No Doubt

Description

No Doubt is the fifteenth studio album by the American rock band Petra, released on Word Records in August 1995. Also manufactured and distributed by Epic, a division of Sony Music. The album was recorded by Dave Murphy at Sound Kitchen, Cool Springs, and Great Circle Sound in Nashville, Tennessee; and was produced by John and Dino Elefante for Pakaderm Productions, with Bob Hartman enlisted as executive producer. No Doubt was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album.

The decision of Petra founder/guitarist Bob Hartman to stop touring should have been occasion for the group to stretch; to experiment with fresh ideas and arrangements. But this disc almost negates the progress the band made on ‘Beyond Belief‘ and ‘Wake-Up Call‘. Those two albums found Petra clicking on all cylinders, with strong songwriting from Hartman and renewed viality in both the studio and live performances of those songs. That’s why, at this stage of the game, it almost seems like bad sportsmanship to bust Petra’s chops. After all, a band still persevering mid-way through its third decade of existence must be doing something right – right? In fairness, yes. John Schlitt‘s voice continues to impress and sometimes even amaze, while Hartman has seldom sounded this confident on guitar; even his lyrics aren’t as didactic as usual. However, the sterility of the programmed drums drains the lifeblood out of many of the songs. Hartman’s lyrics, as blunt as they are, need real live drums punching you in the gut to drive them home. That’s all but missing from ‘No Doubt’.

The album starts on a promising note with «Enter In». Schlitt and a host of background vocalists mesh quite well with Hartman’s creative lyrics and tasty guitar riffs. But there’s virtually no rhythm there to propel the track, just electronic beeps and burps. The Zep-like arrangement of «Think Twice» shows similar promise, but again, without some solid thumping to stoke the boiler, the train derails before it reaches its destination. «Heart of a Hero» offers a more aggressive attack and what sounds like a mix of live and programmed rhythms; at any rate, the drums are louder, and that makes all the difference – you want to pay attention to Brian Wooten’s inspiring lyrics. But that segues into two songs that are fare below the excellence one would expect from Petra. «More Than a Thousand Words» is stuffed with clichés, while the lyrics to the title track are equally as banal (“There are times when you feel like you can’t go on/ There are times when you feel like you’re giving in”). «Right Place», the toughest rocker on the disc, almost redeems the previous cuts with its raw lead and backing vocals, grinding guitar and muscular rhythm. Other fair to middlin’ tracks include the Beatle-esque «Two are Better Than One» and the punchy, 12-string driven «Think on These Things».

To borrow a few of Bob’s own words – “By this time you know the story/ There’s nothing there you haven’t heard.” Although ‘No Doubt’ doesn’t break any new ground, it should please dedicated followers. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, August 1995]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-doubt/1165973111)

CD tracklist:

01. Enter In – 5:00
02. Think Twice – 4:19
03. Heart Of A Hero – 4:10
04. More Than Thousand Words – 4:58
05. No Doubt – 4:54
06. Right Place – 3:38
07. Two Are Better Than One – 3:43
08. Sincerely Yours – 4:16
09. Think Of These Things – 4:24
10. For All You’re Worth – 4:14
11. We Hold Our Hearts Out To You – 4:11

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Word Records.