Yep, we have a bunch of letters and numbers for you this week. For too many
letters, check out our feature on Sintaxtheterrific. We have no less than
five new compilation discs in stores this week. Plus, we have a review of
TFK's latest, breakout release. Their latest single, "Rawkfist," is making
waves everywhere, so check it out. And finally, check out our review of
Ginny Owens' best disc which hits stores April 6th.

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PHENOMENON - THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH (2003)
by Ashley Nier

After a three year hiatus, Thousand Foot Krutch has returned with a
softer-than-usual sounding album. Phenomenon amalgamates twelve very
different songs onto a single album that has been gaining both Christian and
secular recognition. With one track already being spun on stations across
America and Canada, TFK's latest release has obvious staying power.

Listeners of both Christian and secular radio might already know the track
"Rawk Fist." It has recently gone into rotation at numerous stations, and it
is obvious why. "Rawk..." is full of heart-pounding drum beats and
remarkable lyrics, but is rather ambiguous in meaning with the lyric "light
it up now, light it up now".

"Step to Me" starts off with major effects over an amazing guitar riff, but
within seconds it dives into the more traditional TFK sound and lyrical
content. "I'm sick of livin' inside a lie / alright / I can't count the
times I've tried / stand alone just to lift you high / you're my answer to
the question why."

"New Design" is a song that shows the loneliness of a life without Christ.
"Sometimes I feel so alone / it feels like I'm standing out here on my own /
I've never felt so far from home." This spiritual message is cast with a
slower tempo melody mixed with the rap sounds of Limp Bizkit.

From one side of Thousand Foot Krutch, Phenomenon jumps to "This is the
Call," a ballad about different people experiencing struggles throughout
life and calling out for help. Wait, a ballad from Thousand Foot Krutch?
Yes, and who would have thought such a hard-rocking band could release such
a meaningful and heart-felt ballad? This track is much more FM Static-ish,
but that only shows how versatile these guys really are.

While the entire CD is a different sound for one of the top-selling
hard-rock indie bands in Christian music, it is really no different than the
music heard on MTV and numerous other stations. One can only wonder if they
are changing their sound to have the option to go mainstream.

Even the cover art and artwork throughout represent a superb CD, and after
three years, should we expect any less? This power trio is a band that seems
to be getting better with time, and the sophomore slump cliché hasn't reared
its ugly head with this release. Then again, they are now under the watchful
eye of one of the predominant labels in Christian music today: Tooth & Nail.
Many of us are already wondering how they will top this album; hopefully we
won't have to wait three more years to find out.

Read more about Thousand Foot Krutch at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/hardrock/thousandfootkrutch


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Feature: God's Emcee: introducing Sintaxtheterrific
http://cMusicWeb.com/hiphop/sintaxtheterrific/feature.shtml

Review: Me Died Blue - Steven Delopoulos
http://cMusicWeb.com/folk/stevendelopoulos/mediedblue.shtml

Review: Beautiful - Ginny Owens
http://cMusicWeb.com/pop/ginnyowens/beautiful.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, MARCH 9 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

PURCHASE THIS MUSIC AND MORE AT GRASSROOTSMUSIC.COM:
http://www.grassrootsmusic.com/?associateid=249

THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION - TREE63
Definitely the PICK OF THE WEEK, we find John Ellis and company creating new
worship/rock melodies for the world over. We have not heard it, but the word
on the street is that it is their best yet.

THE CHRIST: HIS PASSION - VARIOUS ARTISTS
The media buzz says The Christ is a whole new series. But do not be fooled.
It is really just a continuation of the City on a Hill series. All the same
people are involved and some songs are reused, but these themed worship
releases focus on different parts of Christ's life.

FULL CIRCLE: A CELEBRATION OF SONGS AND FRIENDS - CHARLIE PEACOCK
Charlie Peacock is one of the most prominent people in Christian music.
Having produced some major albums as well as launching the music career of
artists such as Switchfoot, Peacock has an amazing career as an industry
insider. This disc celebrates Charlie's career by featuring his compositions
such as "In The Light." Many artists also show up to collaborate and perform
with Peacock including tobyMac, Sara Groves, Out of the Grey, and more.

HOLY CULTURE DVD - THE CROSS MOVEMENT
One of Christian music's best hip-hop groups talk about the Holy Culture,
have a live video of their release party show, as well as their "When I
Flow" music video. Too bad they don't have some of their older videos...
those were brilliant.

TESTIFY TO LOVE LIVE DVD - AVALON
The companion to the Testify To Love greatest hits album, this disc features
the best of Avalon in a live setting in the form of a concert to watch on
your home theater system.

VEGGIE ROCKS - VARIOUS ARTISTS
VeggieTales songs are really funny. But what happens if some of Christian
music's best tried to sing them? With the exception of Relient K's "The
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," the clips I've heard make it sound like the
band is taking the songs too seriously.

WOW WORSHIP RED - VARIOUS ARTISTS
In our modest opinion, there are way too many worship compilations out
there. This one, though, has the coveted WOW label. But, like the WOW
Worship Yellow collection that came out last year, this one focuses less on
real worship but instead delivers popular acts covering some favorite
worship tunes.

X2004 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
You want a sampler of Christian music but WOW Hits CDs are a bit too mellow?
BEC Recordings has the answer: X2004, a yearly compilation of the best of
Christian rock.


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb