Kutless - To Know That You’re Alive

Producer:  Pete Kipley
Record Label:  BEC Recordings
Website:  http://www.kutless.com

Even hardcore fans of popular Christian band Kutless can’t deny the fact that all of their albums have sounded extremely similar.  We’re five albums in and a bit committed at this point to the band - yet they’ve really not shown any improvement or growth from any of their albums - and every release has had a tendency to be panned by critics and serious fans of music.  The band decided to turn it all around for their latest release on BEC Recordings, To Know That You’re Alive.  They are definitely doing things different this time around around - but the question remains whether or not it’s for the better.  Instead of using their regular producer (Aaron Sprinkle), the band opted for a more radio-friendly guy, Pete Kipley (MercyMe, The Afters).  The strange thing about that is that the band has admitted to wanting to take on a more mature and aggressive feel to their music - something Kipley isn’t known for.  The end result?  Well, there are a couple songs where Kutless really gets it right - such as the gutsy “Loud”, the hard-edged “The Disease and the Cure”, or the driving “Overcoming Me.” Even the experimental “Dying to Become” shows that the band is taking their music a bit more seriously.  However, most of the album falls into rock balladry and really fails to connect after those few key moments.  Utilizing Kipley was the right choice if the band wanted to go for a more radio friendly rock sound - taking on strings and all on tracks like “Complete.” “Sleeping City” could have been a nice moment on the disc if the band had decided to really experiment here and make it a longer instrumental cut.  Overall, it just feels like the band is talking out of both sides of their mouth - they say they wanted to be a more aggressive band - but there’s not much here that lives up to that hype.  Yes, there are moments where the band has taken a step forward - but for the most part it feels like business as usual for the popular band.  The unfortunate truth of the matter is that though musically they may be stretching their wings a bit - lyrically they still sound a bit novice - especially on cuts like “Guiding Me Home” or the trite “The Feeling”.  Fans of the band, as well as other acts like Disciple, Daughtry, or Red will surely love this release - but Kutless has once again failed to show the Christian music listening audience why, exactly, they are one of the top bands in the industry. 

Purchase To Know That You’re Alive.

Add Comments

Name:
Email:
Location:
URL:
Comment:
	Remember my personal information
	Notify me of follow-up comments?
Please enter the word you see in the image below: