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7/18/2008
CD Review: Big Daddy Weave - What Life Would Be Like
Cles Holbrook
12/4/2007
CD Review: MercyMe - All That is Within Me
Ellie Carpenter
CD Review: Bebo Norman - Christmas from the Realms of Glory
Jaymey Hardin
11/6/2007
CD Review: Tree63 - Sunday!
Christine Blundred
10/30/2007
CD Review: Sara Groves - Tell Me What You Know
Elizabeth Chan
10/25/2007
CD Review: Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs
Suzie Waltner
10/23/2007
CD Review: Steven Curtis Chapman - This Moment
Dan Taylor
10/23/2007
CD Review: David Crowder Band - Remedy
Suzie Waltner
10/23/2007
CD Review: Connersvine
Dan Taylor
10/17/2007
CD Review: Sevenglory - Atmosphere
Christine Blundred
10/11/2007
CD Review: Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us
Dan Taylor
10/3/2007
CD Review: Grey Holiday – Glorious Revolution
Ben Olin of
This Beautiful Republic
10/3/2007
CD Review: Fee - We Shine
Ben Olin of
This Beautiful Republic
10/2/2007
CD Review: Phil Wickham – Cannons
Mark Warren
10/1/2007
CD Review: Building 429 – Iris to Iris
Christine Blundred
9/26/2007
CD Review: BarlowGirl - How Can We Be Silent
Sparky from Kentucky
8/28/2007
CD Review: Shane & Shane - Pages
-Aaron Chambers
8/28/2007
CD Review: Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door
-Aaron Chambers
8/28/2007
CD Review: Caedmon's Call - Overdressed
-Ryan Hicks
7/31/2007
CD Review: Mandisa
7/30/2007
CD Review: Jake Smith
Jonathan Diaz
7/24/2007
CD Review: BarlowGirl - How Can We Be Silent?
7/17/2007
CD Review: MxPx
6/30/2007
CD Review: Project 86
Jonathan
7/1/2007
CD Review: Storyside:B
Jonathan
6/30/2007
CD Review: Ruth
Jonathan
6/27/2007
CD Review: Mike Farris
Jonathan
6/19/2007
David Crowder talks about "Remedy"
jamie
5/29/2007
CD Review: Rush of Fools
5/23/2007
CD Review: The Showdown - Temptation Come My Way
Cameron
5/16/2007
CD Review: Newsboys GO Remixed
Elizabeth Chan
5/15/2007
CD Review: Everyday Sunday - Wake Up! Wake Up!
Ellie Carpenter
5/10/2007
CD Review: Dizmas - Tension
Joe
4/17/2007
CD Review: Vicky Beeching; Painting the Invisible
Grace
4/2/2007
CD Review: Bethany Dillon- Waking Up
Joe
2/22/2007
CD Review: tobyMac - Portable Sounds
Grace
2/22/2007
CD Review: tobyMac - Portable Sounds
Timothy Gerst
12/20/2006
CD Review: GRITS - Redemption
Timothy Gerst
12/20/2006
CD Review: Third Day - Christmas Offerings
Elizabeth Chan
12/15/2006
CD Review: Michael W. Smith - Stand
12/6/2006
CD Review: Unexpected Gifts: 12 New Sounds of Christmas
Elizabeth Chan
12/4/2006
CD Review: Kutless - Live From Portland
Aaron Chambers
12/4/2006
CD Review: Avalon - Faith: A Hymns Collection
Aaron Chambers
11/7/2006
CD review: Michael W. Smith - Stand
Suzie Waltner
10/11/2006
cd review: Chris Tomlin - See The Morning
10/6/2006
cd review: Falling Up - Exit Lights
8/23/2006
CD Review: Day of Fire - Cut and Move
Jessica Robin
8/18/2006
CD Review: Hillsong - Mighty to Save
John Brandon
8/15/2006
CD Review: Turn Off the Stars -
Brett Wier
6/28/2006
CD Review: Jason Morant - Open
Robert W. Blake
6/19/2006
CD Review: David Crowder Band - B Collision: The Eschatology of Bluegrass
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: Day of Fire - Cut and Move
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: Red - End of Silence
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: The Turning - Learning To Lose
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Brenton Brown - Everlasting God
John Brandon
5/24/2006
CD Review: Building 429 - Rise
Kelly O'Neil
5/24/2006
CD Review: Run Kid Run - This is Who We Are
John Brandon
5/24/2006
CD Review: Hyper Static Union - Lifegiver
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Hawk Nelson - Smile, It's the End of the World
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Elventyseven - Land of Fake Will Believe
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Starfield - Beauty in the Broken
Jeremy Koering
3/23/2006
CD Review: Kutless - The Hearts Of The Innocent
John Brandon
3/13/2006
CD Review: Lonely Hearts - Paper Tapes
John Brandon
3/10/2006
CD Review: Caedmon's Call - In The Company Of Angels II
3/3/2006
Review: Shawn McDonald - Ripen
John Brandon
Review: Caedmon's Call - In The Company Of Angels: The World Will Sing
Jeremy Koering
Review: Ana Laura - Ana Laura
Jeremy Koering
Review: Warren Barfield - Reach
Jeremy Koering
3/3/2006
Review: Sanctus Real - The Face Of Love
Jeremy Koering
3/3/2006
Review: needtobreathe - Daylight
John Brandon
3/3/2006
Review: Mainstay - Well Meaning Fiction
John Brandon
3/3/2006
Review: The Fold - This Too Shall Pass
John Brandon
Review: Rebecca St. James - If I Had One Chance To Tell You
John Brandon
3/21/2006
CD Review: Kutless - The Hearts of the Innocent
Jeremy Koering
CD Review: Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door
- -Aaron Chambers -
8/28/2007
Artist: Casting Crowns
Album: The Altar and the Door
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of Casting Crowns? It seems like every song that the band releases to radio starts out nice and slow with some piano lick before lead singer Mark Hall starts pouring out his emotion. Then by the end of the song drums are going crazy, background singers are going crazy, and well…pretty much everybody is going crazy. Unfortunately, The Altar and the Door follows this same formula.
“East to West,” the band’s first single from the album, is the perfect example of what every Casting Crowns song sounds like; a slow beginning building up to a big finish. “Slow Fade” and “The Word is Alive” are further examples of what I call the Casting Crowns sound. As far as pop Christian music goes, these emotional pushes are just what the DJ ordered as they seem to be very popular among fans. However, the repetitiveness of the same style of songs starts to become just that…repetitive.
The album is best when it explores more original melodies and gets far away from the Casting Crowns sound. The title track is fun if for nothing else hearing Mark Hall’s falsetto voice proving he can actually sing instead of mainly just holding one note. “I Know You’re There” is probably the most original song on the album and really shines with innovation. Plus, hearing Melodee Devevo as the lead vocals is a great surprise that breaks up the monotony of the Casting Crowns sound. But perhaps no song is further from the Casting Crowns sound than “What this World Needs.” This song definitely pushes Casting Crowns to the very edge of their comfort zone and would probably work better if Hawk Nelson were singing it. No where on the album is Mark Miller’s presence more illustrated than on this song. The kicking drums hark back to the glory days of Sawyer Brown and give rise to an innovating Casting Crowns.
All in all, other Casting Crowns albums are better and this one doesn’t even come close to touching their self-titled 2002 debut. Innovation and originality is what brought this band to the spotlight five years ago. Ironically, this is what they are lacking now.
Download this: I know you’re there
-Aaron Chambers