Review - Don't You Fake It

Artist: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Album: Don't You Fake It
Record Label: Virgin
Producer(s): David Bendeth
Release Date: July 18th, 2006
Genre: Rock/Punk/Screamo
Strong Points: Musical and lyrical direction push listeners towards getting up and doing something; some very impressive lyrical elements; strong grasp of what makes for a good release in the genre
Weak Points: Some sounds are very reminiscent of other bands; many lyrics are too ambiguous for their own good; too much harmonization
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: C+
Final Score (not an average): B
Moral Warnings: Generally ambiguous lyrics tend to focus on pain but look towards hope; "d---" is used in the aptly titled "D--- Regret"; typically Christian terms are used in "Justify," but the meaning is unclear; "The Grim Goodbye," a bonus track, crosses into resignation and implies drunkenness


The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is one of those bands that gained smash hit status thanks to a single that makes it big. The band's single that rocked many of the hit charts in America is "Face Down." That single appeared on their first major label release, Don't You Fake It. In turn, the album reached platinum status with over a million units sold in the U.S. With a punk- and screamo-infused rock sound, Don't You Fake It has made a rather strong entrance into the realm of major record label music.

And Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' sound is a very solid one. Though it is very no-frills as a rule, lacking layers upon layers of extra tracks and effects, the natural talent in Don't You Fake It can shine through clearly. With genre-fitting driving guitars at full distortion, solid drum and bass sections, and good vocal work in melody and harmony, the band makes it clear that they know how to manufacture a good sound.

The sound is not a perfect one, though. Some songs are musical standouts, but the instrumental aspects of many tracks simply seem to get the job done. The album is very vocally driven. The guitar riffs, chord patterns, and rhythm structures, on the album are not generally exceptional. However, they work just fine as canvas for the vocal work to paint its picture.

And the vocal work does standout well. Frontman Ronnie Winter's vocal tone is great. Emotion comes through loud and clear without ever crossing into too much angst or pain. His melodic composition is catchy and fits very well with the rest of the band. The downfall in the vocal work is that harmonization seems practically constant on most tracks. It's not so much that it sounds bad that's the problem so much as it moves a driven rock band into a more pop-like territory that doesn't seem to maximize the band's potential.

Add to this the screaming present on several of the tracks, and it sometimes seems like the band had a bit of an identity crisis while making the album. To further weaken the originality their sound, it's hard not to consider the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to be very similar to a more mainstream-ready version of contemporary artists like Hawthorne Heights.

Still, in spite of these things, the songwriting heard on Don't You Fake It is good, and it shows a lot of potential from the band's upcoming sophomore release. When it's all said and done, every song on the album is memorable. Though it is more the vocal aspects than the instrumental aspects of the album, the lyrical aspect does play a significant role in what sets Don't You Fake It apart.

Lyrically, a lot of the songs manage to land in a realm of ambiguity; they are full of words that sound good, but the underlying meaning isn't all that easy to discern. Still, some lyrics come across as surprisingly profound. For example, "Face Down" shows a strong grasp of cause and effect: "A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect / Every action in this world bear a consequence" Other songs, like "Seventeen Ain't So Sweet" are more straightforward: "There's a fire in your eyes / And I hope you'll let it burn / There's a scream in your voice / And I hope you will be heard." Then, the album's closing song and ballad, "Your Guardian Angel," is nothing short of beautiful: "I will never let you fall / I'll stand up with you forever / I'll be there for you through it all / Even if saving you sends me to heaven"

In moral terms, the lyrics are largely ambiguous. For what it's worth, it is worth noting that all of the band members claim to be Christians in spite of their choosing not to be labeled as a Christian band. Still, worthy of note, many songs deal with pain; these songs usually look forward with hope, however. "D--- Regret" says "d---" on the chorus. The album's bonus track crosses into resignation and surrender to pressure. There are a couple of references to drinking, with the bonus track stating: "Try to stay righteous, try to stay sober / But then I can't win."

In all reality, the album won't likely knock your socks off. It's a solid first mainstream release, but it does not reach its potential. Still, the band has produced an album that is catchy and a lot of fun; musically and lyrically, listeners are challenged to get out of their seats. There are a few moral hiccups in the release. All the same, Don't You Fake It may be just the kind of pick-me-up needed on a figuratively rainy day.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)


Album highlights:
"Face Down"
"Your Guardian Angel"
"Misery Loves Its Company"
"Waiting"
"Justify"
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Review - The Legend of Chin

Artist: Switchfoot
Album: The Legend of Chin
Record Label: re:think, Sparrow
Producer(s): Jimmy Lee Sloas
Release Date: June 17, 1997
Genre: Rock
Strong Points: Catchy tunes; creative songwriting
Weak Points: Some sounds are over-processed
Technical Score: C+
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): B
Moral Warnings: "Underwater" seems to allude to alcohol dependency


Few Christian bands have seen as much mainstream success as Switchfoot has. Though The Beautiful Letdown (released by Columbia and Sony BMG) marked the band's move into mainstream popularity, Switchfoot had a strong following in the Christian music realm from the three albums released prior to Letdown. The Legend of Chin was the first of Switchfoot's albums to be released on a major label (Sparrow).

As Switchfoot's first major release, The Legend of Chin showed a great deal of promise for such a young band. The music, though generally simple, showed a strong grasp of songwriting. The lyricism showed an uncommon maturity. The Foreman brothers (along with drummer Chad Butler) showed talent in musical performance. Frontman Jon Foreman's vocal work was fairly unique in tone. For a first album, Legend was a strong entry into the industry. However, a solid first album is not necessarily an outrightly solid album that will hold up over time.

Fortunately, The Legend of Chin is no ordinary debut. In terms of songwriting, Jon Foreman shows an uncanny ability to write catchy melodies even at the start of his career. Songs like "Bomb" and "Edge of My Seat" have a tendency to get stuck in listeners' heads for days on end. Other songs, like "Might Have Ben Hur" and "Underwater," show a strong sense of song flow. Though it can't be said that all of the tracks on Legend are exceptional, it is very easy to forget that this is where Switchfoot began.

Though the songwriting is very solid, it is also limited. The songs are very clearly written for a three-piece band. The actual musicianship on the album is solid; all of the parts are well played, but few of them show much creativity. In terms of production, the album is very no-frills with few exceptions. This is not a bad thing in itself, but some of the tracks come off a bit two-dimensional. Almost comically, many of the tracks are actually over-processed. Effects added to the vocals tend to actually detract from Foreman's voice. Too much reverb seems common on most of the CD, and this is coming from a guy who adds a healthy bit of reverb to his recordings.

In spite of these complaints, Legend certainly shows the beginning of Switchfoot's sound. Though this is a very much a rock album, it manages to avoid dependency on formula. Heavy, and good, usage of the bass as a focus point in the music is a great thing. Jazz-esque influences work their way into many of the songs. The overall sound is fairly unlike any of Switchfoot's later albums, but the same cannot be said for for Foreman's vocal work. The unique vocals shine through in Legend just as much as later releases.

Lyrically, Legend is something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Foreman's writing shows maturity and even a little bit of satire. On the other hand, the lyrics are often vague to the point that it's hard to guess what they actually refer to. In all of the lyrics, there is a feeling of Foreman baring his soul to listeners. "Home," for example, shows an honesty too often missed: "It's a long way from Miami to L.A. / It's a longer way from yesterday to where I am today / It's a long way from my thoughts to what I’ll say / It's a long long way from paradise to where I am today / All that's in my head is in Your hands / ... I've been poison, I've been rain / I've been fooled again / I've seen ashes shine like chrome / Someday I’ll see home."

On the whole, Legend is an exceptional first album. On its own merit, the album is still solid, very catchy, and rather well made. It's far from perfect, but it is a fun and enjoyable album. Fans of Switchfoot's later releases should have Legend in their collection. People looking for something that's just a little bit different may find it here. Legend is a commendable effort, and one that can be recommended (though not quite wholeheartedly).

Album highlights:
"Home"
"Life and Love and Why"
"Bomb"
"Might Have Ben Hur"

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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Review - Comatose

Artist: Skillet
Album: Comatose
Record Label: Lava, Ardent, Atlantic
Producer(s): Brian Howes, John L. Cooper
Release Date: October 3rd, 2006
Genre: Rock
Strong Points: Great sound in its own right; great lyrics after interpretation; memorable melodies
Weak Points: Sounds similar to mainstream releases prior to its release
Technical Score: A-
Artistic Score: C+
Final Score (not an average): B+
Moral Warnings: Read without interpretation, many lyrics come off as dark for what is expected of a Christian band, dealing with drugs, pain, potentially suggestive imagery, and even suicide


For the unaware, Skillet is one of Christian music's most predominant hard rock bands. Fans of the band have come to expect the unexpected from Skillet as their sound evolves from release to release. Comatose is no exception to this precedent; the album moves away from most of the metal inspiration of Collide into a more refined, polished, and dynamic, sound fitting a contemporary rock band.

Though heavy guitars and driving drums have by no means escaped Skillet in the latest release, much more emphasis has been given to pianos, synthesizers, string sections, and vocal work that plays back and forth between frontman John Cooper and his wife, Korey Cooper, in Comatose. The immediate result is that no song feels raw; every track shows itself to have gone through considerable refinement by skilled producers.

Cooper's skill in songwriting is easily the album's strongest point. If there's one thing that has remained consistent from album to album, it is melody composition that has a way of getting stuck in listeners' heads. The songs of Comatose are no exception to this rule; in fact, these songs may be some of Cooper's catchiest yet. While few melodies stand out as being truly exceptional, fewer yet are less than solid.

The melodies, when combined with the lyrics, really display the overall quality of Cooper's songwriting. The lyrical composition hits what could be considered a sweet spot for Christian artists: the lyrics require listeners to use a little interpretation to get their significance, but they are very significant when given a little thought. Take the album's title track for example: "I don’t wanna sleep/I don’t wanna dream/‘cause my dreams don’t comfort me/The way you make me feel/Waking up to you never felt so real" The meaning isn't buried deep beneath the surface, but it takes a little thought to understand. In this case, the lyric refers to getting lost in the distractions of life at the cost of missing out on God and living life more fully.

The instrumental direction of the album is also solid. As mentioned before hand, the production quality is very high on Comatose. This translates to a bit of orchestra-like sounds (as well as piano and synthesizer parts) filling in the sonic space on many tracks. Piano parts play a big role on the albums many ballad-esque songs. On some songs, the orchestrated parts play a prominent role, and the result is a good one on the whole.

Unfortunately, Comatose is far from being a perfect album. In the lyricism, songs like "Better than Drugs," though true enough, come off less as inspired than as cheesy. Make no mistake, Skillet is a Christian band. However, without this knowledge, it wouldn't be hard to assume that many of the lyrics simply refer to another person instead of the Divine. Though this isn't necessarily a problem in itself, it does land the band in a place of lyrical ambiguity.

That lyrical ambiguity may be a turn off to some listeners and parents. The lyrics of "Better than Drugs" refer to drug addiction and usage as an analogy for relationship with Christ. Many lyrics, if only heard in part or misunderstood, come across as hopeless. "The Last Night" deals with a suicidal individual. Taken out of context, "Whispers" is rather suggestive.

Returning to the musical aspects of the album, though no individual instrumental parts are really problematic, some songs come off as being overly-produced. More troublesome is that Comatose has songs that go in all sorts of musical directions. Tracks range from hard rock to ballads to punk and so on. The individual tracks are great, but Comatose, as a whole, lacks consistency in musical direction. Beyond this, there is a bit of similarity to releases from mainstream artists that came out before Comatose. On the harder tracks, there is considerable influence from nu-metal acts including Linkin Park and Disturbed. Tonality of the band (and even the vocal work of Cooper) is similar to what was heard on Papa Roach's Getting Away With Murder album. To be fair, the harder tracks show some of Collide's (Skillet's precious album) influence on Comatose.

All the same, Skillet does manage to veer enough from the mainstream acts to have a sound that can be called its own (in no small part due to Korey Cooper's presence); it would just be nice if the band could make up its mind as to what sound it wanted to pursue. In spite of these complaints, Comatose really is one of the better albums released in the realm of Christian rock in the last couple of years.

Album highlights:
"The Last Night"
"Comatose"
"Falling Inside the Black"

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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