Customer Reviews

Revelation

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, I feel the need to bring those of you who haven't heard of "The Clark Brothers" or "Sons of Sylvia" up to speed. This group was the winner of Fox's reality show "The Next Great American Band". They started as a very powerful three piece with no drums, no bass, but TONS of heart. Since winning the competition, they have been hard at work on this album. I can understand why some people may feel that "Sons of Sylvia" have changed a lot from when they were "The Clark Brothers". It is true. They have. That is why they changed their name.

Second, this album by "Sons of Sylvia" is an amazing piece of work. Don't listen to snippets. Buy the album and listen to each song with patience and an open heart. These songs aren't just IPOD fodder. These are songs that you need to smell, taste, feel, and let touch your soul. This group has something that so many artists today strive for and never find. They have a true soul behind their music.

There is not one bad song on this album. Most albums I purchase these days have three or four good songs and six or more filler songs. I can listen to each song on this album without wondering when the song will be over but will it continue longer. I wanted this album to go on for another ten songs. That is the sign of a truly great work of art. And this album is just that.

From the beginning of this album you KNOW that this group is one of a kind.

The Songs:

"John Wayne" is a great tune to start the album off. It mixes Adam's Mandolin, Austin's Dobro, and Ashley's guitar into an awesome sound. The lyrics are great and it is a song about searching for love. "Like John Wayne baby, I won't run away, no I won't back down, like John Wayne baby"....

"Love Left to Lose" is next. Ashley sings "I'm living with an open wound, hopin that it closes soon, I don't wanna leave, but I should leave". It is a song about love, pain, and the many areas in between. It was written with their cousin Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic and the collaberation is awesome.

"Revelation" starts "I was born the day that John Lennon died, the papers said he never got to say goodbye, crazy how you can have everything, but time..." This song is a lot about the Clark's life and the journey that they are on. The resounding meaning behind this and the other songs is Love. Again, awesome song.

"50 Ways" is a whole other animal. The thing about "Sons of Sylvia" is that they have no genre. You can't put them in a box because if you do they will tear it to pieces. This song is the proof of that. It starts sort of poppy and then it explodes into a funky rock groove that has to be heard to be believed. One of the best songs I have heard in years!!

Soft rock ballad "Song of Solomon" is about keeping pure and being kind in a society that preaches the opposite to us. "Don't wake love before it's time, Don't do anything unkind". Take your time with this song. It is one that needs repeated listening.

Then the Pop/Country sound of "Give Me Love" swoops in like a U2 ballad. It reminded me a lot of some of the best U2 songs. "Broken hearts, broken dreams, people runnin out of faith it seems, Down and out, but still somehow, I can hear em all screaming out, Give me Love!!" Just some great lyrics with a great groove.

"Ghost Town" is a little on the weak side musically, but lyrically it is good. Like I said, when you think you have these guys pegged, they hit you with a whole different sound. "Vanity is a perpetual liar"

"Long Beach" is a slow drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. It is a soothing song about love and an earthquake in Long Beach. I really liked this one alot.

"I'll Know You" is also about love. It is a great theme and this song talks about meeting one's soul mate. "I'll know you when I see you". Wow.

Then after a nice slow stroll down Long Beach, a soft breeze on I'll Know You, and all the rest, comes "The War Within". I don't have the words to describe the power that this song holds. It is like a rattlesnake in a cage waiting to be unleashed. I was BLOWN AWAY by this song. It starts with a slow rumble and a marching sound. It builds to what sounds like a fog horn. Then you realize it is an electric guitar sound. Then....the guitar starts hitting some really gritty slick notes. In comes the beat straight out of the U2 Rattle and Hum album. It is SICK!! I can't get over this song! "You're so in love with yourself that you hate yourself, so there it begins, the War Within!!" What a song. My mind was blown after this one.

The "Sons of Sylvia" are not "The Clark Brothers". They are a step above. I also would have liked to have heard "Billy the Kid", "Little Light o Mine", and others from the Next Great American Band competition.

However, Austin, Ashley, and Adam have created a work of art. This album is like a fine wine. Swirl it. Smell it. Taste it slowly. It DEMANDS to be savored.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

As I listen to this record I think of the first time I heard Sons of Sylvia at the Carrie Underwood Concert in Pittsburgh, PA earlier this month and how blown away I was when they first took stage. I thought they would be just some "pre-performance" but their stage presence and sound was breath taking. This record carries on that memory of that live performance and when I hear those lyrics, especially "I was born the day John Lennon died" I get goose bumps. I only could wish they included their duet with Carrie Underwood "What Can I Say" on this record as they should since it was half their performance as well. But we can't have everything! All around great record with sounds of bluegrass, rock, and of course the country we've known to love them for. Without winning any contest they would have won my praise for a great album!

I have waited so long for a release from Sons of Sylvia, formerly The Clark Brothers, I was afraid nothing would meet my expectations, my anticipation, for amazing, beautiful, heartfelt, soul-touching music...and then Revelation came along and I couldn't be happier. I have grown quite attached to the three songs from the downloadable EP - John Wayne, Revelation, and 50 ways - and Love Left to Lose which I have heard on their website, but there was a little bit of me hoping beyond hope the rest of the music would be as good-but a little afraid that my love for their music would raise my expectations too high. They are only human after all, have a record company, and producers etc... and most albums, certainly a first, has a few "hit worthy" songs that you replay constantly and then the rest. There is no "the rest" on this masterpiece. They are all unique, "hit worthy" and absolutely inspirational.
When I first saw them as The Clark Brothers on NGAB, I was amazed - I loved every performance, and I'm embarrassed to admit, they played instruments I never heard of (not a big country music fan-just some old country music) and suddenly couldn't get enough of. There's no other way to put it, they inspire me. Their music truly touches my soul. It's just the kind of music that can change your mood, make your day better, and remind you to put life in perspective-no matter how bad the day, you can be blessed with something like beautiful music and amazing God-given talent (refined and perfected with hard work and dedication) and it can make you feel better.
The songs on the album range from beautiful ballads to dark but beautiful rock and roll, with country, bluegrass, pop, and a healthy dose of faith all mixed in. A song for every mood, no genre required.

As another reviewer wrote - I agree, my husband and I will forever hope for a release of "Billy the Kid" and "Country Time", "You are Still the Same", but really every song we ever heard them sing - especially originals, but also covers, would be great to have released on an album. If you are a diehard, country music and nothing else fan, maybe this won't be country enough for you. But if you appreciate more than one genre of music, and listen to every song, from beginning to end, you will find there is so much to love about Sons of Sylvia music. I think all of their songs on this album are "hit worthy", not because they are mainstream or pop, they are neither - they are great music. Some would be hits on country radio, some on mainstream radio, and some on rock stations. If you think you are a one-genre person - you only like Rock, or only like Country, or only like pop etc., give Sons of Sylvia a listen, you will surely find something you love on this album and will most likely find that you can love more than one genre of music and that there is a band so talented, that they are capable of mastering them all.

The song writing is true-blue good old story telling of classic music, not a bunch of shock factor lines and crude lyrics...just true-blue singer/songwriter type music that anyone would be proud to sing but nobody could sing better than these guys. The vocals are that one of a kind sound that you know is someone's voice because you can feel the realness of the sound, the three brothers are so crazy on strings instruments I've never seen or heard anything like it, you can't teach that to someone without talent.

The reason I say "amazing God-given, crazy talent" is because you can take lessons for years, decades even and not be able to do what these guys can do, and multi-task the perfection! If God blesses you with talent like that, you can be lazy and do the minimum and be good or you can dedicate your life to it, sink your soul into it, and master it with hard work and dedication and be AMAZING...clearly, these guys have each, in their own right, dedicated themselves to master multiple instruments, and then mastered how to do it together, and master vocals, and write, and collaborate with other artists, and feel it, and perform it in a way that makes the rest of us feel it too.

Obviously I cannot say enough, I loved the music by the Clark Brothers, and now I love the music by Sons of Sylvia. I am thankful they took the time, and worked so hard to master their craft when they were growing up because I know I am blessed to listen to this beautiful, dark, uplifting, soul touching music.

Now that I've been blessed to see them live, I have to comment on the quality of the performance in person. I don't know about sound problems in Pittsburgh, but there was nothing more you could want from a band in Tallahassee. The vocals were perfect, like velvet, you could hear everything perfectly and sing along because the lyrics were clear. My only thought would be, all the songs have a more rock sound in person, because they have such passion when they play live and nothing is holding them back. I love that, and could see two versions of the same album - like they make club mixes in a separate release by other people, these guys could make this album 8 different ways and sell it and perform it perfectly. It was good enough to get tickets to go again and I can't wait until the whole show is theirs alone. They definitely put on a show worthy of a headliner, in every aspect.

I also want to tell everyone who doesn't know - there are three exclusive tracks -one at Amazon, one at itunes nd one at napster, all are absolutely amazing! Get them all!

Well, as you can see I gave this album only 3 stars. Most of the reviews are 5 stars with glowing fan praise. That's why I bought the album. I had high hopes. If I could, it would only get 2-1/2 stars. I followed the Clark Brothers very faithfully from first seeing them on The Next Great American Band, where their passion and musician-ship was poured into every song they covered. (check out their videos on YouTube, and see [...]) That is what I was expecting. That is certainly NOT what was recorded on their first album. There seems no soul searching, no passion, and really no amazing musicianship forthcoming from the songs. The songs (all of their own creation) are at best fairly standard. Seeing them perform on a weekly show, under pressure to step up to the competition forced them to exceed their own expectations, and they honed their talent into a razor edged sound guaranteed to wrench all the emotion out of their listeners. They played like desperate men who had one shot at heaven, and that was to wring every note out of their instruments and voices. So, what happened?! That "simple" 3 instrument sound they perfected on a television show is not to be found in the songs on this album. I think the album was over-engineered and over-produced. I hope for any follow up album they go back to their musical roots of folk/country/blues with a little salvation thrown in to boot. For me, at best this is background music to play on long car trips - forgettable, but keeps you company on a lonely drive. Guys, if you read this, PLEASE find the passion again you caught on the show. I'm sure it was not just lightening in a bottle.

These songs actually tell stories, not just the same words repeated over and over. Loved every one of them and can't wait for what they come up with next!

After seeing the Clark Brothers on the short-lived show "The Next Great American Band", it was immediately apparent that these guys had a ton of talent. Their down-home bluegrass sound and musicianship was amazing, and it ended up being no surprise to see them win the show's competion.

I waited a long time before finally getting around to listening to this album. The fact that most Amazon reviewers gave it 5 stars had me hopeful I would be able to enjoy studio recordings of the same style they displayed on the show. Imagine my surprise...

After listening to the whole album, there seemed to be only traces of the style elements from what they originally showcased. I can't help but think the guys tried to do too much too quickly (and perhaps were manipulated by the record lable) - ending up with a very processed and very pop-sounding result.

Those things being said, the lead vocals are fantastic and feature amazing range. I really appreciated the songwriting as well. I only hope that with their next studio effort, these guys can get back to their roots and produce something that is a better testament to who they are and the talent they have.

First let me start by saying i enjoy this album. However that being said artists lose their creative input when they sign up for a music based reality show. The Clark Brothers were a great gospel bluegrass band, and i was stunned that the won that show by sticking to being a bluegrass band but they did, the record producers always seem to forget that when it comes time for the winners of these shows to cut the album. They force them to change and become more what they think is mainstream, forgetting that millions of people enjoyed the artist as they were. At least The Clark Brothers were smart enough to change the name to Sons of Sylvia since this is nothing like that gospel bluegrass band America fell in love with. They now are a very much a mainstream type of pop country band. This being the case this is a very respectable first release for a band in that genre but far from good enough for them to wrestle away the artistic input for them to release the album i was really hoping for. If you are looking for the Bluegrass sound stick with Yonder Mountain String Band Show,Old & In the Way and the likes

Buy this album, you'll LOVE it!!!

Unfortunately, I was not one of those who caught these very talented guys as they performed on (and WON) Fox's The Next Great American Band show back in 2007. They were called the Clark Brothers back then. I owe my discovery of them to Carrie Underwood (whom I adore). I watched Sons Of Sylvia on Carrie's 2009 Christmas show and American Idol in April 2010, but it wasn't until I saw them live when they opened of Carrie's Play On tour that I realized what I'd been missing. They totally blew me away live and this Revelation CD has been blowing me away since. Revelation has very quickly become one of my all-time favorite CDs and the Sons of Sylvia (Adam, Ashley, and Austin) have very quickly become my favorite band. I highly, highly recommend this album. You will not be disappointed!

These guys are so talented and so nice. Buy the CD and if you get the chance, catch them live.

Call this whatever you want, but call it a great album for 2010. I listen to a lot of progressive music, but this is just a great release from these guys. I remember watching them on 'The Next Great American Band' and they were impressive then even though I'm really not into the country thing. So, I stayed away from their first release, but with this release they change up their name and completely change musical directions. While this album still contains hints of country this is a more in your face alternative / rock / pop album. Vocals, lyrics and music are all above average. As with all the other reviews here this is truly worth the five star rating on every single song. While some fans may not like their about face direction musically it still contains the spiritual element as in where their roots are and for others this is a gem and worth every listen as each listen gets better.

I see that some are disappointed when they hear the clips and don't buy the CD. I admit that I had a little bit of the same reaction, but upon buying and listening to the CD, I am definitely NOT disappointed! Don't miss out on this great CD by some extremely talented songwriters/musicians. We have been listening to it non-stop since getting it.