Night Beat Rewind: January 2011

I'm starting a new feature here at the Night Beat. I will still try to post reviews where I can find a full CD listening party (unless some Record Companies pass along advance copies). The vast majority of my impressions will be made by Amazon 60 second samples. In order to get a handle on the PVA contenders, I am going to try to keep a record of these in a Quick Hits style reviews. You'll get my impression and a rating, and very little else. I will do one each month as a recap of the releases I couldn't get a full preview of. We will call this the Night Beat Rewind.

A quick introduction to the ratings are in order. I use a Best of 5 Emeralds (anyone can have stars)

• 5 Emeralds: Excellent, Perfectly representative of the Genre, Possibly a Perfect Album, a lock for the Platinum Vinyl Awards
• 4 Emeralds: Very Good. Could definitely be a best buy, very possible PVA inclusion, but the release just lacks that "something" that blows the reviewers socks off, so to speak
• 3 Emeralds: A good album. Not a best buy. Enjoyable, but one wouldn't regret not having it in their collection, and it isn't on auto-repeat
• 2 Emeralds: Fair to Poor. I wouldn't recommend buying it. Hope that any future releases will improve. Perfect example of a "Jesus, Jesus, wo, wo, wo, Jesus, Jesus, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" band. (credit to Mike Warnke)
• 1 Emerald/No Emeralds: You have been warned (cue retching sound)

The first Night Beat Rewind is after the jump.
Night Beat Rewind, Edition 1, Releases of January 1-31, 2011

• Monster Monster EP: The Almost 3.5 Emeralds
• The Sound:Beta        : Aniel 4.5 Emeralds Gospel Techno
• The Absolute             : Ace Augustine 3.5 Emeralds
• Here With You          : David M. Edwards 3 Emeralds
• Kings                          : I am Empire 4 Emeralds
• A Film & TV Collection: Future of Forestry 4 Emeralds
• Church on the Moon: Deitrick Haddon 4.5 Emeralds
• The Legacy Project  : John P. Kee 4 Emeralds
• Rehab: The Overdose: Lecrae 4.5 Emeralds
• I Know Your Love     : Tommee Profitt 2.5 Emeralds  
• Love Like an Ocean   : Franklyn Schaefer 3 Emeralds
• Mountains Move        : Kristian Stanfill 4 Emeralds
• Live: Burn Bright      : Trent Vineyard UK 3.5 Emeralds
• Epic Salvation            : Alex Williams 4.5 Emeralds
• We are the Ones         : Wolves at the Gate 4 Emeralds
• Simply Darlene           : Darlene Zschech 3.5 Emeralds

There you have it, the first edition of Rewind is complete. Any rating under 3 Emeralds, don't complain to me.  You have been warned. If you don't agree on a 3, make your case. Like I said in the intro to the ratings, a three is a good album, just not a best buy. It's an up for debate album. See you next month.