Customer Reviews

Love Revolution

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Powerhouse vocalist, social activist & founder of the Home Foundation to rescue victims of human trafficking, working mom, entrepreneur and four-time GMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Natalie Grant will be releasing her eighth album, Love Revolution, on Curb Records on August 24, 2010. Grant is also thrilled to announce her latest and greatest "revolution" - her second pregnancy with husband/producer Bernie Herms. This will be the Grant's third child, following the birth of the couple's twins Bella & Gracie in 2007. "Daring To Be" is yet another great up tempo opening song in the style of "I Will Not Be Moved" and is one of the musical highlights of the album. The pulsing beat sets the tone perfectly for the challenging and personal lyrics "I've waving goodbye to my pretty little life, taking Your hand and crossing that line...shout it out loud, I'm not ashamed, diving in now, I'm so not afraid, hello to all that You see and everything You make me...I'm daring to be." The electronic musical arrangement will have you turning up the volume and jamming along with this great song.

Title track "Love Revolution" keeps the musical flow going as Natalie frames the mission-minded focus of the album "Oh Great light of the world help us see, what can save us now, hands are reaching out, walls are falling down...it's a love revolution." Natalie is entering her 5th year as Founder and Chairman of her non-profit The Home Foundation, which helps build restoration homes for survivors of human trafficking. Natalie also continues to serve as a mentor and inspiration to young girls coping with self-esteem and eating disorder issues, helping them to heal and to achieve positive futures. Through her new record title, Natalie Grant shares her passion for the need for a "Love Revolution" in our culture and across the world today. "We need to have a revolution with our own heart," she says. "So many people these days are waving banners of their faith, but the God that they are preaching about and talking about I don't recognize. Love transforms. We don't go around pointing our finger and telling people how they are supposed to live. We've gotten so confused with religion and politics. I often ask, shouldn't we be living out an example Jesus gave us to follow?" The album's first single, "Greatness of Our God," is a ballad recognizing our fragile existence in view of God's incomprehensible greatness. The song, written by Reuben Morgan, Jason Ingram and Stuart Garrard, and is also on the latest Hillsong LIVE album. In the song called "Human," co-written by American Idol's Jordin Sparks, the influence of change is heard through lyrics such as: "We've gotta do better than this, cause we've only got one chance to make a difference...."

Another musical and lyrical highlight is "Beauty Mark," where Natalie sings: "Lookin' the part just to play the game, Cookie cutter faith that looks the same, Religious rock stars making a name, So Church-ified it is a crying shame. But I'll point the finger at nobody else but me. It's time to be the change we need." "Power Of The Cross," "Desert Song," "Your Great Name" and "You Deserve" are a great set of vertical worship songs which really showcase Natalie's excellent vocals. All four songs are completely worshipful and focused on the reason why we are mission-minded, which is in gratitude for our salvation from Jesus. "Someday Our King Will Come" has a great gospel-feel including a gospel choir and picks the tempo back up reminding me of classic songs by Sandi Patty and CeCe Winans. The album closes with the worshipful ballad "Song To The King" which has a very personal feel and testimony from Natalie, and is one of the vocal highlights of the album along with an acoustic version of "Your Great Name."

CLOSING THOUGHTS
I really like how Natalie doesn't play it safe or get overly cliche in her lyrics and for me, this album is a great mix of worship and pop. In my opinion, this is Natalie's best overall album and one of my top 10 albums of the year. I like every song and don't skip any of them and this album is in heavy rotation for me. I fully expect several GMA nominations including artist, female vocalist and pop album of the year.

I was kinda of skeptical of purchasing this CD, but it was worth it. The songs are beautiful and peace-giving. Loving it.

This album is another awesome work from Natalie Grant. Every song on Love Revolution is a inspirational gem! My personal favorites are "Human" and "Love Revolution", but I enjoy all of them. The music is uplifting and very much could be on mainstream pop charts, and why shouldn't it be? Music that makes you feel good about life - makes sense to me!

Always looking for inspirational music that reaches me, I've discovered that Natalie Grant and her music does that with grace. This recording is no different. I've recommended it to many people who have thanked me for the suggestion. She maintains faithfulness to a message of love everyone should hear.

Loved hearing Natalie's testimony on XM Radio where she gave many of the details behind the songs on this CD. It is awesome worship which speaks to the hearts of those who desire a deeper walk with God. God has poured His heart into hers and on this CD she pours that work of His Spirit back out!

There are artists who sing "Religious" songs... then there are artists who believe in what they are singing... Natalie Grant truly exudes the latter. Thank you for reminding me of what's important those times I am really at my wit's end with the craziness of this world. Amazing Album!!!

Overview: This album is outstanding. Because each track is so different, I will go through them mostly one by one.

(#1: Daring to Be) Groovy
(#2: Love Revolution) Fantastic! Great momentum, energy, and excitement. It sounds just like a revolution!
(#3: The Greatness of our God) This is a nice song, and it is great to relax after the first two!
(#4: Human) Pop march
(#5: Beauty Mark) Groovy
Those of you who like Natalie Grant because of her popular songs in the style of "Held" or "The Real me" will like the second half of this CD more than the first half...
(#6: Power of the Cross) Magnificent! It is gloriously inspirational, uplifting, and dramatic.
(#7: Desert Song) This is a reflective and contemplative song, having a walking-pace tempo with a sense pleasant assurance. Very nice!
(#8: Your Great Name): Amazing! This is a majestic song full of passionate grandeur.
(#9: You Deserve): Calm and sincere, with a judicious melodic buildup near the end.
(#10: Someday our King Will Come) Characteristic of Gospel-style music, this highlights Ms. Grants versatility in style.
(#11: Song to the King) A quiet, almost meditative ending to a rather musically intense album.
Closing thoughts: There is a nice variety of musical styles on this album. What I like about Natalie Grant's music is her musical diversity, yet also her judgment. She is in between two styles. On one side of her in the CCM world are the rock bands, who play with a style that I generally find to sound harsh and uncreative. On the other side, it is fortunate that Natalie Grant has not gone the way of some pop artists who overload pop idiosyncrasies in hopes of getting attention from teens. A couple of tracks here are on the outer edges of that, but Ms. Grant is brilliant in that the album as a whole does not give you that impression whatsoever. Young people who are into Christian pop will find several songs on the album that fit their taste. However, older, more conservative Christian music listeners will likely find multiple tracks here than are suitable and enjoyable for them. There is another thing that I should note. Some people criticize contemporary Christian music for having "ambiguous" lyrics that could supposedly be misinterpreted to fit in a secular setting. To the contrary, the Christian-specific message in this album is very clear.

Prme Cuts: Greatness of Our God, Desert Song, Power of the Cross

With a portend title like "Love Revolution," Grant is making a grandiose claim. Whether or not this disc will revolutionize hearts for God's kingdom remains in the sovereign hands of God. But sonically, this record finds Grant in safe and familiar territory. Like her 7 last albums, theses 12 cuts buy in the same franchise of heavy guitar-bass rock as well as soaring worship ballads. But this doesn't mean she's not armed for her ambitious barrage. Grant and her hubby cum producer Bernie Herms have secured songs from the hottest in Christian music including Hillsong's Rueben Morgan, James Ingram and even American Idol alumnus Jordin Sparks. Thus far she has been zooming up the Christian AC chart with lead single "Greatness of Our God" while sophomore single "Human" is also getting significant airplay.

For paramours of worship ballads, there are spades of them here to impress. In fact, two of them come from Hillsong's catalogue. The aforementioned lead single "Greatness of Our Good" is also culled from Hillsong's latest CD "a Beautiful Exchange." Though Grant's rendition doesn't have the tenderness of Darlene Zschech's original, it doesn't take away the beauty of this worship classic to be. Acknowledging our vulnerability before the sovereignty of God, this is a just worship at its humblest and glorious form. The other Hillsong cover is Brooke Ligertwood's "Desert Song" performed this time at a tad faster with a more hefty input from the electric guitars. Those who are looking for Grant's piano ballads in the vein of "Held" will be pleased with the scantily clad with self-pretence, "A Song to the King." Similar the hymn-like "The Power of the Cross" is not only Gospel-centered but it's songs like these that will revolutionize the world for God's glory.

When the tempo perks up with some of the groovier tunes, "Beautifully Marked" is easily the standout. Enmeshed with a R&B vibe, "Beautifully Marked" speaks of Christ's transforming work in our lives without reserve. While the Jordin Sparks co-write, "Human" speaks of how we can make a difference in the world. More penetrating is the reasoning why we can be world-changers: such power resides not because of ourselves but because we are made in God's image. Grant goes back in time to give us a retro-70S Gospel-style rendition with "Someday Our King will Come."

Yet, there are a few obligatory numbers that try to sound contemporary but yet fall flat de to the lack of freshness. Album opener "Daring" and the title cut "Love Revolution" are heavy with heart-pounding drums and bombastic guitar riffs that amount to nothing that different from most other Christian radio staples right now. Though this CD is not that far different from Grant predecessor efforts, there's still a lot (especially with the ballads) that can revolutionize our dire need to worship God.

We love NG's music but honestly we only loved one song and liked one or two others. It is NOT a cd of hers that I would play. It has no realy catchy tunes except Your Great Name (Which she didn't even write). I feel bad writing a bad review but honestly, purchasing the song individually is the way to go, you can save quite a few dollars. Sorry Nathalie, you have an amazing voice but the CD was bland and uninspiring. :(

WOW!!! Best $5.00 I have spent in a LOOOOONG time! Every song is sincere, powerful and beautiful. I don't normally review music because I'm such a music snob. But WOW, this music affected me on so many levels!