Review:

on 2009-01-12 kennyscheldt Said:

Leeland-Opposite Way-Review
by Kenny Scheldt

Hailing from Baytown Texas, you might expect lead singer Leeland Mooring to sound like Willie Nelson or Tim McGraw, with a beat they might call "get on the train." But Leeland's pop/rock style most certainly comes from across the pond. A sensibility born out of listening to the UK records of U2, Travis, Keane, and even Oasis. If you were to play Opposite Way in the background at a party, your friends might ask you how you got an advance copy of the new Keane album. The soaring, sky riding choruses of Enter His Temple and Thief In The Night could have easily been sung by Tom Chaplin. Lyrically however, Leeland's message is all about leading a God-centered life. Having become one of the most talked about new Christian bands since their first album Sound of Melodies in 2006, Leeland is part of the new Christian crossover that blurs the lines between pop and modern Christian worship music (the stuff they play at Church on Sunday mornings).

:It feels so good to be in Your arms, You never left me, I just chose to stay behind. I want to thank You for Your love that gives me freedom to run back, to come back: is the chorus from the song Falling For You that could easily be prose from a popular love song, but are actually words that sing of Leeland's faith. A theme throughout the record involves Leeland's call to turn away from the major tenets of pop culture and take the narrow path, the path for God, on tracks like Opposite Way, and Let It Out Now.

Standout tracks for the secular listener include the crossover songs Brighter Days and Falling For You. Standout tracks for the more inspired listener would include Count Me In, Let It Out Now, and Beginning and the End.

Ultimately, Opposite Way is a top notch production that is so impeccable and full of studio sheen I almost wish that Mooring would slip just little bit, somewhere, to give just a drop of vulnerability, to let us know that he is just like us, fallible, breakable, and imperfect. I would love to hear a few tracks of Leeland with just vox and a shaky out of tune acoustic guitar. Maybe on the next ablum. But definitely give this one a listen even if you dont regularly buy Christian rock. Keane will most likely wonder when they made a Christian record.


Rating: 8/10