeks ago. With my wife being a photographer, my sister had a sister-in-law to capture the event beautifully. You can see more of Leah's work on her website and at her blog.

Here's the slideshow she put together of my nephew's birth:

Music Review: Shane & Shane - Everything is Different

Genre: Acoustic Rock
Label: Inpop Records
Release Date: November 3, 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

A gloriously harmonious, vocally-astounding, acoustic attack of God-honoring awesomeness.

That’s the best I can come up with the describe Shane & Shane’s new album, Everything is Different. The guys have created their best album to date, as their always stellar vocals are put on display throughout the 12 intricately-crafted songs, bringing honor to God through both their lyrics and musical ability.

If you’ve enjoyed the Shanes’ previous albums, you will find a ton here to love. The guys haven’t deviated a ton musically from what they do; they just continue to do it better each time out. Songs like “Everything is Different,” “Worthy of Affection,” and “I’m Alive” are vintage Shane & Shane with their acoustic-driven melodies and incredible harmonies. Also, their version of “The Lord’s Prayer” is moving and a fresh take on the prayer.

My favorite song, however, was “My Reward,” which explores the idea that Jesus himself is our reward and all we need. A gorgeous acoustic guitar riffs leads the verse into a driving chorus that sings, “I love you, Lord. Jesus, my King. I want to love you, Lord. My great reward.” Powerfully moving with the melody they use.

Another interesting song was the slower “Turn Down The Music,” which explores issues of social justice as our song of praise to God. “Turn down the music / Turn down the noise / Turn up you voice, oh God / And let us hear the sound of people broken / Willing to love / Give us your heart, oh God / A new song rising up.”

As I said, I would classify this as Shane & Shane’s best work overall. It’s solid from top to bottom, with a few songs that will likely become favorites of mine for quite a while. I've been listening to it for almost a month and it's still amazing me. I’m a huge fan of great harmonies, and I’m yet to find better than these guys. They write great songs, have amazing vocals, and use every song to glorify God in every way. Given that you appreciate their acoustic style of music, it’s hard to find better than that.



*This album was provided for review by Inpop Records.

Book Review: Andrew Parker - The Genesis Enigma

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: October 8, 2009

"For the first time ever, a respected evolutionary biologist shows how the biblical story of Genesis reflects scientific truths that were only recently discovered – and finds room for divine inspiration at the center of this enigma."

~From the inside flap

Andrew Parker is a well-known and respected scientist. His knowledge of evolution and the Big Bang is extremely impressive, and in his new book, The Genesis Enigma, Parker attempts to show how a metaphorical reading of Genesis 1 actually has numerous parallels to the scientific understanding of world. Eventually, Parker posits some views on how science and religion can coexist, finding room for God to fit within the boundaries laid out by scientific thought.

In theory (no pun intended), this was an interesting idea for a book. The “Battle over the Beginning” has been fought for years, and I was mildly interested to read a book that claimed to find a middle ground. What I found this book to be instead was a science textbook that explains the origins of the universe from the Big Bang on, then uses some extremely questionable exegesis to say that the Bible agrees with the science. I say questionable because, for example, connecting the mention of “lights” in Genesis 1:14 to the development of sight was very unconvincing. What you basically have is a scientific history book (both of the earth and the scientists who developed the theories behind evolution) with a few theological claims tacked onto the end.

Two things were exceedingly evident to me as I read this book: 1) Parker has an immense knowledge of science and can explain complex theories quite well. 2) He is not a theologian and does not understand the theological implications of most of his claims as he attempts to reconcile religion and science. He clearly doesn’t believe the Bible is God’s Word, and he just doesn’t seem to understand why Christians would have a hard time with even the claim that God just created the energy for the Big Bang and then stepped back to watch. Even a cursory reading of the whole of scripture, however, reveals that God is intimately engaged in this world that he created. Additionally, I kept coming back to this as I read Parker’s claims: If God didn’t personally create us, forget Him. He would have no claim on us, no right to enforce a moral law on us, and the need for Jesus to redeem us from our rebellion against that law and God would disappear. Christianity falls if God is not our Creator (See Romans 5).

Throughout the entire book, there were numerous moments where Parker was forced to admit that science has no answer to something (i.e. Where did the energy for the Big Band come from? Why do animals reproduce at all? Why does religion exist at all if it serves no evolutionary function?). In the final chapter of the book, Parker addresses many of these questions to get to his claim that there is “room for God” within a scientific understanding. The problem with this is that the God Parker arrives at in his understanding (sort of, he seems mostly agnostic) doesn’t resemble the God presented in the Bible at all. As I said, Parker doesn’t seem to have a problem with this, but Christians will.

That’s why I’m not exactly sure of his audience for this book. Christians will clearly see that he’s pulling the foundation away from all of Christianity, and non-religious people will likely not care whatsoever that Genesis can be metaphorically interpreted to somewhat match up to science. Parker doesn’t aim at reconciling science with God (consistent with Christianity), he just wants to reconcile it with the possibility of a god.

I enjoyed reading parts of this book simply to get a good summary of what science says about the earth’s origins, but that’s really all. In terms of thinking through how to reconcile that science with Christianity, there’s nothing very new or helpful here.

- Not Recommended.



*This book was provided for review by Dutton Books.

Tim Challies on Sexual Detox

Tim Challies finished up his "Sexual Detox" series of blog posts today. I found the series of posts convicting, encouraging, and wise in their simple wisdom on the topic. I would highly recommend it to all guys.

Tim states:

I want to speak especially to young men, those who are teenagers or dating or engaged or newly married. However, I do hope that anyone can read and enjoy the series, even if the teen years are far behind you. I want to talk to young men as an older man. I would like to think that I’m in a sweet spot between young and old—where I am young enough to remember the troubles and travails of youth but old enough to bring a measure of maturity. I want to be forthright with you and yet I also want to be discreet; I often think we, as Christians, talk entirely too much about sex and in too much detail. You may accuse me of the former simply because I’ve written this series but I hope to remain innocent of the second.

I think all men (young and old) can benefit from these reminders. These are important issues and need to be addressed in direct, yet sensitive ways. I believe that's what Tim accomplished.

Here are the 5 parts:

• Pornifying the Marriage Bed
• Breaking Free
• A Theology of Sex
• Detoxification
• Freedom

Thanks, Tim, for a great series and your willingness to take on such a difficult issue.

Music Review: The Fold - Dear Future, Come Get Me

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Independent
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Rating: 3/5

The Fold hopes their newest album, Dear Future, Come Get Me, serves as a wake-up call to people to pursue their dreams, letting nothing stand in the way. Born out their breakup with Tooth & Nail Records after two full-length releases, the new album brings the catchy, highly-melodic rock the guys are known for, while showing some attempts to expand their musical horizons as well.

Themes on the album clearly reflect the state of mind of the band as they struck out on their own, dealing with the ideas of perseverance, courage to face the future, and not giving up on dreams. There’s also a joy that comes out in many of the songs, as the guys are clearly ecstatic to still be doing what they love.

Musically, though, there aren’t a ton of surprises here. This is melodic rock, incorporating aspects of punk at times, and even utilizing some electronic sounds. The songs are catchy, but probably nothing that’s going to stick with you for all that long afterwards. Some that rose above the others included the title track, which interestingly sounds like it could right out of the 80s, but works. “Head Held High,” with its sparse acoustic guitar picking and synthesizer, slow drumbeat, and soft melody, was a welcomed respite from the full-on power chord attack on much of the album. Another interesting addition was the OneRepublic-esque “These Are My Dreams.” I enjoyed the attempt at a new sound here.

Overall, though, the album is an upbeat, eminently-melodic, yet ultimately pretty forgettable collection. I enjoyed listening to the album, but there’s just not really much to separate them from the next pop/rock band and warrant multiple listens. I could see myself popping this in for a quick mood pick-me-up, and many will no doubt connect with the themes of the album and consume the encouragement the guys are serving up. Musically, however, there’s just so much in this genre that something really has to bring it to stand out. Dear Future… isn’t bad at all; in fact, it’s better than quite a bit of what passes today. However, while I really admire the guys’ resolve to continue as a band sans label, I can’t see this album pushing its way through an already cluttered genre to make a huge impact.



*This album was provided for review by The Fold.

Trick or Tract? Seriously...

Great post by Joe Carter over at the Evangel blog about Halloween and Jack Chick tracts. Seriously, some people actually give these out to kids when they come to their house on Halloween? Wow.

Here's what the organization suggests:

When Trick-or-Treaters parade to your door this Halloween, drop a couple of Chick tracts in their bag, along with some candy. Or, to really get them excited, stock a tray with several different Chick tracts. (See suggested tracts.) When children arrive, place the tray in front of them and let them pick any two tracts. (Be sure to give them candy too.) Kids love receiving unique gifts, like cartoon tracts. And they love picking the ones they want. Your home could be their favorite stop of the night. With Chick tracts, you can witness to every child who comes to your door. Plus, they’ll take the tracts home, where their parents will read them too!

Here's a sample from one of the tracts, but head over to Joe's post where he walks through an entire one. Again, wow.

Music Review: BarlowGirl - Love & War

Genre: Pop/Rock
Label: Fervent Records/Word Records
Release Date: September 8, 2009

Rating: 4/5

While not considering myself a huge fan of the group, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed BarlowGirl’s past work, as their catchy tunes and beautifully harmonious vocals are quite good. Their version of “O Holy Night” from a WOW Christmas album a few years ago is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. I’m a sucker for great harmonies, and the Barlow sisters continue to churn them out.

On their new release, Love & War, the progression with regards to song-writing and instrumentation continues, as the girls have crafted a more musically-mature work that delves into some deep issues lyrically. One clear example of this is “Tears Fall,” a moving piano piece about the devastation of abortion.

Oh what have we lost because we chose we'll never know
And loving you is better than feeling alone
And all our claims to freedom have become these heavy chains
And in the name of rights we keep filling nameless graves

The melody is haunting and the song is a powerful expression of the destruction caused by the act without attacking people. It just captures the sadness of such a tragic component of our world.

Other than this song, the rest of the album is a lot of what you’ve come to expect from these girls: remarkable vocals, moving harmonies, and just enough rock mixed in with their pop sound. From the opening rocker “Come Alive” to the beautiful piano rock of “Beautiful Ending” to the emotive “Sing Me a Love Song,” the band has settled in completely to their sound.

“Love is Marching” is a beautiful take on the power of love, exploring how love, not might, is what will change the world. It’s juxtaposition against “Running Out of Time,” which encourages believers to stand for the truth (This is war, so pick your side), is interesting. The balance between loving others and standing for the truth is a difficult line sometimes. Both are vital, however.

The only miss on the album in my opinion is when they really try to break out of the mold they’ve created for themselves. I commend the attempt, but “Hello Sunshine,” which closes out the album just felt tacked on the end to me, especially following “Tears Fall.” Just didn’t fit.

Overall, though, this is a very solid, diverse addition to the growing BarlowGirl library. I’d say it’s their best work yet. The band is growing and maturing, but continues to give their fans more of what they love. Great album.



*This album was provided for review by Fervent Records/Word Records.

Abortion on Law and Order: SVU

Wow. Powerful.



HT: Trevin Wax

Extended Collision Preview

COLLISION - 13 min VIMEO Exclusive Sneak Peek from Collision Movie on Vimeo.

A preacher and an atheist walk into a bar...

Collision: Christopher Hitchens on Debating "Religious People"

Collision, the new documentary that followed renowned atheist Christopher Hitches and pastor/theologian Doug Wilson as they debated the question, "Is Christianity good for the world," comes out today. I pre-ordered it, and it should be arriving today. I can't wait to check it out. Doug Wilson is great to listen to, and it's nice that such an intelligent and well-spoken man is the one debating Hitchens.

In light of this, I found this article that Hitchens wrote for Slate to be very interesting. The article is called "Faith No More: What I've learned from debating religious people around the world." The whole article is worth the read, but I found this part particularly fascinating. Remember, these are the words of one of the staunchest atheists in the world.

Wilson isn't one of those evasive Christians who mumble apologetically about how some of the Bible stories are really just "metaphors." He is willing to maintain very staunchly that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and that his sacrifice redeems our state of sin, which in turn is the outcome of our rebellion against God. He doesn't waffle when asked why God allows so much evil and suffering—of course he "allows" it since it is the inescapable state of rebellious sinners. I much prefer this sincerity to the vague and Python-esque witterings of the interfaith and ecumenical groups who barely respect their own traditions and who look upon faith as just another word for community organizing.

Interesting that in Hitchens view, Christians actually loose credibility for shying away from the difficult doctrines of the faith. Christianity is consistent in it's view of the world and God. It only becomes inconsistent and irrational when we shy away from difficult things so as not to offend.

Music Review: Kutless - It Is Well: A Worship Album

Genre: Worship/Rock
Label: BEC Recordings
Release Date: October 20, 2009

Rating: 4/5

I became a fan of Kutless back when Sea of Faces came out back in 2004. Their rock sound was a welcomed find for me as I discovered the world of Christian rock. In 2005, they released Strong Tower, a worship album that did a great job combining a rock sound with some familiar and new worship tunes. To this day, the song “Strong Tower” remains one of my favorite worship songs.

After a couple less-than-overwhelming rock releases the past few years, the guys have once again returned to the worship genre with the release of It Is Well: A Worship Album. While the album doesn’t always hit on all cylinders, the band’s take on some traditional and well-known songs, as well as a few of their originals, combine to make this a very solid addition to the worship genre. I really think these guys do worship better than straight-up rock, actually.

The album opens with the title track, using a recording of a person walking into a church where the choir is singing the song to transition from the traditional to the modern. It works well, and when Jon Micah Sumrall launches into the chorus (with the melody changed ever so slightly), it sounds amazing. Other familiar songs that work well here include “Hungry,” “Remember Me,” “God of Wonders,” “Give Us Clean Hands,” and “Redeemer,” which uses part of the hymn “There Is A Redeemer” extremely well (although I wish it was much longer and repeated the verse structure more than once).

I know what you’re thinking: Do we really need another version of “God of Wonders?” That was my first thought, but the band is really able to make it their own for the most part. Instead of reminding me of earlier versions, it just reminded me why I enjoyed the song so much in the first place.

The original songs weren’t really anything all that special. Pretty much your typical worship fare. The current single, “What Faith Can Do,” explores the power of faith and what God is able to accomplish through it, and sounds made for K-LOVE radio. “Taken By Love” is another solid tune, and “You Save Me” turns up the rock sound more than most on this album. I don’t think they were able to come up with a “Strong Tower” on this album, however.

This album really made me wish that Kutless would just do an album of all traditional hymns and update them with a Kutless style. “Redeemer” and “It Is Well” are easily the two best songs on the album ("Remember Me" is close, though). That verse structure on “Redeemer,” with it’s fantastic guitar riff accompanying the familiar tune, built perfectly into the chorus, forcing me into praise of God. Hearing an old hymn given that treatment was fantastic, and I would love to hear more of that from Kutless if they ever choose to do another worship album (and if it’s done that way, I’ll pre-order it now).

This album, although not perfect, does a great job of combining the worship style with Kutless’ familiar rock sound and is a worthy addition to the genre.



*This album was provided for review by BEC Recordings (thanks, Lori).

Music Video of the Week

Lecrae - "Go Hard"

LECRAE:: GO HARD from Adamson.TV on Vimeo.

Music Review: The Wedding - The Sound, The Steel EP

Genre: Rock
Label: Brave New World
Release Date: June 17, 2008

Rating: 4/5

The Wedding is one of those bands I’ve kept meaning to check out, but just never have for some reason. They’ve made the way to my iTunes wish list a few times, but something else always caught my attention, pushing the Fayetteville, AK rockers to the side again. Because of this, I was glad to be assigned this EP, even though it’s been out for such a long time. Gave me just the excuse I needed.

The Sound, The Steel EP is only 5 songs, but they pack quite a punch. Blending elements of punk, rock, and pop, these 5 songs are diverse enough to provide an interesting musical journey despite the short length. From the upbeat, punkish “Receive” to the piano-driven “Renew,” which highlights Matt Shelton’s extremely solid vocals, I found a lot to love in this little collection. “Reveal” is a fantastic (albeit musically typical) modern rock song, and the EP closes out with “Redeem,” probably my favorite song on the album, both lyrically and musically. The crescendo towards the end of the song is powerful, capturing the concept of redemption within the sound itself.

I’ve listened to these songs multiple times, and I’m hard pressed to find a whole lot to criticize. True, The Wedding isn’t really going to blow you away with a sound you’ve never heard before, but this is just great rock music, with enough musical surprises and lyrical imagery to keep you interested throughout. There are catchy guitar riffs, a couple solos, and great vocals and songwriting.

I’m hard-pressed to remember ever hearing an EP that was more satisfying than this little gem. Typically, EPs just give you a couple good songs with a few fillers, just trying to entice you to check out the full length album later. On this, I was satisfied and left wanting more at the same time…you know what I mean. The collection stands all on its own, but I’m definitely going to head back to iTunes and pick up The Wedding’s earlier stuff and hope it’s as good as this EP.



*This album was provided for review by Brave New World Records.

Free Tim Keller Sermon Downloads

Well this was timed perfectly. Coinciding with the release of his new book, which I reviewed yesterday, Redeemer Church has released a bunch of free sermons by Tim Keller. Seriously, this guy is one of the most intelligent men I've ever heard speak. I can't wait to start working my way through these.

Thanks Redeemer for making these available. And check out Counterfeit Gods, Tim's new book, which is amazing.

• Download Tim Keller Sermons