Over the past year or so, numerous new bands and artists have "popped" up from every corner endorsing the oh-so-common bubblegum pop music that the common teen tends to crave. Their radio-friendly songs keep them alive, but I can't help but wonder how many of these artists will soon die to be known just as a one-hit-wonder. Matt Brouwer is placed in this category. I recently got his new album, Imagerical, and sure enough, it has the pop sound that I knew it would. Does he have enough to get past this barrier and prove himself to be a unique artist? We'll see:
One plus of his album that some artists do not have going for them is Brouwer's praise and worship lyrics. Most of the songs on this album were written for a weekly contemporary worship service at his college called mnw (Monday Night Worship). So if nothing else, each and every song will humbly point you toward the Father once you have given the lyrics a good look. The opening song, "New Beginning" is a prime example of that ("We will see the glory of the risen King/we will see your power over all the earth/when every knee will bow… in the new beginning"). The next song, the title track, is much of the same, except there is more of a pop beat mixed in.
"Water" is Brouwer's first radio single, and the radio, I'm sorry to say, has completely killed it. It was a good song, but overplaying any pop song will quickly make it grow old and annoying. This is a sign that pop won't last, because pop artists are continually pressured to produce new songs to create the same effect.
The album then takes a dramatic shift to the soft, comforting ballad, "Come and Be," which is a change for the better. This kind of song can get you in the spirit of the Lord. "Sanity," Brouwer's other radio single, comes next, and although the lyrics are solid, the song gets old quickly.
"Breathe" is the best song on the album. It is a quiet duet with Matt Brouwer and Jill Paquette, one of his college friends who helped out with mnw. It is similar to "Come and Be," but Paquette's voice enhances his voice nicely.
The following song, "Rivers of Mercy" is one the album could have done without. The acoustic guitar melody just screams, "OVERUSE!" If you want to be unique, don't use the same kind of tunes everybody else does. The rest of the CD is much of the same, with worshipful lyrics, but less uniqueness.
Though Matt Brouwer has proved to be solid in some parts where other artists are shallow, there are also many other Christian artists who provide the same good lyrics and a better sound.
When you think of how artists like The Beatles became so great, it was because they introduced a new sound and a brand new type of music. Dc Talk is one of the best Christian bands out there because when they started with their Christian rap and moved into rock, it gave listeners something new: good music with Christian lyrics that not many artists had done before. Basically, when you break it down, Matt Brouwer has built on the foundation that many have set up before him. He has created a good album with these standards, but it's nothing new.
Mark's Score: 2.5/5
