Go

Description

Go is a studio album by the Australian established but US based pop/rock band Newsboys, released on Inpop Records in 2006, distributed by EMI CMG Distribution. The album was produced and recorded by Tedd T.

I enjoy exactly three Newsboys records: Take Me To Your Leader, Step Up To the Microphone, and the criminally underrated lovelibertydisco. The first has a place in my heart as one of my first “Christian” records, the second is just a quality disc, and the third is quite simply one of the better major “Christian music” releases in my collection – a fantastic album that has been largely ignored by fans, critics and even the band themselves. Quite simply, I enjoyed that the Newsboys always did “their own thing,” which is probably why I dislike their recent (and generic) “worship” albums. Fortunately, after a couple of years sacrificing their unique quirkiness and sound to the altar of mid-tempo praise ballads, Newsboys are “back” with Go – a solid, occasionally spectacular return to form that fans will find worth the money (and wait).

From the get-go, it’s clear that Newsboys are all about being a Christian band. In an era of of faith-based artists being more concerned with self-fulfilling spirituality or being gun-shy about even mentioning the name of Jesus, Newsboys’ “mission” oriented lyrics are refreshingly focused “off” of themselves and “on” the Gospel. While at times the band approaches the clever brilliance of classics like «Breakfast» or «Take Me To Your Leader», they also stumble over some clumsy, downright cheesy turns of phrase. «Wherever We Go» is alternately great (“Wherever we’re led/ All the Living Dead/ Wanna leave their Zombie Mob/ It’s a touching scene when they all come clean/ God help us, we just love our job”) and then groan-inducing (“HANDS UP /HOLLER BACK HERE /LET’S THROW THIS PARTY IN GEAR /WE BROUGHT THE WELCOME MAT /WHEREVER WE GO, THAT’S WHERE THE PARTY’S AT”). I also find it derivative that Newsboys wrote a track about “the mission bell” so soon after Delirious? released an entire album with that name/concept. On the other hand, the Boys earn high-fives for «Secret Kingdom». Peter Furler sings “This here wants faithfulness, not easy fixes/ This here won’t shrink to fit no politics, yeah / This here knows whistles make for better mixes.” Long time fans will no doubt stand up and cheer when that very line is followed up immediately by the band’s signature whistling!

Musically, Go is notable for its reintroduction of two elements sorely lacking from Newsboys’ worship discs: fun and personality! The guitars and drums are crisp, the bass lines bouncy, and Peter Furler delivers his vocals with a trademark “wink” that has been sorely missed. The album draws from much of the band’s previous output to create it’s dancy alt/pop sound while adding a dash of rhythmic spice. A rehash of the past? Well, certainly «The Mission» evokes «Rescue» from Thrive, and «Secret Kingdom» is a spiritual successor to the classic «Breakfast» – but they’re familiar, not redundant. The two lead-off tracks («Wherever I Go» and the title track) are flavored by reggae guitar and beats; «Something Beautiful» an inspiring, up-tempo disco-infused ballad. The worship ballad «Let It All Come Out» opens with Beatles-esque piano and is one of the best cuts on the cd. And as mentioned above, «Secret Kingdom» is in every way “vintage” Newsboys.

The stand-out track of the album? Track seven: «Your Love Is Better Than Life». Opening with rock guitar and filtered, watery vocals, the song immediately cuts into a back-beat driven spoken-word verse delivered by new member Paul Colman. The lyrics are equally strong: “I dunno what goes down the moment we die/ Do we get halos & harps? Do we sleep? Do we fly?/ I dunno how, when and why this world will finally end/ Speculations gonna grow, who knows best, I dunno.” «Your Love» is the penultimate track on the album where everything – lyrics, music, theme, delivery, creativity – comes together perfectly. It’s great to hear the Newsboys saying that “hey, we don’t have all the answers. We don’t have to. We’re not perfect. But we do know that God’s love is real and awesome.” It’s a message that is both encouraging and resonant.

Final thoughts: Some eye-rolling lyrics aside, Newsboys have a winner on Go. It’s a reasonably ambitious album from a band that could have easily sat on its laurels and rehashed their best songs ad nauseam. There is enough classic Newsboys charm (oh, the whistling!) and new ideas to stand strong next to the best of the band’s prior output. Say what you will about the band, but there’s only one Newsboys band in the world, once again doing what they do best: Their own thing. Recommended. [Ryan Ro, The Phantom Tollbooth, 2006]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/go/716121007)

CD tracklist:

01. Wherever We Go – 3:27
02. Go – 2:52
03. Something Beautiful – 3:51
04. The Mission – 3:40
05. Let It All Come Out – 4:20
06. In Wonder – 4:12
07. Your Love Is Better Than Life – 3:39
08. I Am Free – 3:36
09. Secret Kingdom – 3:21
10. The Letter – 3:22
11. Gonna Be Alright – 3:33