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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Souljak Artist: Souljak www.souljak.com Label: Soul Search Length: 11 tracks / 42:20 Souljak uses an interlude in this record to explain their name. The general idea is that it’s like hijacking someone’s soul for Christ. It’s also, according to the band, “kind of like ‘Kojak,’ only it’s different.” I have to agree, it is a pretty cool name. I thought it might have been a tribute to the mediocre Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger film, Freejack. Too bad they couldn’t get any help from the Mickster on this album. It’s as straight-ahead as Cheerios. The most basic of pop-rock and occasionally country constructions. Some additional drum fills or breakaways from the simple rhythm guitars would have added so much. Even when they turn up the distortion on the electric guitars, the end result is cacophonous because of the thin vocals and general over-production. Darren Heroldt is a good singer, but his voice seems more suited for piano-accompaniment than for rock of any kind. That being said, the songs are catchy and the electric guitar solos aren’t bad at all. If you’re bringing in a band to play for the high school youth group, you could do worse than Souljak. “Strange Boy” was actually quite solid. The vocal harmonies and a Police-like backbeat on the verses gave the band some personality that I felt was lacking on the other tracks. As a whole, Souljak’s lyrics are honest, relational and devotional. The song “Gramma” does refer to life in Eastern religious terms as a circle, but I’m sure that was unintentional. So as a ministry, I don’t have anything negative to say about Souljak. But as an album, I can only give it... Dan Singleton 3/24/2002
Enter Souljak. A group with intention of highjacking souls for Jesus. If you’re a hardcore Third Day fan, it’ll be well worth your while to give this CD a spin. The disc is like a sequel to anything that Third Day has ever done. However, I should quickly note right away that if Third Day qualifies as one of the “slower” bands that you listen to, this CD likely isn’t for you. From track one to eleven, this recording can boast a well developed collection of different stylistic elements and enduring guitar work. Unique in itself but at the same time comparable to many other musicians, this is a CD of soft and well sung vocals, a basic but dependable beat, and a demonstration of good studio work. On the other hand, this band seems to lack energy. On several of the tracks the drums are overly repetitious and far to simple. They take away the vigor on those tracks. I can’t say that the band’s drummer is playing anything “wrong” and this type of drum sound does add the Souljak’s sense of style. Otherwise this album is a good release. The guitar soloing is some of the best I’ve heard in a while and the effects on the mix down are used very tastefully. The first track is a praise song entitled "Everything I Am." The chorus of this song is: I will sing for the rest of my days,The next three songs contain some the album’s best guitar work, good messages, and above average vocals. In my opinion the highlight of the CD is "Strange Boy." The recording is fast paced, gradually increasing in speed. The bass melody on the chorus has a really incredible sound to it. The drums in both this cut and the previous song, “My Deathbed” which could even be considered a heavy metal sound, have a lot more sound, an element that I wish I had seen more of in the rest of the album. "He Will See You Through" is also a commendable song. You can really feel the expression of the instruments. Really high energy for a slower song. If you like anything on this disk you’ll like that song. I shouldn’t forget to mention "Gram." A good old country song with an excellent message in the lyrics. The style of this piece may be older but the topic is current. Souljak has a lot of potential, much of which they are already using. I can see this group scoring a major hit in the upcoming years and gaining a lot more popularity because of it. Nathan Eisen 6/19/2002
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