Sarah Brendel

Item: Sarah Brendel
Author: Burton Wray

(2005)

Reviewed by Burton Wray

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Inpop RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2005

ccm modern rock pop rock

CCM has seen the Australian invasion with artists and groups such as Rebecca St. James, Newsboys, and Hillsongs. CCM has also seen the British invasion with artists such as Delirious. Now coming over from Germany is Sarah Brendel. She may be new to CCM fans in the US, but she has been ministering in Germany for several years.

The opening track to Sarah Brendel is a synth-driven song that immediately stands out from much of what is currently available in CCM. "Commodity" may start off light but the chorus brings in some rocking guitars. The album slows down for "Fire," the second track which is more guitar-driven than "Commodity." The lighter feel continues with "Turn," the third track. Further spicing things up, the fifth track, "King I Love," is more synth and percussion-driven than the other songs. This sing-songy song is one of the highlights of the album. In an interesting bit of creativity, the vocals for parts of "Confused," the album's eighth track, are distorted to echo the confused feeling of the song. One of the things that makes this album so unique is the diversity of the various musical feels that are used. Some songs are synth-driven, others are more guitar-driven, and some are more percussion-driven.

Remarkably, Brendel wrote or co-wrote 9 of the 10 tracks. She writes with a very poetic style that isn't seen too often within CCM. One of the closest comparisons might be to the lyrical style of Sixpence None the Richer.

For her US debut, Brendel has delivered a solid album that with its various styles is easily one of the most creative albums this year.

4 tocks