In short: The standard by which ministry music should be judged.

A new music review hasn't shown up on this site in quite a while for a couple reasons... one, I'm lazy. Okay, that's out. And two... we only put up music reviews for stuff we recommend. It's been a good while since anything was released, I suppose, that I felt feverish enough about to review and post. This album, however, prompted me to post within an hour of my second listen through it. (I would have posted after the first listen, but hey, I couldn't get enough.)

I wanna tell you... Casting Crowns knows people. Not fans. Not demographics. They write words that speak to the human need and the struggles that we all face. You feel like they're right there in the trenches with you, experiencing pain and hardship as well as the joy and happiness that comes with knowing Christ. (After all, they are a bunch of youth workers who got together to sing songs that could help young people in their journey.) And lest you say, "Yeah, well, they seemed that way last album. They've been getting famous now, and they're probably too busy to keep that up." I want to tell you something that you need to know, something that I drew through (and in spite of) my own personal skepticism over the same things.

They have something to say. And we all need to listen.

Casting Crowns is not a band with a single message. They seem to be (to me, anyway) a group of people who've found some good answers to a lot of questions, and they want to share those. Not JUST for worship, not just for ministry, not just for a challenge to grow... but for a glimpse into all those things. The message doesn't get muddy on any front. They speak to God, they speak to us, they speak to themselves. It's such wholesome, good stuff, you wonder where it could all come from so consistently.

They throw the doors open with the introspective title track, "Lifesong." It feels like a U2 tune at times musically, with Mark Hall's trademark vocals crying out for the life he lives to be his song of praise to God. #2, "Praise You In This Storm," is a firm reminder that when life falls apart, the giver of life, our Great God, has not changed and has never left us. (I'm stuck on that one, by the way. You really need to read all the lyrics.) "Does Anyone Hear Her" is a ballad not unlike "American Dream" from their first album. It lays out a personal challenge not to judge others, but to love, to be compassionate. The message is similar in, "Love Them Like Jesus," but trust me, it's not just a repeat. Both songs have their own place. "Father, Spirit, Jesus" is a pure praise song that's sure to become a concert favorite. "In Me" is a declaration that we are weak, made strong by Christ, and cannot get by on our own. "How refreshing to know you don't need me, how amazing to find that you want me." It's the stuff that reminds us that we have the choice between being Superman or Clark Kent, if we plug into the power.

"Prodigal" is a sort of retelling of the story of the Prodigal son with some really fantastic perspective. "I've dragged your name back through the mud that you first found me in... Daddy, here I am again, will you take me back tonight?" It's truly a song of repentance that cuts straight to the heart. After this, the album ends with, "And Now My Lifesong Sings," a piano piece that eloquently weaves together old hymn lyrics with a few new words, creating something that I desperately wish I could sing in church next Sunday. If I could play the piano.

So you know I'm sold on the lyrics. Now you're wondering, "What about the music? Did they just recycle the tunes from the old album and write some new words?" Well, you know...a good musician friend of mine always gets irritated when bands do that just so they can crank out another album. I think he's going to be abundantly pleased with this one, though... the music is all fresh. I don't have a finely tuned ear as he does, but I couldn't detect any noticeable vestiges of the first album. It's all new.

If I haven't said this plainly, let me do it now... this is probably one of the best Christian albums I've heard in months. I know I said this about CC's old album too, but trust me, this has nothing to do with that one. This album stands on its own, if not more mature, with the same hard-hitting message that the previous album had. Don't hold against them that they've became famous... when you're doing what God asks of you, I think sometimes that comes with the territory.

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