The newest Newsboys CD showed up in my mailbox, and as I sat down to review it I really tried to like it. I wanted to find a new CD to claim the coveted position in my CD player. After all, it's the Newsboys, right? It's a done deal, right? Well, it wasn't. Love Liberty Disco didn't claim that empty spot in my CD player. It's not that it's a bad CD, it just doesn't shine like it could.
The title track is an obvious attempt at disco—an attempt which falls flat. The song 'Love Liberty Disco' just isn't there. Its appearance on the WOW 2000 compilation is just further proof that record company positioning plays a larger role than hit songs. Musically and sonically the album is decent. There's quality string arrangements, polished harmonies and Peter Furler's characteristic falsetto. Maybe the problem is that there's a little too much of all three. Almost every song has an over-polished feel, and Furler's falsetto gets old after two or three songs. The Newsboys have proven they know how to do polished-pop, but that doesn't mean it's good.
Now granted, the whole album isn't terrible. There are a few standouts. The opening track, 'Beautiful Sound' has a refreshing feel and well penned writing: "I let you do the thinking/I'd just bide my time/Father to son/Sunday hand me down/Where did I go wrong/Not to hear your song?". 'Good Stuff' is classic Newsboys (although a little lacking in depth) and breaks away from the polish with a little more bite. 'Break' is one of the few songs where Furler's falsetto doesn't detract, and it gives the song a passionate intensity.
On the flat side are songs like 'Love Liberty Disco,' the let down title track, 'Forever Man,' which reeks of polished falsetto, and 'Everyone's Someone,' which starts off well but slips into a repetitive chorus (which may just be an attempt to hammer the point into our heads, but if that's the case it doesn't work musically). 'I Would Give Everything' builds nicely at the ending, but still sounds like an 80's leftover with its 'do-do-do' backing vocals.
Overall the CD is just average. Granted, they're trying to cover new ground, but it just doesn't come off as a stellar project. If you liked the Newsboys' last release, Step Up to the Microphone, you might find it in your heart to like Love Liberty Disco too. But I suggest you give the CD a serious listen in the store and decide for yourself—don't just assume it's the Newboys and it'll be all right.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Adam DuckworthI remember reading an interview with Peter Furler, who does vocals, guitars, and drums for the Newsboys. He was promoting "Step Up to the Microphone" at the time and the fans were afraid that the band was about to break up because John James, who was their lead singer, had just left the band. When asked the question, "Is this the end of the Newsboys?" he gave an answer that I'll never forget.…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Michial FarmerDisco. It's blamed by some for the fall of quality musicianship, but it's also embraced by others as the most fun genre of all time. Some people in the 1970s sneered at the leisure suits and platform shoes, while others wore them with pride. In the end, though, disco is probably the most hated style of music in pop music history. So, at the very least, the Newsboys deserve a certain amount of…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by James StewartEvery time the Newsboys head for the studio, rumours abound that their next release is going to be a real departure from what went before. This release was no different, with the stories of their new "disco" material floating around for many months. It seems that like most rumours, these contained a fair dose of exaggeration. The title track here is unashamedly 70s influenced disco. The band…Similar sounding releases
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