Hey! Hoe! Nobody told me that Def Leppard liked Christian music! Nouveaux, although their own band, sound like they've logged several hours listening to their Hysteria CD's. Big 'n' wide haromonies atop simple pop metal rhythms are the order de Nouveaux.
Finished just prior to hitting the road with Michael Sweet, this album is chuck full of good melodic songs. While in Australia, Walter Harnisch, the lead vocalist for Cry Mercy, told me that Steve Rowe told him that Mortification performed "real men's music" and that Cry Mercy played "music for girls." Walter replied, "I'd much rather have girls cheering us on than men. What does that say about you, Steve?" Nouveaux will have to brush up on similar comebacks, for their music is polished and precise -- just the sort of thing to swoon the young girls.
Lyrically, the band tackles racism ("United We Stand"), the state of America ("Red, White, Black & Blue"), boy/girl relationships ("Hurts So Bad" and "All That Glitters") and God's heart towards sinful man ("Holding My Own").
Best song could be the atmospheric "All That Glitters," with its tasty leads, or the rockin' opener "We Believe." It's amazing how the closing tune, "Across The Miles," sounds (both musically and vocally) like a dead ringer for Michael W. Smith. The strength of this band is their clean sound; and the strength of this album -- producer Doug Beiden made sure -- is its consistency.