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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible live performance..., December 25, 2006
"Live From Portland" is a CD/DVD combo pack of a live concert performed by Christian rock band Kutless in their home city and state of Portland, Oregon in March 2006. These guys have been in the scene for quite a while, releasing four albums (2002's self-titled, 2004's "Sea of Faces," 2005's worship album "Strong Tower," and 2006's "Hearts of the Innocent"). I was fortunate enough to be able to catch a show of theirs last month in Hamburg, NY as part of the "Hearts of the Innocent" tour. The show I saw featured Kutless, of course, as the headliners along with supporting acts Run Kid Run, Red, and Disciple. It was easily the best concert I had ever seen, Christian or otherwise. Kutless are one of the few bands I have heard whose music translates extremely well to the live performance. As another reviewer wrote, many bands are judged by how they sound live, and thankfully the guys in Kutless do not disappoint. Frontman Jon Micah Sumrall has got to be one of the most energetic singers I've ever had the pleasure of seeing perform, and the other band members (guitarists James Mead and Ryan Shrout, drummer Jeffrey Gilbert, and bassist Dave Leutkenhoelter) are far from slouches themselves.
The songs played on this CD/DVD are, for the most part, identical to the ones Kutless played at the show I went to, with perhaps a few exceptions. (I don't remember the exact set list.) I'm going to rate and review each track below:
1) Hearts Of The Innocent (10/10): The title track from the band's latest studio release, and an excellent opening song. Great (albeit short) guitar solo after the second chorus. The guys really get the crowd on their feet with this one. And it blends perfectly right into...
2) Treason (10/10): From Sea of Faces...the way Jon Micah shouts "throw your fists up!" in this song is electric.
3) Troubled Heart (8/10): Another one from Sea of Faces...I wasn't a big fan of this song on that album, but the band really makes it work here.
4) Shut Me Out (10/10): A single from Hearts Of The Innocent. Great song about not being afraid to share the love of Christ with others, even though they don't like hearing about it. The DVD in this package features the music video for this song. (More on the DVD later.)
5) Sea Of Faces (10/10): Quite possibly Kutless' most popular single; the title track from their 2004 release. Jon Micah plays a little acoustic guitar in this song, and the keyboard in the background is beautiful. This song made me cry the first time I heard it, and never fails to do so with each subsequent listen.
6) Strong Tower (8/10): Title track from the band's 2005 worship project. Not a huge fan of this song, but it's still a great one.
7) Better Is One Day (10/10): Another Strong Tower track...Kutless do an awesome job covering this worship classic, and the way they seamlessly switch into the chorus of "We Fall Down" after the second chorus is beautiful.
8) Run (10/10): The first song the band plays from their self-titled release during the course of this show. An excellent song about how God wants to have an intimate, personal relationship with everyone on a daily basis.
9) Pride Away (10/10): Another song from the self-titled album; while the chorus of "Take my pride away, pride away..." might seem a little simplistic, the song as a whole is great. The rap/scream part done by Jon Micah later in the song is worth the price of admission alone.
10) Tonight (9/10): Yet another track from the self-titled release. Much like "Troubled Heart" from Sea of Faces, I wasn't a big fan of this song hearing it on the original album, but it works decently in a live context.
11) Let You In (10+/10): This is my absolute favorite song in Kutless' entire catalog. Everything about it is great...the verses, the chorus, and especially the short rap bridge before the last chorus (originally performed by Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter on Sea of Faces).
12) Somewhere In The Sky (10/10): A track from Hearts Of The Innocent, and a great one to be sure. Very high energy song and a crowd favorite.
13) Not What You See (10/10): The last song from Sea of Faces that the band plays here, and of course, it's excellent. Frontman Sumrall is a real ball of energy here, as he is throughout the entire show. He also refers to this song as the "last song" they are going to play for the night, but the crowd demands an encore, which leads into...
14) Beyond The Surface (8/10): A Hearts Of The Innocent track which, to be perfectly honest, sounds better on that CD than it does live. Personally, I would rather have heard "Smile," "Changing World," or "Promise Of A Lifetime" in its place, but it's still good.
15) Your Touch (10/10): Last song of the set, from their self-titled album. My personal favorite from that album, and the crowd loves it as well.
The DVD included with this package is a nice bonus. Not only do you get to see Kutless perform all fifteen of the above songs in all of their intense, live glory, but you also are treated to an awesome solo by drummer Jeffrey Gilbert after "Tonight" and before "Let You In." This guy can really beat the skins...just watch the clip of this solo if you don't believe me, or if you don't think his drumming in Kutless' songs is good enough. There is also a "Special Features" section on the DVD, which not only allows you to see some cool behind the scenes material of the band (the opening part where two of the guys go on the tour bus of supporting act Falling Up and wake them up at 9 AM, asking if they like being on tour with them, is hilarious!), but also the full music video for "Shut Me Out." The video is actually kinda creepy, with the band playing in what appears to be an abandoned factory of some sort and cutting to close-ups of Jon Micah's eyes while he's singing, followed by him shouting the chorus into a megaphone from the rooftop of this very same building...with some kind of military/police figures swarming around all the while, apparently trying to "shut out" the message of Christ's love.
Overall, I would definitely say that this package is worth buying. If you are a hardcore fan of Kutless, I'm sure you already have. If you're an occasional fan, pick it up...it can only make you like them that much more. If you've never heard of them at all, grab it anyway. The band offers something for everyone in terms of the songs they play.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must see, December 22, 2006
Just when you think that Kutless can't get any better, they come out with something that rocks even more! This live CD/DVD combo does not disappoint. No new songs appear on the either disk but the live versions are so enjoyable that it feels like new music anyway. The CD pumps out 15 of the classic Kutless rock hits. The live versions have a harder edge to them and different vocal work than the originals. The DVD is a litter longer than the CD and is very well done. Kutless puts on a crazy good show! They are simply the best Christian band out there. Check this project out.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great CD!, May 20, 2007
I recently purchased Live From Portland, and have found it to be very worthwhile. The music is catchy and addictive, the message is bold and evangelical, and the quality of the recording is stunning. One of my favorite aspects of Live from Portland, is the preaching Kutless does. It's warming to the heart and soul to hear these guys confess and share their love for Christ. Another strong point of the CD is it's variety. All of Kutless's albums are sampled very nicely on this CD-DVD set.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are a fan of Kutless or Christian Rock you will enjoy this CD very much.
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