Jeff Deyo

Item: Saturate
Author: Josh Hurst

Saturate

(2002)

Reviewed by Josh Hurst

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Label Gotee RecordsThe Rebel Base2002

ccm modern rock pop rock worship

Author's Note: I'd like to apologize to my non-Christian readers for this review. I usually try to review music that people from all walks of life can relate to, but this one is pretty much for Christians only. I'm sorry for excluding those who have no interest in worship music, and I promise that my next review will be more of a more universally relatable CD.

Sonicflood was a band that played a key role in the rise in popularity of modern worship music. Most Christian music fans know that Sonicflood's original members have all left the band to pursue other interests, and the current model of Sonicflood is entirely different than the original. Not only are they not as innovative, but they're not as popular. Fans of the original Sonicflood haven't taken to the new guys too much.

Original Sonicflood fans now have reason to rejoice, though, because the band's founding member and former lead singer, Jeff Deyo, has finally gotten around to releasing his much-anticipated solo debut, Saturate. Before I give you my opinion on the album, though, please understand something: I enjoyed much of the original Sonicflood CD, but I'm in no way a fan. In fact, I'm not a huge worship music guru at all. If you want a Sonicflood junkie's opinion on Saturate, you've come to the wrong place.

In most respects, the album is mostly what I expected- it sounds almost like a clone of Sonicflood's first record. Many critics have even gone as far as to accuse Jeff of ripping off Sonicflood, but when you think about it, that isn't really fair- Saturate just proves that Jeff Deyo was the main creative mind behind Sonicflood's trend-setting sound. He can't rip off Sonicflood's sound, because he played such a huge role in creating Sonicflood's sound. Accusing Jeff Deyo of copying Sonicflood is like accusing Toby Mac or Tait of copying dc Talk- it just doesn't make sense.

Having said that, it's also worth pointing out that, thanks in part to the original Sonicflood disc, there are hundreds of other worship CDs on the market right now that sound just like Saturate. I respect Jeff Deyo's creative work back in the day with Sonicflood, but his solo album seems almost redundant. He was on the forefront of the modern worship movement, which gives him the right to record this kind of music, but one has to wonder if it's really needed anymore.

Saturate was produced by Deyo, Bryan Lenox (Michael W. Smith), and Otto Price (GRITS), and I really can't say enough about the work these men did on Saturate. Deyo, Lenox, and Price obviously know what fans want. The production of the disc keeps the focus on Deyo's passion for worship, but the album still has plenty of room for some impressively crisp instrumentation from Deyo's new band, occasional hints of techno (especially on "Sing to You"), and notable guest performances. Christian music buffs will probably not be surprised to hear that Toby Mac (of dc Talk) makes a cameo on "More Love, More Power"- apparently, it's an unwritten law that all Christian artists must let Toby Mac have a guest slot on their album whenever Toby feels like it. Other guests on Saturate include some Enya-like backing vocals by Nicol Smith on "All I Want" and slightly more prominent vocals by Rebecca St. James on "Sing to You."

The biggest surprise on the album comes in the lyrics. For one thing, almost all of the tracks on the record were written by Deyo, so you won't be hearing the same songs you hear on every other worship album. Thank God. Also, many of Deyo's lyrics actually rise above worship music cliches. "Let Me Burn" and "Many Crowns" are both downright creative cuts, especially on a worship CD. I don't mean that to sound harsh- it's just that modern worship music is known for being more on the simple (cough boring cough) side.

Oh, yeah, here's something else I should probably mention- you know those spoken word prayers and interludes on Sonicflood's first record? Well, Deyo includes a few of those here. Thankfully, though, Deyo included the "Opening Prayer" as a separate track, so you can skip it easily. And actually, the spoken word clips on Saturate don't come across as being quite as preachy as those on Sonicflood's disc. They can actually be quite thought-provoking.

As a true work of art, Saturate falls short- it's really the same thing we've heard so many times before, albeit it's much more well-crafted. As a worship experience, though, Saturate is a winner- Jeff Deyo proves here why Sonicflood was so popular. It's because Deyo has such a contagious passion for worship. There was an intensity on Sonicflood's first CD that is sadly missing from most worship music, but Deyo brings that passion back on Saturate. As pop/rock, Saturate is merely ok, but as a worship album, it's truly moving.

Josh's Score: 3/5