For those of you who don't know what a dB (decibel) is, I'll tell you (since I'm working on my Doctorate in Acoustics, I should know!). A dB is the logarithm of a ratio of sound pressure levels (usually to a standard). dB's are commonly used to compare the loudness of sounds. For example, a noisy street is usually about 75 dB while a recording studio might be around 25 dB. A dBA simply means that a standard "A-type" frequency weighting has been applied to the sound before the dB level is calculated. Is this making any sense yet? I thought I would give a little bit of an idea, but, essentially, a dB tells how loud a sound is.
65 dBA would probably be around the volume of background music or casual conversation. This new group from England is cranking it up with The Great Awakening, a project I certainly played louder than 65 dBA.
The album starts with a soft, worshipful and dreamy, praise anthem, "Great Awakening." They don't even finish fading out this song before the house beat of "We Must Go" kicks in. "Waging War" follows after the first pause in the recording with a hard rock feel. Up next is "Work the Worx" and is a grooving tune with a techno feel, heavy on the keyboards, and a rap bridge. They then slow it down a bit with a slow R&B'ish ballad, "Can You See the Tears."
The second half of the album starts with "Hope of Heaven," a bass-driven danceable tune sounding like a cross between Duran Duran and Culture Club. Next is "Come Soon Lord Jesus," with an up-beat guitar/synthesizer-driven groove. Then, taking quite a turn for the softer side, "Behold the Lamb" follows as a tender song of worship. "I Want to be a Holy Child" comes in gently with a sweet duet and "Are You Ready" closes out the project with an urgent, guitar-driven, rock sound.
I would figure this album would minister to Christians more than it would appeal to the unsaved. "Waging War" and its talk about our "army" and "sword of the Holy Spirit" probably would scare off most non-believers. But, assuming that the album was intended more for Christians, it hits the mark. It offers modern songs of praise, songs of encouragement, and songs to challenge us to stronger devotion to Christ.
This album is probably the most diverse collection of songs by one group I've ever heard. It's interesting that they use five different lead singers on that album. At first it seems strange to cram so many musical styles together, but it is interesting, fresh, and enjoyable. If your tastes span several musical genres, this is probably one that you'll enjoy.
