Night Beat Rewind: February 2014

Welcome to March. Spring better be in the air soon. The Polar Vortex should put the deep freeze on any of the Global Warming nuts. Just bury them in the snow drifts. With the groundhog, who's probably on the lam in Aruba.

With this edition of Rewind we are beginning a new segment. I am adding a quick hit rating for released singles. We shall see how this helps or impacts the picking of song awards. There were three songs released in February.

Single Songs

• Forever (Live) , Kari Jobe 4.50 Emeralds
• Splendour , Quiet Science 4.50 Emeralds
• Tonight , KJ-52 4.50 Emeralds
• You Won't Let Go , Michael W. Smith 4.50 Emeralds

For purposes of this post, we shall say this is a very good song, and should go into the song pool. On to the album ratings. As always, we begin with the albums which will not get an award because they failed to make the pool. These are they which

Miss The Mark

• Ellie Holcomb - As Sure as the Sun 3.75 Emeralds
• Kutless - Glory 3.75 Emeralds
• Mike Mains and The Branches - Calm Down, Everything Is Fine 3.75 Emeralds
• Rapture Ruckus - Invader Volume I 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - Son Of God Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [+digital booklet] 3.75 Emeralds
• Various Artists - WOW Gospel 2014 3.75 Emeralds

A few words about this list. Kutless and Wow Gospel, though in different genres, suffered from the same malady. Simply put, they sounded flat, as if it was mailed in. Rapture Ruckus started out good, but repeated listenings wore me out. Simply put, there were only seven songs and the first and last were the same (the final cut a remix of the opener), so eventually you didn't know if you were ending or beginning. My biggest disappointment, however is reserved for Son of God. This was no Music Inspired by The Story. Even a good orchestra couldn't save it.


We move on to the perfect, the 

Pure Platinum

• Canton Jones - Lust, Drugs & Gospel 5 Emeralds
• Sumerlin - Runaways 5 Emeralds

There really isn't much to say about these except Wow. I reviewed Runaways in full. Canton Jones is a mixtape, and I love the way he can move seamlessly between Rap, Hip Hop, Gospel and some smooth R & B.

Most of the releases, however, are neither perfect nor horribly flawed, they are simply what we call 

Semi-Precious Metal

• Anthem Lights - You Have My Heart 4.75 Emeralds
• Dave Barnes - Love Songs EP 4.50 Emeralds
• Carrollton - Breathe In Deep EP 4.50 Emeralds
• City Harbor - City Harbor 4.75 Emeralds
• Deraj - Mirrors & Medicine EP 4.50 Emeralds
• James Fortune and FIYA  - Live Through It 4.75 Emeralds
• Jars of Clay - Jars 20 Stage It: Debut Album 4.50 Emeralds
• Loftland - I Don't Want To Dance 4.50 Emeralds
• The Love Amendment - The Love Amendment EP 4.50 Emeralds
• For Today - Fight the Silence 4.50 Emeralds
• Veridia - Inseparable EP 4.75 Emeralds

Of the list above I was most impressed with Veridia. For a debut. Wow. It could have been perfect with a few more songs. Plus, you've got to make the young ones suffer a bit. Until next time, think warm. I am Awaiting Your Reply.