But working against the band is a lyrical style that may not sufficiently separate it from the scores of other soft-rock Christian guitar bands.
The opener, ‘Grace and Truth’, is somewhat repetitive, with clumsy lyrics. ‘Before the Dawn’, which takes ‘waking up with worry ahead of the day’ as its theme, is the strongest track on the album. Sadly, it’s mostly written using very safe Christian language, so it could easily be categorised as yet another generic praise song. Nevertheless, its superb chorus has a powerful kick.
As a whole, this album is full of formula-free melodies played with disarming fervour. The tunes are strong enough to carry the weight of repeated plays. Its warmth draws you in and connects the listener, but if the band is striving for excellence, there is still more lyrical work to do.
