from:
cmcentral.com
author: Robin Parrish
website: http://www.cmcentral.com
»» Newsboys
Thrive
New school Newsboys, please meet old school Newsboys. And they
lived happily ever after.
For their ninth studio album, the Newsboys seem to have taken everything
that worked about their sound in the past, throughout their various
incarnations, tossed it all into a blender, and then set to music all
of the sweet, frothy stuff that came to the top. In that way, Thrive
is a perfect example of everything that works about their music: killer
hooks, deliciously wry lyrics, great instrumentation, and plenty of
that Aussie attitude.
Reuniting with producer and lyricist Steve Taylor after a long absence,
this band and producer, who once made remarkable, trend-setting music
together, have picked up right where they left off. Only each party
has more tools of the trade to bring to the table this time; they each
learned a lot in the interim, which has given their reunion an even
greater blend of creative energy than before.
Band leader Peter Furler's strength is and always has been crafting
strong melodies. And when Taylor would unite those melodies with his
witty, slightly off-kilter lyrics, the stuff of industry legend was
born. Thrive showcases the talents of each once again in their
respective roles, with Furler serving up some of his tastiest choruses
to-date, and Taylor not missing a beat with his clever but slightly-insane
poetry.
Among the highlights: "Live In Stereo," which has a similar
whistle break to the Newsboys classic, "Breakfast"; the annoyingly
cool melody of "Million Pieces"; the non-stop rock hooks and
clever messages of "Cornelius" and "Fad of the Land";
and the closing "Lord (I Don't Know)," which is the band's
honest, bewildered response to September 11.
At just 10 tracks long and a shade over 37 minutes in length, Newsboys
fans are bound to feel cheated by so short an album after so long a
wait for something new. But on the other hand, for once, there are no
songs that deserve the "Skip" button this time. They've allowed
only the best songs from their recent efforts to show up on the final
album, so while it may be brief, Thrive rollicks with the best,
representing 37 of the most unabashedly fun minutes you'll enjoy this
year.
Robin's rating: 91 %
--Robin Parrish ««
