8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A giant leap ahead, February 15, 2005
This review is from: Virtues (Audio CD)
With this CD, Allies leaped out of the middling pack and became one of the better Christian pop bands of their time. Again produced by Dino Elefante and Randy Thomas, this time they brought a stronger pack of tunes and it makes for a better 40 minutes. It also placed one track on Christian radio. (#6 hit "If You Believe")
There are no outright cringers on this one, although opener "Hardened Hearts" and "Harmony" are less compelling than much of the other material. Those who despise digital drums will dock this album points for that, but c'mon, this was recorded in 1986 and it was the "hip" thing then.
Vocalist Bob Carlisle seems in better command of his voice here and spends less time "showing off" his range and more just trying to communicate the lyric. Standouts here are the hunger relief ballad "Prayer for the Children", apocalyptic pop/rocker "Runnin' Out of Time", a song from Jesus' point of view to his disciples ("Somebody Told Me You Were Crying") written as though between His crucifixion and His resurrection 3 days later, "Jacque Remembers" (a new Christian looking back at where she's been...it includes a neat reference to the Beatles 'Getting Better') and a song (autobiographical?) about a musician with a struggling marriage asking for another chance ("Let's Fall in Love (All Over Again)".
If you're not someone who gets too hungup on whether a certain keyboard sound, guitar tone, or production setup is "dated", then this should prove a welcome purchase for you. For an even better deal, search for ASIN B0001J3ZKM which is a "twofer" release of this album plus their self-titled debut.
3 1/2 stars
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
