"Thief 2006" by Third Day from Chronology Volume One (1996-2000)

"Who is this man?!" sings Mac Powell with his soothing voice that suits the softer rock Third Day produces. "Thief 2006" speaks of Christ's Crucifixion from the perspective of one of the thieves hung with him—the one who repents.

The thief's statement of "What have I done? I don't remember," right after calling himself a thief and murderer, could apply to humans' short memories of wrongs in general. (Interesting how we remember negatives others do to us so well, while conveniently forgetting the ones we do to others.)

Within the song, the motif keeps returning of the thief's time to die is coming. That it's sooner than he ever would've wanted is assumed. The instruments meld precisely within the song, with a complexity usually not found in CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).

Clean language, strong message, and strong lyrics—all add up in "Thief 2006" to make a very calming song that's not quite my preferred style, but I can nonetheless appreciate. Even if soft rock isn't your favorite genre, you might like giving this song a listen. As of this writing, both the song and the lyrics appear on Third Day's MySpace.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 10/10

"Lion" by Rebecca St. James from Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia

Oh, that's a comely star—

Or not. I grimace when Rebecca St. James starts singing in the too-predictable breathy style and note set that makes me immediately know this is CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Ew.

Not that the style itself is icky; it's just so cliché. I wouldn't mind the cliché most of the song nearly so much if it didn't have such a promising foundation that appears at the beginning, bridge and end. Well, even that could've used a bit more work, but it at least was something. The song's the usual Christian pop rock that all melds together in your ears.

Lyricwise, it's also the CCM normal in its declaration that "This is just a world of Your own", that God is wise and loving to us and guides us through life. (I have a theological problem with that unbalanced image, but that's another issue.) Thanks to Narnia movie, "Lion" does own one memorable turn of phrase: "It feels like I'm livin' in a lion's mouth, but the lion is an angel…"

So much unrealized possibility. That, more than anything, makes this a disappointment for me. But if you're one of those people who likes CCM in general, you'll likely like this song.

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Lyrics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 5/10

"Better" by Plumb from Chaotic Resolve

"I don't wanna hate; I don't wanna be broken; I don't wanna hate you!"

Now, that's a nice twist of lyric, as is "But in the end / what leaves you broken in the end / makes you better!"

I first heard "Better" on Pandora about a year ago before I even considered making this blog, and liked it enough to take "I like it!" I ultimately left Pandora for several months (mostly because they lacked certain bands and songs I wanted to hear). I forgot about the song, then popped back in one night and decided to listen to my "gothic rock" station I'd made there. "Better" came up, and I immediately jotted it down to review it.

Turns out, Plumb's a Christian singer. I almost regret learning that, since it made me realize what the song reminded me of: other CCM (contemporary Christian music). It almost could be Evanescence meets Rebecca St. James. Okay, that was a weird comparison. But the alternative slightly-gothic rock music blends with enough attractiveness and memorability to warrant an "above average" rating, albeit too conventionally for me to hand a "5".

Plumb, whose actual name is Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, sings prettily. Again, I'm reminded of Evanescence's Amy Lee with traces of Rebecca St. James and even Flyleaf's Lacey Mosley (in a good way). Nonetheless, "Plumb" sounds a bit overly breathy when she's trying to sing quietly. It's a bit annoying.

Now for the lyrics. As you can probably guess from the quotes I have above, "Better" discusses not hating someone who abuses you. The song specifically speaks of the unbeliever who persecutes the Christian "because of fear." It's encouragement to the Christian who is facing a hard time, perhaps getting emotionally torn to pieces by someone. "What leaves you broken in the end makes you better." Notice that unusual statement.

For a song in general, it's well above average. For CCM, it's extraordinary.

UPDATE: I've learned that Amy Lee actually credits Plumb as one of her influences for Evanescence. So small wonder they sound comparable.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"Stand In the Rain" by Superchic[k] from Beauty from Pain 1.1

"Stand in the rain; stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down!"

Ooo; I can hear why this is Superchic[k]'s most popular song by far on iTunes. They've evidently participated in BarlowGirl's genre-switching to make a song that's more like what their friend band usually produces. It's extraordinarily good from this band—music's usually their weak point to my ears.

…Okay, fine, it's a genre issue, considering Superchic[k]'s usual music is an unusual conglamoration of R&B, rock, and rap or hip-hop that's definitely teen-oriented and uses more sounds than instruments. The songs do have a way of ending up on (multiple) movies, TV shows, soundtracks… You get the idea.

"Stand in the Rain" is the most normal rock I think I've heard from Superchic[k], and it's by far the top music I've heard from them. The fluid rock of "Stand In the Rain" melds smoothly. The song speaks of sadness and a fight to get through it, and the music reflects both emotions.

Trisha's clear voice can be heard with little trouble (except in the few cymbal-strong sections), but it's pretty and knows what it's doing. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it's nothing strange.

The band's usual standing of good advice, stemming from a Christian worldview, continues in this song. True, their failure to be blatantly Christian means that they're popular on both sides of the proverbial fence, but last time I checked, Christians could use applicable tips for living out their faith… Superchic[k] merely writes songs that are overtly influenced from the Christian worldview rather than preaching.

I think I still prefer BarlowGirl's boldness with their Christianity, but Superchic[k] was the one who wrote the song that directly improved my relationship with my brother: "Na Na".

As of this writing, "Stand In the Rain" was a sample listed on Superchic[k]'s MySpace page.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 9/10

"Million Voices" by BarlowGirl from How Can We Be Silent

My eyes spring wide open. The Barlow sisters are playing with genre and song speed in "Million Voices". The vocals are undeniably the three sisters, but…

I struggle to link this music style to anything I've previously heard from BarlowGirl and my mind keeps recalling Within Temptation's "Frozen", with occassional remembrances of "What Have You Done" and something else nagging at my memory that I can't isolate, though I want to say Nightwish's She Is My Sin". Oh, and a touch of Flyleaf.

In other words, this song makes me think more of metal than rock. And is it a wower! I'll readily admit, whichever sister is lead singer, I kinda like her sisters' voices a little more, but she sings maturely and strongly. The sisters take advantage of the three separate voices to give the song a beauty lacking in many standard rock songs.

Add the involved tempo switches, intricately mixed electric guitar and drums, and it's a refreshing demonstration that BarlowGirl can flex its musical skill into other genres when it has a mind to it, as they've done in the album How Can We Be Silent. But if you don't like electric guitar, you will not like this song.

"We're a million strong, and getting stronger still. They'll remember we were here! With the million voices breaking silence 'till they'll remember we were here."

What are they talking about? BarlowGirl (and Christians') constant "stand against the normal"! As Christians, "How can we be silent when a fire burns inside us?" "Million Voices" testifies to the impact strong Christians can have on those around them.

Four listens, and I already know this song is going to haunt me…

As of this writing, "Million Voices" was a sample listed on BarlowGirl's MySpace page.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 10/10