CD-buyers Block Relief

For the past few months, I have been a victim of CD-buyers Block; a disease that cripples a music fanatic's desire to purchase music CDs. However, I decided to break this pattern. (I am the music reviewer for The Joyful Sound so I need to be up-to-date with the current albums.) I bought the newest releases from TobyMac, Nicole C. Mullen, Aly & AJ, BarlowGirl, and Nate Sallie.

TobyMac's Portable Sounds
Of all of the CDs from 2007, TobyMac's latest effort is the best buy. Filled with catchy pop/rock/hip-hop tunes, the T-man proves that age means nothing. From the pumpin' single "Boomin", to the Mat Kearney-ish songs "Face of the Earth" and "All In", to the peppy "Suddenly", Toby excels!

Nicole C. Mullen's Sharecropper's Seed Vol. 1
I bought Nicole C. Mullen and TobyMac on the same day. However, as I loved Portable Sounds, I was very disappointed with Sharecropper's Seed. I was expecting some R&B/pop songs (i.e. "Talk About It", "Witness") and stunning ballads (i.e. "Redeemer", "Call On Jesus"), but none was to be found. The entire CD sounded like a 1990s lullaby album. The majority of the songs were soft in tune, nothing stellar in my personal opinion. Also, the album had a 90s feel to it as a few songs had a lot of keyboard in them, making those songs seem dated.

Aly & AJ's Insomniatic
I was very impressed with Aly & AJ's first project. Into The Rush was very positive in its lyrics, and the girls had a strong hold on their faith. Insomniatic is a different story. Many of the songs on this CD are about break-ups, nasty break-ups to be exact. Uplifting songs are hard to find on this CD. Also, the word "crap" is in the chorus of "Like It Or Leave It". I know that it is not a seriously bad word, many of my friends say it, but the word disturbs me during a song. I feel that Aly & AJ are caveing in to their success.

BarlowGirl's How Can We Be Silent
BarlowGirl's previous effort, Another Journal Entry, was a good CD. It had upbeat pop songs and tender ballads that made me truly enjoy the album. However, I was not as impressed with How Can We Be Silent. It was an ok CD, but what bugged me was the fact that a song would start off strong and upbeat, but softened up the chorus. I like upbeat songs because they keep my attention more. As I said, this is an alright CD. This was just my personal opinion.

Nate Sallie's Ruined For Ordinary
Note: If you loved Nate Sallie's pop/rock songs from Inside Out, I am sorry to imform you that you will not be able find those on this album. (However, "Just A Breath" comes rather close.) Lyrically and musically you can see that Sallie has reformed. Gone are the love songs and enter the worship anthems. The ballads are stunning, exhibiting Sallie's impressive vocals. However, I do miss the upbeat rock songs, but this will do for now.

Notable mention:
Relient K's Four Score and Seven Years Ago
Ok, this CD isn't mine, therefore labeling it as a "notable mention", but the newest CD by the popular band is awesome! There are a lot of love songs, but they give me a happy attitude afterwards. "Forgiven" proves that Relient K hasn't gone completely to the dark secular world by reminding us about Christ's sacrifice. All in all, Four Score is continuing Relient K's growth in the music world, while remaining true to their roots.