Reviewed by Jamie Hailstone First, let's start with a rant. 'X2005 Deluxe Edition' is supposed to be 17 Christian rock hits by the leading bands of the day. However, look at the back and you will see there are 17 tracks, plus four bonus tracks, which actually makes 21 tracks. And I don't know about you, but if I was one of those 'bonus' artists - step forward Seven Places, Dizmas, Kids In The Way and House Of Heroes - I might be feeling a bit miffed that I wasn't considered to be a hit. But that's enough moaning, although for the record I think "Even When" by Seven Places is one of the best tracks on offer. 'X2005 Deluxe Edition' certainly does have a lot of hit tracks, from Switchfoot, Relient K, John Reuben and many, many more. If you are already a fan of these particular acts then you will already own songs like "Hypnotized" by Pillar and the excellent "Bowling Ball" by Superchick. As a sampler of what's hot in the Christian music place, then compilations like this one are hard to beat, although some of the tracks do rather blend into one another. But that has more to do with the corporate nature of the industry and is no reflection on the artists themselves. A further bonus is a DVD with plenty of videos, including "Gone" by TobyMac and "California" by Falling Up. The DVD also has some bonus tracks, including one by the very good and totally original 4th Avenue Jones.
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. Interested in reviewing music? Find out
more here.
|