Sanctus Real
Say it Loud
Sparrow
Interesting. A lot of people say The Goo Goo Dolls “sold out” when they started writing songs like “Name” and “Black Balloon.” To be frankly honest, The Goo Goo Dolls were a second rate Soul Asylum rip-off before they made the change. Anyway, Sanctus Real takes a page from both bands mentioned here, combining the heavy guitars of Soul Asylum’s huge early ’90s records with the strong songcraft of the last few Goo Goo Dolls records.
Say it Loud rocks pretty darn hard, kind of in a Foo Fighters way of rocking; it’s rock, but it’s safe enough for radio. The lead singer from Sanctus Real sounds like a cross between Reznik from G.G.D. and the lead singer of about a million emo pop bands.
The record’s strong points are the relentless guitars, the tremendous and powerful drums, and the vocal mix. It seems that the band made sure to have this record rock, first and foremost. The guitars sound simply fantastic, with overlayed tracks being the norm, as are the little melodic tricks that were made big by Sugar and the like.
The album’s title track is one that begs to be on mainstream radio; it’s a really well written rocker with a triumphant hook and chorus. The rest of the album is really strong, in a similar vein. These guys are Christian, and it seems that Christian bands often get a bad rap, but these guys play really good power pop. This is worth your money.
Sparrow Records: http://www.sparrowrecords.com
