The members of Audio Adrenaline celebrate their second Grammy for best Gospel rock album at February’s awards ceremony. The winning CD, “Until My Heart Caves In,” was the band’s last studio effort. (EMI Music)
It’s a fine farewell.
Christian rockers Audio Adrenaline are being forced into retirement by frontman Mark Stuart’s vocal problems. As a final nod to the fans, the band has released “Adios: Greatest Hits,” an excellent collection of the songs that have helped the band land two Grammys in the last three years, as well as multiple Dove Awards over the last 15 years.
Although the band was at the top of its career, the retirement wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has attended a concert in the last year. The strain of belting out countless full-throated choruses was obviously taking its toll on Stuart’s voice.
However, vocals aren’t a problem in the songs offered on “Adios.” Aside from dropping in the new “Goodbye” and a cover of “Blaze of Glory,” the 17 tracks are arranged pretty much chronologically. The disc opens with the always-fun “Big House” and wraps up with “Starting Over,” from last year’s disc “Until My Heart Caves In.”
Some of the selections were obviously chosen as personal favorites or because they fit the “final farewell” theme. However, I suspect a lot of fans would have traded “We’re a Band” or “My Chevette” for “Dirty” or “Church Punks.” The earlier songs had already appeared on 2001’s “Hit Parade,” Audio A’s previous “greatest hits” disc. However, such nitpicking is natural with great bands — there’s too much good music to fit on one disc.
On the Web: www.audioa.com
FireflightAs Audio A goes out in a blaze of glory, Fireflight aims to start a fire of its own with the debut disc “The Healing of Harms.”
The band from Eustis, Fla., offers a mix of metal and modern rock, with a few lighter accents, as it explores pain, greed, hope and reliance on God.
Dawn Richardson sings of coping with pain in the opening track, “Serenity.” In the assertive “You Decide,” Richardson and Day of Fire’s Josh Brown team to ask listeners “Who will you run to?” Later on, David Paul Pelsue of Kids in the Way provides a full-throated assist in the heavy and biting critique of greed in “Liar.” The upbeat “Star of the Show” alludes to God as the real star when the band takes the stage.
Stylistically and thematically, Fireflight fits nicely into a niche between the veteran Superchic(k) and the gritty new Flyleaf.
On the Web: www.fireflightrock.com
Today’s Praise is a roundup of news and reviews from the contemporary Christian music industry.
