Kutless has had a whirlwind year. Their sophomore release Sea of Faces gave them huge success in 2004 and expanded their fan base many times over. It was an admittedly softer, more accessible release than their debut, but the pay off seems to be worth the loss. There may be fans still wondering what happened to the old Kutless, but new fans more than fill the gap.

And now, as a sort of side project, and to keep fans occupied until the new release in late 2005, Kutless offers us Strong Tower, a collection of thirteen rock-oriented worship songs. Some are new, but the majority are favorites of the members of Kutless.

And for what they are worth, they are well done renditions of the respective songs they are covering. "Draw Me Close," "Better Is One Day," "Arms of Love," and others are down very well. I just do not understand exactly why it is Kutless feels the need to play songs that have been done before many times over. Why not write original worship songs?

Proof of my point would be the strength of each of the original songs on Strong Tower. "Ready for You," "All of the Words" (Originally on Sea of Faces), "Jesus Lord of Heaven" and the title track are all exceptional and live up to the Kutless name. The only one actually written by the band, with the exception of the previously released "All of the Words," would be "Ready for You," which also happens to be the standout of the bunch.

Essentially, Strong Tower is a worship-driven extension of Sea of Faces. Fans of Kutless will once again have mixed reactions as they listen to this latest venture. It has its strengths and weaknesses, and it really comes down to preference. Strong Tower will garner many embraces, but some fans might feel left out in the dark.