Artist Info:Discography Album length: 10 tracks: 35 minutes, 39 seconds Street Date: November 16, 1999
As I sit here and listen to this CD I think to myself, "Why?" In
case you haven't heard the Newsboys released a new CD on Nov. 16 entitled
Love, Liberty, Disco. If you're a big Newsboys fan and haven't heard
this yet, you're in for a big surprise. Many bands have drastically
changed their sound this year like Jars of Clay, Third Day, Delirious and
The Insyderz. Well, add the Newsboys to that list. I think that when the
Boys sat down they said, "Alright let's do a CD that's totally different
from anyone else including ourselves." Well needless to say they
succeeded, and in a major way. I think that many bands are under so much
pressure to do good that they forget to have fun. As we all know very
well the Boys are very good at having fun and i think they did here.
Lyrically the CD is incredible. All the lyrics were written by
Peter Furler and Phil Joel. They deal with everything from love, to
conviction, to the Holy Spirit and wrap it up into one project: Love,
Liberty, Disco. The first song, "Beautiful Sound" has a couple different
meanings. The obvious one is that the Lord loves to hear us sing.
Looking at it closely I think they were trying to point out that we are
"poetry in motion" in God's eyes. What a humbling thought. The title
cut "Love, Liberty, Disco" says that there is a God that loves us and a
family that loves us. Once I looked at the song closely I saw a theme of
heaven. The little drawing next to the song in the CD jacket kind of reinforces that
idea. The song "Forever Man" talks about God being the Forever Man. Our
society focuses on people who are original. The lyrics, "Good news for
the common man, made by the creator's hands" is encouraging because it
reminds us that God created us in His image for His purpose. The only
disturbing part in this song is when they mimic the vocal band Glad.
My favorite song, "Good Stuff" is based on the love chapter, 1
Cor. 13. I feel it's a challenge to believers to "show what we know, let
the good stuff flow." Showing love is something that we know how to do,
but often forget. The song, "Everyone's Someone" is a reminder to all
that "no matter who you are, no matter where you run to, no matter what
you do, no matter what you're going through. When it all comes down
everyone's someone." The song "Say You Need Love" talks about
unconditional love. It talks about God's love for us that we sometimes
don't return in full. "I would Give Everything" starts out depressing,
but ends on a happy note. It's hard to tell exactly what this song is about. I
think it's actually the Boys' statement of faith. Some of the lyrics
are, "I would give everything to give nothing" and continuously asks the
question of "How long?" The song "Break" is a song of conviction by the
Holy Spirit. One of the lyrics in the song is , "A world full of hurt so
full of need. The closer I get I see. The less of me." talks about
seeing the need and letting the Spirit break us and let Him take control.
"I Surrender All" is pretty self-explanatory in itself. However
this isn't the same song that we sing in church, but the application is
the same. At the end of the song, it talks about God's nature is to love us,
but not the things we do. God doesn't have to love us because He's God,
but He does anyway. "Fall On You," the last song on the album talks
about letting the Holy Spirit fill us. I think that it was the perfect
song to end the CD with. It summed up all of the topics on the CD and
ended up with the source of it all the Holy Spirit.
Musically, the CD is very different from typical Newsboys stuff.
It has a very wide range of styles. It has everything from something
that could of fit on their 1995 Going Public album and Step Up to the Microphone.
"Beautiful Sound" sounds like something that would of been on
Step Up... "Forever Man" starts out slow and finishes on a mediocre pace.
It's a good song, but their Glad-like sound, at one point, turned me off. This was the
first time that I've ever noticed all the members doing harmony that
stuck out that much. "Good Stuff," my personal favorite, has that Step Up material
sound to it. "Everyone's Someone" is one of the few Newsboys songs since
Going Public that has a very defined guitar solo. Jody's guitar solo
reminds me of a mix between Hendrix, late 70's rock, and lounge. This
song is very smooth and relaxing especially with the strings and the
rhyme scheme together. "Break" starts out like a lullaby, especially with
Jeff's piano, but picks up speed near the end.
"Love, Liberty, Disco;" "Say You Need Love" and "I Would Give
Everything" all have that disco feel to it. "Say You Need Love" is very
much like "Love, Liberty, Disco." Peter's voice sounds a little reminiscent of
Going Public. "I Would Give Everything" sounds like a song
that would be on the opening credits to an 80's romance movies or a one
hour TV drama. Most of us have heard "Love, Liberty, Disco" on the radio
or WOW 2000. If you haven't, it sounds like the BeeGee's "Saturday Night
Fever," except for the pre-pubescent voice. It's the kind of song I can
see people dancing to at a concert and singing along. I like listening
to that song in the car and doing that John Travolta thing through my
rolled-down window.
"I Surrender All" sounds like a hymn, even though it's not the one
popular well-known version. It's a nice slow song that puts your heart in
place. It is the second to last song which I think opens up your
heart for the Spirit on "Fall On You." If this song weren't on
this album I wouldn't be able to tell it's the Newsboys because Peter's
voice is very high-pitched. The song switches between a slow melodic
rhyme to a more upbeat, disco feel and back down at the end. I was
hoping that they'd finish off the CD in a bang, but was satisfied
nonetheless. It was a good song to end the CD with because it talks
about seeing a need and wanting to help, but letting the Spirit help as
well.
Overall I think the mix of simple, down to earth, loving lyrics
and music are a good blend. It carries a good beat through the entire CD.
Peter and Phil did an excellent job on the lyrics. Jeff Frankenstein and
Blair Masters did the strings and did a good job with them. Their tour
should be fun with their inflatable stadium and the music. My two
favorites are "Good Stuff" and "Break." My least favorite song is "I
Would Give Everything." I like the CD. It's growing on me. The lyrics
are genuine and that's what matters. I'm not a big fan of disco. I wish
it was a little faster. I think they saw a need in today's society and
addressed it in a trendy sort of way. I think it's applicable to either
Christian or non-Christian. I think they had that in mind when they
recorded it. Pick up the CD. And to the mothers of the members of the
Newsboys, one of them says "Hello Mom."
- Review date: 11/17/99, written by Kevin Chamberlin
Artist Info:Discography Record Label:Sparrow Records Album length: 10 tracks, 35 minutes and 39 seconds
Street Date: November 16, 1999
Artist Info: 
