Home: K : Kutless : Review

Sea of Faces Review

One of the things that puzzles me about people who turn their nose up at Christian music, is they claim to not want to be "preached to" in the music they listen to. Problem is, a good portion of popular secular music is preaching as well, just not about God or Christianity. Many bands pound into our heads songs about sadness, homelessness, poverty and other social ills.

I must say that 10-15 years ago, good Christian music (for rock fans) was hard to find. You can praise God as much as you want, but bad music is bad music. Even the good music was poorly produced. It wasn't until bands like DC Talk and Jars of Clay for example started to break through, into the mainstream, that things really started to change.

Now, bands like Switchback are enjoying widespread mainstream appeal, and I suspect many other bands will follow. For whatever reason, rock stations are very hesitant to play Christian music as they feel it will alienate listeners. That is such nonsense. Good music is good music. If it's good, people will listen.

Kutless is one band that I suspect will cross over at some point. They are really good, and yet the are all young (the 'oldest' members will turn 25 this year). I expect many good things from them. What I like most about them is that they are not afraid to be bold about their love of God and Jesus in their music, but can still rock hard and seem to have a great time doing it. As for specifics:

The Music - Excellent. Kutless has a sound that gradually at times moves from very hard rock into alternative and then into slower and tender melodies. Unfortunately, Kutless is one of the very many bands these days that seemed to have done away with the guitar solo. But that's a minor quibble. Overall, the guitar work is done very well and Kyle Mitchell, the drummer is a standout as he is able to keep everything tight but still stand out with his fills and beats.

Vocals & Lyrics - Jon Micah Sumrall wrote all of the lyrics and his passion for the Lord is evident. He's a bold writer in that he's not afraid to write songs from Christ's perspective (as in 'All Alone'). It's great and it's a good way to reach listeners. Sumrall also writes for a younger generation that often has to deal with peer pressure ('Better For You') and offers up a powerful song about Christ's crucifixion how we can take comfort in His pain. Sumrall has an amazing voice. He's been compared to Scott Stapp of Creed, but I think that's a poor comparison. Stapp has a good voice, but his range is limited whereas Sumrall can take his voice down and make it very soft at times and quickly turn up the power.

As far as I am concerned, this is a great CD, whether you're a Christian or not. Play a few songs for your friends who might otherwise not bother with Christian music. When they tell you how much they're enjoying it, tell them what it is.

Review by: J. Caruso