Every 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 don't do a bad job of it, keeping away from some of that genre's worst excesses. The style rather suits them, but it doesn't dominate the album. Most of the material doesn't differ too much from what we've come to expect from the Newsboys, slightly quirky but in-the-end-mainstream pop-rock, except that they seem to be tiring.
LoveLibertyDisco has its good songs, and several songs are sure to do well as singles, but the sparkle of some of the Newsboys' Steve Taylor produced material is lacking and the album suggests that perhaps the ever-rumoured big departure is needed if the Newsboys are really to return to their top form. As the later tracks drag, the stronger material at the start of the album fades from the memory, and the impact is minimal.
2.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 1999Reviewed by Kevin D. HendricksThe 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…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…Similar sounding releases
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