New Music!!! (part 1)

My discretionary income has been a bit restricted in the last few years making the purchase of new music a rare occasion, but Christmas allowed an influx of new music into the collection and it may take me a few posts to comment on what I've received and heard. I received CD's from Mae, Robbie Seay Band, Fee, Jason Upton, Caedmon's Call, Lifehouse, Tree 63 and Toby Mac (who has always been a guilty pleasure for me). I'll comment on a few now and a few later as I haven't really had a chance to digest much of this flood of music I've been blessed with.

First up is "Singularity" from Mae. Mae is a band that I fell in love with right before we left Indiana three years ago when I was able to pick up their album "Destination Beautiful" on a going out of business sale. I thought they had a unique modern rock sound that was very melodic and accessible while still being very intelligent lyrically. "The Everglow" was a staple on my early commutes from Yankton to Sioux Falls to work at Citi and is still a favorite. "Singularity" continues in that vein; intelligent, creative, memorable. I've only been through the album three times, but I only put it aside because there are so many other new albums that I need to acquaint myself with, otherwise, it would probably remain the only thing I would listen to for the next few weeks. I can't believe more people don't know about these guys, but I guess that's somewhat indicative of our culture's inability to embrace the creative instead of the dispensible.

Next is "Give Yourself Away" by the Robbie Seay Band. This is a band that I've been wanting to check out for awhile, but have simply missed the boat, until now. This album is a great blend of radio friendly accessibility and artistic integrity. I hope that this band finally begins to find a broader audience because they absolutely deserve it. A combination of songs appropriate for corporate worship, seeker settings and general listening (as evidenced by their use on American Idol advertising and CW programming), "Give Yourself Away" is worth checking out and is available for a limited time on iTunes for just $7.99!

Last (for this round) is "We Shine" by Fee. I've seen Steve Fee lead worship on several occasions over the last seven years and have appreciated his ability to engage a congregation in small and large settings. This album is the first label release for his band "Fee" and hopefully will give him a chance to gain some exposure. At the same time, I think there is a lot of room for growth. There are a lot of good songs, good melodies and creative production, but lyrically I think he's capable of a lot more. Occasions for predictable rhyme schemes abound and this is the only criticism that I have of the album as a whole. I think that he has the ability to push beyond the obvious in lyrical content and hope that he'll push himself on his next project because I think he is capable of creating something truly impacting and memorable if he challenges himself. Even so, I think we'll find a few of these song work themselves into Mercy's services either as corporate songs or prelude material.

These were the CD's that I've had a chance to listen to multiple times, so I will reserve comment on the rest until I've had a chance to listen to them a few more times.