Newsboys

Item: Love Liberty Disco
Author: Adam Duckworth

Love Liberty Disco

(1999)

Reviewed by Adam Duckworth

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Star Song RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

ccm dance pop disco

I 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.

"It's only the beginning."

Now, about a year and a half later, I am ready to agree. Love Liberty Disco is not only great, it was almost magical. Never have the Newsboys sounded this good.

The first track, "Beautiful Sound," should capture almost anyone. Beginning with a simple yet effective keyboard intro, it soon explodes into one of the most wonderful and worshipful choruses that has ever been written.

It's a beautiful sound
Moving through the crowd
Voices lifted up
On high for you

It's a beautiful song
And we've only just begun
To understand
Rediscovering you

The catchy and poppy title track, "Love Liberty Disco" is next. Even if you don't like disco you should love this (or at least tolerate it). While I can almost see John Travolta on the dance floor and the Bee Gees backing the Boys up on this tune, it's still a great song.

The best track to me is number four, "Good Stuff," taken from Corinthians 13. In it, the band proclaims that they can write a great song or speak with tongues of angels, but without love it is nothing but just a sound. The bridge says it all.

We got the rhythm
We got the rhyme
Print up a T-shirt
Throw them a line

But without love we are nothing
Without love we are nothing more than noise.

This song should be the band's anthem--it should be every Christian band's anthem.

If I had to criticize anything about this album, I guess it would be the song, "I Would Give Everything." When I heard this song, it reminded me of 80's music, which I usually find mundane and tedious. But, ironically, I still like this song a lot, so it's just a minor problem.

I do wish that there was at least one or two more upbeat songs. The songs are very meaningful but the album seems to drag near the end, and if they had just put another fast song around track nine or ten it would have sounded great.

Peter Furler was right. I believe that this is probably their best album yet.

5 tocks