Arguably the biggest and best known Christian band is back with their first pop/rock album in four years! The Newsboys switched from Sparrow to Inpop, got a new guitar player and played with some twenty-first century effects. Lyrically and musically the band went back to their roots. They used lots of effects that weren’t available back in the day of their prime rock records, which adds a unique touch, which you can’t find on any of their albums from the span of 1988-1999.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the band once they said they’re making a pop/rock album. With soloist, and fellow Australian, Paul Colman joining the band (replacing Casting Pearls lead vocals/guitarist Bryan Olesen)… I was excited to hear what kind of guitar sounds there would be, and what role his vocals would play.
Once you pop this album into your CD player… instantly, you know on the opening track “Wherever We Go” the Newsboys are back to that old sound, which suits them best. There are some tracks that I found a little unoriginal to the point of even sounding much like some of their old hits like “Breakfast.” This is probably due to Paul Colman studying the old Newsboys music. (E.g. Going Public, Take Me to You Leader etc.) Other than that the musical aspect is very good, there is a good mix of upbeat and calm, as well as a good mixture of vocals, it’s not the same on every track.
One thing that I really like about this album is the lyrics. I use to like the almost random lyrics like in “Shine”… that would make a vegetarian barbecue hamster... I really found myself enjoying some of the new songs and how they put that aspect back into the songs. “Wherever we go” displays this well… Wherever we go, bluebirds sing / And the flowers bloom, and the grass gets green / It's a curious thing / But it's just our thing / Wherever we go, the bees behave / In the treetops, squirrels smile and wave / It's a curious thing / And it's humbling /Where we go, little glow-worms glow / Little roadrunners run ahead / Gonna tell their friends / Little mice, little men / Get 'em all excited, all invited.
They also have a lot spiritual content that goes right along side the fun of the other tunes. Take for instance the hit song “I Am Free” or “The Mission” which is probably my favorite song. In the second verse Peter wrote about historical missionaries, take a look for yourself: In the history of our faith’s arrivals / Great awakenings, Welsh revivals / Saints and martyrs, summoned by a new birth / Patrick’s save of the Irish nation / William Carey’s expectation / Lambs & lions called to the ends of the earth / Gotta put my hand to the plow / Not looking back, not now... I’d also like to note on the chorus of the song: I CAN HEAR THE MISSION BELL RINGING OUT LOUD AND CLEAR / ITS THE REVOLUTION JESUS STARTED, AND IT'S HERE… I think that song is probably the high mark of the record for me.
I also was surprised on the vocal diversity of a couple of the tracks. Like “Your Love is better than Life” where the verses are read rather than sung. It’s interesting, but refreshing, it’s something new. They also got that classic whistle back into “Secret Kingdom!”
Overall, after releasing thirteen albums, and taking a journey through the worship genre, fans of the classic Newsboys should be very excited for a twenty-first century style Going Public, Take Me to Your Leader, Step up to the Microphone and Love Liberty Disco style album. On the other hand, fans of the recent worship saga may be not be as impressed, but should still find something to like from Go. This is probably, for me, the best effort for the band in a while. I didn’t really catch onto the worship records, but now I hope that the band continues what they’re best at, playing that classic Newsboys sound of pop/rock.
Article by Jeremy Koering, Editor / Photographer / General Writing
