All Star United

Item: Revolution
Author: Matthew D. Williams

Revolution

(2002)

Reviewed by Matthew D. Williams

Discogs YouTube

Label Furious? RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

britpop ccm pop rock

After a switch in labels, multiple cast changes, and a three-year hiatus All Star United returns with Revolution--a ten-song album displaying the same Brit-pop stylings of Ian Eskelin and Co., but with a more subdued, gentler spirit.

Making a mark in 1997 with their brand of "in-your-face," Brit-pop music and spontaneous live shows, ASU, led by the charismatic Ian Eskelin, became well known for their satirical approach to confronting touchy issues in the Christian community. With International Anthems for the Human Race, their second release, the band's music evolved into a more American-ized sound than their debut, while the lyrical content remained witty and crisp. But three years later and with Eskelin the lone original member, ASU has adopted a, dare I say, tamer approach to their craft.

"We Are the Future" begins the album with a sound similar to where International Anthems left off. Challenging the listener to realize his potential in the light of "Love," the song pushes a theme of immediate revolution where the smallest of people can play a big role. The classic Eskelin wit shines through in the first verse: "I woke up one day quite a bit younger in spite of my age. I was A-OK, instantly rich in my minimum wage...if I can make a change for the better like water into wine then we can change the world..."

"Sweet Jesus," the album's first single, is possibly Eskelin's finest bit of writing to date. The song is written as a conversation between Eskelin and God and works as an honest plea for renewal. Quickly following, "Making It Beautiful" is but a short breath of a song, lasting just over two minutes, but says more than a good number of CCM artists do on an entire album.

The title track is a tad weak, much like "International Anthems" from their sophomore disc and "Made in Heaven" wears with its metaphors of love, but standouts like "Kings and Queens" and "Weirdo" make for adequate compensation. The latter is a conspiracy theorist's paradise, closing out the album with references to Elvis living in Greece, the lunar landing being filmed in a Disney studio, "pop rocks", and crop circles.

Essentially, ASU is nothing more than Eskelin. His other three bandmates (brothers Mike and Matt Payne on guitar and drums and bassist Jeremy Hunter) recorded together as a band on only one song, while multiple session players covered the majority of the album. And while Eskelin does a worthy job of juggling responsibilities, there is a "band atmosphere" lacking that was present on previous ASU efforts. In addition, it seems a shame that Revolution doesn't bear more than its ten tracks, considering the long wait between albums.

Revolution seems a paradoxical title considering that roughly half the album consists of tunes that are either calmer in sound, content or both. But it's quite possible that Eskelin has discovered another form of revolution--one that sneaks up on the listener, rather than the classic head-on confrontation. Whatever the strategy, ASU fans will enjoy this latest installment.