I rarely anticipate the debut album of a band I know very little about, despite all the hype they've received. Things were different with Kaleidoscope Superior, the project brought to us by the band, Earthsuit. And I was pleased to find I was not disappointed.

The album starts with "One Time," one of their previously released singles. Earthsuit makes sure you know where they stand from the beginning. The song declares the truth that it's an all or nothing, one time shot in following Christ, with a unique blend of techno pop dance groove and a hint of old school rap.

More of the same follows, but each song is so uniquely different it's difficult to brand them with any genre label. "Against the Grain" at times borderlines on hardcore as they go on the offense against Christian opposition. "Wonder" speaks truthfully of the fears of following Christ and giving up ourselves and going on faith with a sound reminiscent of late 80s R&B. "Sky Flashings" ends the album using reggae rock to tell of the undeniable awesomeness of God.

This is not a perfect album (the passion that is apparent when reading the lyrics seem to be lacking in the actual recording, and the ten track album screams for just a couple more songs), but it is definitely beyond mediocre. Among the great albums of the year so far, and definitely one of the best debut albums, we can only expect bigger and better things from Earthsuit. But until then they've left us with enough to be content for awhile.

- Review date: 7/17/00, written by Sandrene Matthews