The Brave comes jumping out of Pakaderm studios with a big, big arena hard rock sound. On the back of the cassette package is a big stamp of "Produced by John & Dino Elefante," which is just the sort of impact these producers had on this talented band. The BGV's (the Elefante trademark) on the lead-off track "All Together Now" and "If That Ain't Love" sound almost identical to Mastedon's "Hear what I say" pre-chorus lines in "Holiest One." "The Waiting" is a power rocker with a great "feel good" vibe. Vocalist James Salters sounds like Europe's Joey Tempest. If this one doesn't hit number one on the Christian rock radio charts this fall, then I've lost my ability to hear. Lyrically, the band does a great job of communicating compelling reasons to follow Jesus. "If That Ain't Love," for instance, makes a case for God's love: "Gave His life, cause it had to be/ Shed His blood for you and me/ If that ain't love, then I don't know what love is." In "Tears of a Broken Heart," the band sez it like it is: "Turn from your wicked ways--you're playing with fire." One disconcerting thing is the uncanny resemblance of the hook to "Ride with the Rhythm" with "Rise to It" by Kiss. Do the Elefantes do this on purpose? Remember the whoop-de-do over Petra's "Seen and Not Heard" tune sounding exactly like the "Heaven's on Fire" tune by Kiss? Maybe someone at Pakaderm likes to play Kiss CD's on the house system. "Big World," with its keyboard dominant sonics, sounds a lot like Idle Cure. "Never Live Without Your Love" and "Just a Man" are two well-written emotion-pullers that could easily pull in a large MOR audience. James Salters shows a lot of what he's made of here. He can sure hold his own--a good feat for a debut album. While not able to turn the world on its ear, The Brave have courageously released a piece of art that could honestly compete for airtime on any top 40 station with its competent melodic hard rock. If the standout cut, "If That Ain't Love," ain't enough to get you hooked on this band, you must be deaf.