newsboys: GO

over christmas i got the new 'newsboys' album called 'go'. ive always had a soft spot for this group, it being one of the first to get me interested in christian music in the first place. i was in high school and my friend nathan brought a few new cds over for all of us to listen to. the highlights were 'take me to your leader' from newsboys, and the first album from audio adrenaline. we all totally loved them! i convinced my mom to get them for me (i figured she would be ok with footing the bill since it was 'christian' music).
i listened to the newsboys album all the time, we even went to go see them in concert a few times. what i liked about them was that their music was catchy, but the lyrics were also witty and a bit silly. (a song about how they dont serve breakfast in hell? rediculous...) over the next few albums of theirs i still loved their sound and catchy hooks, but i grew tired of the lyrics which grew more and more forced in their attempt to be quirky. i still got some of the later album of theirs but i kept them on rotation in the player for less and less time. finally when they totally sold out to jump on the worship music bandwagon, i decided it was time to part company. all the best guys, but this is the end of the road for me...
but then they released this album. i was sceptical at first, but the more and more i listened to it the more and more i grew to love it! there are some really great songs that change up their typical sound and bring into play some new elements that they havent really used before. there is a song called 'your love is better than life' that has an element of spoken lyrics (actually, it kind of reminds me of u2's song 'numb', only happier), and the title track even has a bit of a club sound to it. all of which adds up to some exciting songs and fresh takes from these guys. as far as the lyrics go, the are still thoughtful and well written, but that forced quirkiness is thankfully gone.
its good to see an old favorite return to form and surprise with such a great album!