The Outsiders

Finally and at long last I got Needtobreathe's third album, The Outisders. I've been trakcing this band since back in 2007 when they first came out with Daylight. Then after that their sophomore album The Heat in 2009. I heard rave reviews for this third go around as well as one negartive review that stuck out to me. The rave reviews state that this album keeps the guys on a successful track and that their sound keeps getting better. They don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. And its true, the band is better than ever, soundwise and lyrically.

The negative review on amazon.com stated that due to the more folksy sound the album isn't as good as its predecessors.

And I understand that.

Needtobreathe has always been country and folksy but their first two albums were more mainstream sounding but this third go around they have certainly gotten more in touch with their folksy roots. Having said that I must admit only 9/14 of the songs really stand out to me. That is pretty good though and I don't abhor the other songs, they just don't excite me as much as the other ones I really like. The others are just good background music to me.

The album kicks off with the title track The Outsiders. The song is about sticking to what makes you happy and that only, not conforming to things that don't feel like the real you, even going so far as to say that it's better to be on the "outside" because you are truly free there. Before I go into the other songs I have to say that the idea of being on the outside as the best place if its where the real you lives, pretty much permeates the whole album. Its kind of a concept album I think in that sense.

Valley of Tomorrow is another one I like, and then after that Through Smoke which I really identify with. It talks about believing in your truth(s) when life get's indiscernible at times. Can you tell the difference between the answer and the truth? When I listen to the album, with the echoing vocals and resonating bass drum I swear I can see smoke and fog in my mind's eye. It's a very tangible song, if that makes sense. I love it and it stuck out to me way after I had stopped listening to the album.

Next is one of their singles called Lay 'Em Down which encourages the listener to just give up pains and troubles, to stop believing they define you or make you stronger when it is clearly folly. It remidns me of the verse in the Bible about feeling indebted. I really love the3 end of the song with the whole band singing in harmony and the rising power of the song, encouraging to just "lay 'em down".

Just FYI these are just the songs that immediatley stand out to me after buying it yesterday.

Next is Hurricane which sorta reminds me of Signature of Divine from their 2nd album. Its really fastpaced and has some cool shouts in the the chorus like in that song which amps you up, a classic rock feel, more audience-like singing at the end which makes the song all the more epic. After that I really like Prisoner which has this really neat piano openning, idk it's sort of naughty sounding, like in a mean little kid sorta of way... maybe "mischevious" is what I'm trying to say lol. It also reminds me of the hit song from the Disney movie Holes (diggit up, up ohhh diggit...). Its another of many of the girl themed songs but as usual the girl sounds like a real person and she's not demonized in anyway, well certainly not in this one, the guy is "a prisoner of your heart" as the chorus goes; has a folksy/rock feel.

Something Beautiful is of course the #1 single off the whole album which I think is everyone's opinion. It's just about seeing the wonder in life and not settling for anything less, very mainstream sound, very encouraging, keep the beautiful, pure and strengthening things in life close to your heart; rock influenced as well and its great. Just whenever I wanna be encouraged or think on positive things I wanna hear this song. I could go on and on...

Garden is about Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane praying for strength. I remember the band talking about wanting to write the song from the point of view of someone just admiring Jesus' strength versus something rally preachy in the lyrics. I think they capture that, admiring Jesus' devotion to his father and desire to be strong and face his struggles.

Let Us Love ends the album on a fun yet critical note. Critical in that it is about us realizing that life has been and get more intense: "in a world I know is burning to the ground". The admonision is to love through it all. The song is like one big defiant scream in the faces of our weaknesses and just sounds like a hoedown near the end and I really think it suits it. Kinda that feeling that you don't wanna join the dance out of fear but then someone grabs and wings you around on the dance floor; I guess choosing love over hate can be like that.

Those are my favorites, the 4 other songs I didn't mention are good to just have in the background while studying, or maybe not haha but they're cool songs, but the ones I talked about above stand out the most. I love this band and this album raly makes me walk away with the feeling that I am an outsider in my own right but I have to own it and own what makes me different. And if I look closely enough I'll find other just like me and we'll be on the outside together balancing the world out. Speaks to me in this year since God has been on this track of showing me who I am lately...

So I can't wait for their 4th album they can only get better!

EL FIN