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After listening to Lost Coin’s latest project, Human. I finally deduced the following.  These Canadian pop-rockers have chosen to go secular.  The evidence is solid.  They are too good to be a Christian group.  However, on the other side of the coin the lyrics have just as solid Christian content as the band’s previous releases.  Odd.  Someone told me just last week that all Christian groups are simply imitations of the secular bands.  Obviously Lost Coin hasn’t taken this into account.  It appears that these Christian musicians did their best to step beyond human limits with this album.

Lost Coin describes itself as a “pop/rock band with passion, power, and conviction.”  The music itself is a mix of catchy songs lead by the powerful vocals of brothers Michael and Scott Bannerman, accompanied by a aggressive guitar sound, a full bass line, and the powerful and determined drum beat.  Scott’s keyboard go exceptionally well with Michael’s acoustic guitar rhythms, Al Hamilton’s bass, and Peter Jafelice’s electic guitars.  Unlike a lot of groups that lose the piano in the roar of instruments when the song picks up, Lost Coin mixes the keys in a manner in which they can be heard but they don’t overtake the overall sound.  The acoustic guitar on the other hand is rarely heard individually.  While it does add to the overall sound, I would like to see it come out more as a recognizable instrument.

In style, the music shows similarities with groups such as Toad The Wet Sprocket, a little Switchfoot, and the Craig Douglas Band, along with keyboard effects similar to delirious’ style.  While the sound is in pop/rock format, their is no slacking off when it comes to the rock side of the deal.  And the vocals are great! The writing isn’t empty or written just for the point of having something to sing.  Songs like the title track “Human,” “Only Words,” “Sweet Bitterness,” “All Fall Down,” and “The Way You Love Me” in particular showcase the Bannerman brother’s abilities to compose lyrics.  No half hearted “Christian theme” words here.  The phrases and syllables are solid.

You won’t find a better mix of variety and talent on Christian and likely the mainstream music market.  This CD has been a lot more fulfilling to review than anything I’ve seen come out of Nashville in the past few years.  If rock’s your style than this album is worth whatever it takes to get your hands on it.  It’s also one of the few recordings that has at least one song for every listener.  Don’t miss this release - you won’t be disappointed.

Nathan Eisen 9/5/2002