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28th
May, 2007
JUSTIN
MICHAEL
Album:
Who Hopes For What They Always Had?
Artist: Lifetone
Label: Indie, 2007
Enhanced:
Yes; contains sheet music
In a word: Beginning
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"With some fantastic guitar and synth work, this
project is a great beginning, but it may be a little
while until their voice cuts through the praise and
worship scene."
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“Lifetone want their music to challenge the mind
as well as impact the heart. It's music not just meant to
be sung in church, but heard on the radio.”
Lifetone have set their sights high as they looked to create
an original and fresh sound for the praise and worship scene;
a scene which they feel is a little too “similar and
rubber-stamped".
Musically, Who
Hopes For What They Always Had? doesn’t achieve
anything new or out-of-the-box, but lyrically, there is a
definite attempt to push the limit of what a congregation
might sing. The album ebbs between easy-to-sing congregational
lines such as "Now you call me beautiful" from the
song, Beautiful, to the more complex such as "When
darkness reigned that hour and evil men conspired, light of
the world though crushed in mire, could never cease to shine"
from The Night Is Nearly Over.
Lifetone seem to be a ‘project’ rather than a
band. A group of musicians from ‘across the east coast’,
according to the website, have approached this album with
a professional sound in mind as the outcome. It's evident
in the fact that Who Hopes For What They Always Had?
was recorded at Studio 301 Sydney and Rocking Horse in Byron
Bay, engineered by Paul Pilsneniks (Living End, Silverchair),
mixed by Steve James (ARIA producer of the year in 2000) and
mastered by Leon Zervos (Third Day, Flyleaf).
The opening cut, Salvation, suffers for a drum groove
that won’t back off, but it has a soaring melody that
will grab you. Songs like Wildflower and Stars
get a sonic boost from the beautiful vocals of Stephanie Vanden
Hengel, reminiscent of Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer).
The band would do well to feature her voice more.
With a sound more Hillsong United or CCC Youth than Don Moen,
Lifetone is certainly close to the newer, youthful edge of
praise and worship they are aiming for. With some fantastic
guitar and synth work, this project is a great beginning,
but it may be a little while until their voice cuts through
the praise and worship scene.
With great CD packaging and a free t-shirt deal on the online
store, Lifetone are worth a closer look.
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