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27 Feb 2010

Sanctus Real - Pieces Of A Real Heart

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Artist: Sanctus Real
Album: Pieces Of A Real Heart
Year: 2010
Label: Sparrow Records/EMI CMG
Website: http://sanctusreal.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sanctusreal
Twitter: @Sanctus_real
Buy: iTunes - Amazon - Official Store
Sounds Like: U2, Switchfoot, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World
Rating: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

When I first heard “Forgiven” last year, I said: “This is gonna be a very good album”. Fortunately I was right. Sanctus Real has earned itself an important place in the Christian market, with striking songs like “I’m Not Alright”, “Don’t Give Up” and “We Need Each Other” with which they received a Grammy nomination for best album gospel of the year. Anyway, this year “Pieces Of A Real Heart” preserves the essence of the band, but it incorporates a diverse instrumentation and musicality. Also shows flashes of joy and harrowing struggles these guys have experienced, in a refreshing level of honesty and unwavering commitment to think over their listeners with inspirational and above all, real songs. Working with renowned producers Chris Steven (tobyMac, Matthew West), Jason Ingram (Bebo Norman, Tenth Avenue North) and Rusty Varenkamp (Leeland, David Crowder Band, Mute Math), this album is the result of maturity and growth as composers, musicians and Christians.

“Forgiven” (first single) examines the theme of forgiveness in a simple and deep way. “The work of forgiveness is the key of our growth and maturity as disciples of Jesus” says frontman Matt Hammitt. It is a declaration of faith with open arms to receive the grace of God, through sweet vocals and a wise banjo: ““In this life, I know what I’ve been / But here in Your arms, I know what I am / I’m forgiven / And I don’t have to carry the weight of who I’ve been / ‘Cause I’m forgiven”. The impulsive “These Things Take Time” encourages us to remain persevering in our prayers, because God never fails his promise. The clean guitar and the dynamic melody stated us: “And I’m wondering why / Sometimes the truth ain’t easy to find / I want to know all the answers / But I’m learning that these things take time/ Yeah, these things take time”. There are moments when hope gets out of hand and doubt invades our hearts, that’s when our confidence embraces our faith in God, it tells us “The Way The World Turns” which has a thousand voices declaring: “Oh, it’s the way the world turns / Oh, and I keep on turning to You”. Predicted as the second single, “Lead Me” is inspired by the request of Sarah (Matt’s) to her husband and begs him to be a better spiritual leader in their marriage and with their children: “Lead me with strong hands / Stand up when I can’t / Don’t leave me hungry for love, chasing dreams / But what about us / Show me you’re willing to fight / That I’m still the love of your life / I know we call this our home / But I still feel alone”. One of my favorite tracks (if not the best) is “The Redeemer”, which reminds us that God unconditionally really has our hopes and dreams in his power, in his hands. With an incredible chorus, perfect harmonies and one of the best performances that Hammitt could show us: “But I’m still a dreamer, a believer / Oh, I’ve lost my faith in so many things, but I still believe in You / ‘Cause You can make anything new”. The album speeds up your pulse with “Take Over Me”, with a powerful guitar intro reminiscent Anberlin or Stellar Kart, and a message of holiness and surrender to God: “I want You to take over me / Oh, I want You to take over me / I don’t want to be part of the resistance / I want to be part of the release / So I want You to take over me”. The acoustic plucking becomes a formidable electric guitar on “I Want To Get Lost”, is the cry of our heart trying to caught in our lies, and we want to escape but we can’t. With an interesting and unpredictable chorus that says: “So I want to get lost, I want to get lost in Your arms / I want to get lost and lose my way into Your heart / ‘Cause there’s so many voices telling me how to get lost in this life / So right now, I want to get lost in You before I lose myself”. Electric pianos open “‘Til I Got To Know You”. Is infectious, relaxing, and talk about insecurities and questions that we as Christians have about the incomprehensible grace of God: “‘Til I got to know You / I was out of place ‘til You found a way to break through; it’s true / I was just a skeptic ‘til I got to know You / You (I was insecure; I had something to prove) / You (But now I know I am loved by You)”. The song concludes with a fun electronic sequence. “Dear Heart” is a letter written to our hearts inspired by Jeremiah 17:9 that sings: “Oh, heart, you’ve let me down / Chasing love where it can’t be found / Heart, we’ve fallen out / ‘Cause all of your emotions have led me to doubt / Tell me who’s going to save us now?”. With sweet banjos, guitars and a very interesting country/folk sound. The charming and explicit “I’ll Show You How To Live” shows us the voice of God as in Psalm 139:16 spoke us. He heard the sound of our first breath when we were still in the womb of our mother, and now he wants to teach us how to behave in life, walking by his hand and living in complete happiness: “So come with me, I’ll show you life even better than this / Come with me; I’ll show you love you didn’t know could exist / Better than your first crush / Better than your first kiss / Oh, I’ll show you how to live”. Finally, “Keep My Heart Alive” starts with pianos and violin in an atmosphere of worship, a call to believers to not allow the bustle of life blow out the relationship with our Creator: “I’m so tired of politics and all this bad news / I’m so tired of chasing the moment instead of chasing You / I let the world wear me down / I’m desensitized”.

This musical experience has been amazing. Each song has so much sincerity as talent, inspirational lyrics that penetrate your heart and make a change in your lifestyle. For those who have enjoyed Sanctus Real previous albums, and especially if you like bands like Switchfoot, U2, Foo Fighters or Jimmy Eat World, this album will easily become your favorite. And prepare your ears for March 9, the day that “Pieces Of A Real Heart” will be released worldwide.

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Cuando el año pasado oí por primera vez “Forgiven”, me dije: “Éste será un muy buen albúm”. Afortunadamente no me equivoqué. Sanctus Real ha sabido ganarse un relevante lugar en el mercado cristiano, con impactantes canciones como “I’m Not Alright”, “Don’t Give Up” o “We Need Each Other” con el que recibieron una nominación al Grammy por mejor álbum góspel del año. De cualquier manera, este año “Pieces Of A Real Heart” que conserva la esencia de la banda, pero le incorpora una diversa instrumentación y musicalidad. Además nos muestra destellos de la alegría y las luchas desgarradoras que estos chicos han experimentado, en un nivel de refrescante honestidad e inquebrantable compromiso de hacer reflexionar a sus oyentes con canciones inspiradoras, y sobre todo, reales. Trabajando con los reconocidos productores Chris Steven (tobyMac, Mathew West), Jason Ingram (Bebo Norman, Tenth Avenue North) y Rusty Varenkamp (Leeland, David Crowder Band, Mute Math), éste álbum es el resultado de la madurez y el crecimiento como compositores, músicos y cristianos.

“Forgiven” (primer sencillo) examina el tema del perdón de una manera profunda y sencilla. “El trabajo del perdón es la clave de nuestro crecimiento y madurez como discípulos de Jesús”, dice el vocalista Matt Hammitt. Es una declaración de fe que recibe con brazos abiertos la gracia de Dios, mediante dulces coros y un acertado banjo: “In this life, I know what I’ve been / But here in Your arms, I know what I am / I’m forgiven / And I don’t have to carry the weight of who I’ve been / ‘Cause I’m forgiven”. La impulsadora “These Things Take Time” nos anima a mantenernos perseverantes en nuestras peticiones, ya que Dios nunca falla sus promesas. Las guitarras limpias y la dinámica melodía nos declara: “And I’m wondering why / Sometimes the truth ain’t easy to find / I want to know all the answers / But I’m learning that these things take time/ Yeah, these things take time”. Hay momentos en que la esperanza se nos escapa de la mano y la duda invade nuestros corazones, es ahí cuando nuestra confianza abraza nuestra fe en Dios, de eso nos habla “The Way The World Turns” que cuenta con un intermedio de mil voces declarando: “Oh, it’s the way the world turns / Oh, and I keep on turning to You”. Pronosticado como el segundo sencillo del álbum, “Lead Me” está inspirado en la petición de Sarah (esposa de Matt) a su esposo, y le implora ser un mejor líder espiritual en su matrimonio y con sus hijos: “Lead me with strong hands / Stand up when I can’t / Don’t leave me hungry for love, chasing dreams / But what about us / Show me you’re willing to fight / That I’m still the love of your life / I know we call this our home / But I still feel alone”. Uno de mis tracks favoritos (por no decir el mejor) es “The Redeemer”, que incondicionalmente nos recuerda que Dios realmente tiene nuestras esperanzas y sueños en su poder, en sus manos. Con una coro increíble, harmonías perfectas y una de las mejores performances que Hammitt nos ha podido mostrar: “But I’m still a dreamer, a believer / Oh, I’ve lost my faith in so many things, but I still believe in You / ‘Cause You can make anything new”. El álbum acelera su pulso con “Take Over Me”, con un potente intro de guitarra que recuerda a Anberlin o Stellar Kart, y un mensaje de santidad y entrega a Dios: “I want You to take over me / Oh, I want You to take over me / I don’t want to be part of the resistance / I want to be part of the release / So I want You to take over me”. El punteo acústico se transforma en una formidable guitarra eléctrica en “I Want To Get Lost”, es el clamor de nuestro corazón al encontrarnos atrapados en nuestras mentiras, y queremos escapar pero no podemos. Con un interesante e impredecible coro que nos dice: “So I want to get lost, I want to get lost in Your arms / I want to get lost and lose my way into Your heart / ‘Cause there’s so many voices telling me how to get lost in this life / So right now, I want to get lost in You before I lose myself”. Pianos eléctricos aperturan “’Til I Got To Know You”. Es contagioso, relajante, y habla sobre las inseguridades y preguntas que como cristianos tenemos acerca de la incomprensible gracia de Dios: “‘Til I got to know You / I was out of place ‘til You found a way to break through; it’s true / I was just a skeptic ‘til I got to know You / You (I was insecure; I had something to prove) / You (But now I know I am loved by You)”. La canción concluye con una secuencia electrónica muy divertida. “Dear Heart” es una carta escrita a nuestro corazón inspirada en Jeremías 17:9 que nos canta: “Oh, heart, you’ve let me down / Chasing love where it can’t be found / Heart, we’ve fallen out / ‘Cause all of your emotions have led me to doubt / Tell me who’s going to save us now?”. Con dulces banjos, guitarras y un sonido country/folk muy interesante. La encantadora y explícita “I’ll Show You How To Live”, nos muestra la voz de Dios tal y cómo en Salmos 139:16 nos habló. El oyó el sonido de nuestro primer aliento aún cuando estábamos en el vientre de nuestra madre, y ahora nos quiere enseñar cómo conducirnos en la vida, caminar de su mano y vivir en plena felicidad: “So come with me, I’ll show you life even better than this / Come with me; I’ll show you love you didn’t know could exist / Better than your first crush / Better than your first kiss / Oh, I’ll show you how to live”. Finalmente “Keep My Heart Alive” se inicia con pianos y violines en una atmósfera de adoración, un llamado a los creyentes a no permitir que el trajín de la vida apague la relación con nuestro Creador: “I’m so tired of politics and all this bad news / I’m so tired of chasing the moment instead of chasing You / I let the world wear me down / I’m desensitized”.

Esta experiencia musical ha sido sorprendente. Cada canción posee tanta sinceridad como talento, inspiradoras letras que penetran en tu corazón y hacen un cambio en tu estilo de vida. Para aquellos que han disfrutado de los anteriores discos de Sanctus Real, y sobre todo si gustas de bandas como Switchfoot, U2, Foo Fighters o Jimmy Eat World, éste álbum se convertirá fácilmente en tu favorito. Y Preparen sus oídos para este 9 de marzo, el día en que “Pieces Of A Real Heart” será lanzado a nivel mundial.

18 Jan 2010

The Access - The Time Has Come

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Artist: The Access
Album: The Time Has Come
Year: 2009
Label: RAW Music Group
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theaccessband
Buy: iTunes - Amazon - CD Baby

The debut of The Access is full of songs that attract the listener into his own purpose and passion in life. Impacting the world with the gifts that God has placed in them, gifts that could have been buried beneath a life of pain, anguish, misery, abuse, divorce, shame and destruction. Having shared the stage with tobyMac, Hawk Nelson, Newsong, Rush of Fools, Britt Nicole, David Crowder Band, Brandon Heath, among others, ‘The Time Has Come’ was recorded with producer MD Thompson’s mission is to affect and inspire a  generation called by God.

The album begins with the tittletrack, an introduction based on guitars, pads and creative pop/rock cuts that open road to the band’s first single, “Pressing On”. It’s a song about our search for an eternal destiny: “Runnin’ around in circles / Lookin’ for a place I can call my own / Is this me or destiny?”. Just like its predecessor, “I Remember When” is getting good reception on the radio from the USA and especially Texas. With piano and a simple melody, expressed the sad heart of God that is trying to remember the good times we had shared together and how we have left him behind, but nevertheless his promise remains faithful. “Goodbye” begins in an atmosphere accompanied by guitars and sweet falsetto, and then quicken the pulse and become a hymn continue our battle on earth. With an acoustic guitar, “Broken” is the story of a girl full of confusions in quiet silence their pain, and seeks salvation in the midst of his complaints: “Redemption’s calling as your falling / I feel what you’re going through / Get on your feet again / This is not the end / There’s still hope for you”. Delicate piano and percussion comfortable join us in “Reflection”, in which we can see that God has always been with us whispering his love, and still continues to love us despite our sins: “I cannot seen to find the reason why you still love me / You accept me with open arms / In the midst of my situation / Lord, you came runnin’ as I was runnin’ for you / I’m finally free”. Our youth are in search of a unique love and hope, “This Generation” reflects the cry of our generation for a new revival. “Still In Love” is very commercial. You can hear claps, and an indie-pop beat highly contagious. It shows the unchanging love of God, which remains the same yesterday, today and forever. With a riff similar to “Wonderwall” by Oasis, but with a positive lyric, “It’s A New Day” encourages us to get up from our fall and depend on God. Continuing with the ballad “Holding On” enhances the confidence we have in the grace of God, while “Waiting On Love” breaks this tranquility to speed with a message based on 1 Corinthians 13, because many times we get tired of all those empty feelings we could find by searching for true love. “Saving Grace” has a beautiful atmosphere, naturalness in the voice of Justin that adds a wonderful mix of string arrangements collected during the crescendo. It makes you remember is typical worship songs or Goo Goo Dolls, but it is impossible to deny that transports you to an atmosphere of intimacy with God. Finally, “The Call” culminates in voices, violins, guitars, and all the elements right for a masterpiece.

The creativity of this album is the best launch for the debut of The Access, a strong band with a definite purpose. “Our passion is to provide a fresh and unique sound to the body of Christ and the world through our music and lyrics. We want our music to be used as a tool to awaken, give life to a sleeping church and light a generation to take action. Music is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to unify diverse groups of people, uniting them in one heart, one mind and one voice”. Soon the band will be bringing us a live album, and that’s more than exciting.

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El debut de The Access está lleno de canciones que atraen al oyente hacia su propio propósito y pasión en la vida; impactando su mundo con los dones que Dios ha puesto en ellos, dones que pudieron haber sido enterrados bajo una vida de dolor, angustia, desgracia, abuso, divorcio, vergüenza y quebrantamiento. Habiendo compartido escenario con tobyMac, Hawk Nelson, Newsong, Rush Of Fools, Britt Nicole, David Crowder Band, Brandon Heath, entre otros; ‘The Time Has Come’ fue grabado con el productor MD Thompson y tiene como misión afectar e inspirar a una generación llamada por Dios.

El álbum comienza con el tittletrack que es una introducción basada en guitarras, pads y creativos cortes de pop/rock que abren camino al primer sencillo de la banda, “Pressing On”. Es una canción sobre nuestra búsqueda por un destino eterno: “Runnin’ around in circles / Lookin’ for a place I can call my own / Is this me or destiny?”. Del mismo modo que su antecesora, “I Remember When” está recibiendo buena acogida en las radios de USA y sobre todo Texas. Con pianos y una melodía simple, nos expresa el triste corazón de Dios que intenta recordarnos los buenos tiempos que pasamos juntos y de cómo lo hemos dejado atrás, pero sin embargo su promesa sigue siendo fiel. “Goodbye” empieza en una atmósfera dulce acompañada de guitarras y falsetes, para luego acelerar el pulso y convertirse en un himno sobre seguir nuestra batalla en la tierra. Con una guitarra acústica, “Broken” es la historia de una muchacha llena de confusiones que calla en silencio su dolor, y que busca salvación en medio de sus querellas: “Redemption’s calling as your falling / I feel what you’re going through / Get on your feet again / This is not the end / There’s still hope for you”. Delicados pianos y una confortable percusión acompañana a “Reflection” que nos hacer ver que Dios siempre ha estado a nuestro lado susurrándonos su amor, y que aun sigue amándonos a pesar de nuestras iniquidades: “I cannot seen to find the reason why you still love me / You accept me with open arms / In the midst of my situation / Lord, you came runnin’ as I was runnin’ for you / I’m finally free”. Nuestra juventud está en búsqueda de un amor inigualable, esperanza y “This Generation” refleja el clamor de nuestra generación por un nuevo avivamiento. “Still In Love” es muy comercial. Puedes oír palmadas, y un beat indie-pop muy contagioso. Nos muestra el inmutable amor de Dios, que sigue siendo el mismo ayer, hoy y siempre. Con un riff similar al de “Wonderwall” de Oasis, pero con una lírica positiva, “It’s A New Day” nos anima a levantarnos de nuestras caídas y depender de Dios. Continuando con las baladas, “Holding On” realza la confianza que debemos tener en la gracia de Dios, mientras que “Waiting On Love” interrumpe esa tranquilidad para apresurar con un mensaje basado en 1 Corintios 13, ya que muchas veces nos cansamos de todos esos sentimientos vacíos que encontramos al buscar el verdadero amor. “Saving Grace” tiene una hermosa atmósfera, naturalidad en la voz de Justin que se suman con una maravillosa mixtura de arreglos de cuerdas reunidos durante el crescendo. Te hace recordar ha típicas canciones de adoración o a Goo Goo Dolls, pero es imposible negar que te transporta a un ambiente de total intimidad con Dios. Finalmente, “The Call” culmina con voces, violines, guitarras, y todos los elementos perfectos para una obra maestra.

La creatividad de este álbum es el mejor despegue para el debut de The Access, una enérgica banda con un propósito bien definido. “Nuestra pasión es brindar un sonido fresco y único al cuerpo de Cristo y al mundo a través de nuestra música y letras. Deseamos que nuestra música sea usada como una herramienta para despertar, dar vida a una iglesia dormida y encender a una generación a tomar acción. La música es una de los instrumentos más poderosos que puede ser utilizado para dar unidad a diversos grupos de personas, uniéndolos en un solo corazón, una mente y una sola voz”. Muy pronto, la banda estará trayéndonos un álbum en vivo, y eso es más que emocionante.

Israel Risco
Rating-Calificación: 2/5 ♥♥