Chris Sligh - Running Back to You

Producer:  Brown Bannister, Stephen Leiweke, Will Owsley
Record Label:  Brash Records
Website:  http://www.chrissligh.com

Anyone who is remotely familiar with American Idol will remember the curly-haired jokester from Season 6.  That person was Chris Sligh - and he quickly amassed a legion of fans with his quick wit and snarky humor coupled with strong vocals.  Throughout the season, Sligh made no bones about the fact that he was a Christian - even singing songs performed by Christians in early rounds of the hit show (Mute Math’s “Typical” and dc talk’s “Wanna Be Loved").  Chris ended his run on the show in 10th place - not exactly a fantastic finish - but high enough to get him on the tour and to catch the eyes of most major labels.  Sligh ended up following his heart and decided to record Christian music - signing a record deal with Brash Records (home to 2007 New Artist of the Year Aaron Shust).  Brash was probably the best place for Sligh to end up at so he could maintain his own artistic freedom - but it probably lacks the kind of funding that somewhere like Word, Sparrow, or Curb could have offered him.  Running Back to You is Sligh’s debut solo release - though the pop singer saw his band’s release - Half Past Forever’s Take A Chance On Something Beautiful - see national distribution.  Comparisons to that disc are inevitable, as Sligh was the main creative force, producer, and songwriter for that record.  The good news is that Running Back to You is not just a step forward for Sligh - it’s more like a full sprint ahead.  Where Take a Chance On Something Beautiful lacked strong production values and featured repetitive songwriting, Running Back to You boasts production work from Brown Bannister and others and finds Sligh growing as a lyricist.  Running Back to You is chock full of radio-friendly power pop songs - not unlike what you’d hear from Casting Crowns or MercyMe with a slight edge to the music.  In addition, songs like “Arise”, “Cry Tonight”, and “Empty Me” showcases Sligh’s soaring vocals.  There are glimpses of true greatness as well - such as “Loaded Gun” - which finds Sligh being accompanied on a pop/rock number by a string quartet.  It is by far the album highlight.  The main complaint here is the lack of Sligh’s own personality through the music.  Sligh’s a great vocalist and his songwriting has definitely stepped it up a notch, but one can’t help but feel like all of this has been done before.  It’s not that anything was done badly, it’s just a bit more of Sligh’s wit and sarcasm as well as his love for alternative rock would have been a nice inclusion as well.  Running After You should find Sligh all over Christian radio, and as long as he continues to make quality music, he should have no problem maintaining a lengthy career.

Purchase Running Back to You.

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