Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

Since their last album, Canada's Hawk Nelson have changed record labels to Fair Trade Services and had to deal with the departure of frontman Jason Dunn. If you want more information on this, Tony Cummings has done a great article, but the outcome is that guitarist Jonathan Steingard has taken over vocal duties in a new streamlined Hawk Nelson. This release should come with a serious "pop" warning though, as the wife (who likes Take That and McFly) stated, "That sounds like something I would listen to." Of course, this could just be that their melodic anthems are extremely palatable to a wide variety of music fans, but there is no doubt that there is very much a pop sheen to the songs here. Treated vocals, electronic elements and big catchy choruses abound, particularly on "Elevator" and "Anyone But You". They are not just dumb pop songs though, as they have more complexity than that. Fans may be surprised at the sound, but will not be disappointed with the songs if they give them a chance. "Words" is a huge and uplifting anthem, made even more special with the addition of MercyMe's Bart Millard; "Made" is cleverly crafted and smothered in positivity. They even throw in their take on the current folk-pop trend with the quirky "Outside The Lines". Some of their ballads are a bit generic, and some may find that it doesn't rock enough for them, but it is rare that I find a CD I enjoy that my family does too, and that's got to be a good thing.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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