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Sure Conviction gets a B+ for effort with their latest release Blind, but stumbles in the dark when it comes to delivering to any one particular audience. I was initially drawn to acoustic elements in this portfolio, but this is not folk. Old time rock and roll fans will hear instrumental and vocal patterns reminiscent of John Lennon and the Beatles, but this is not a classic rock collection. You will also hear components of jagged edged melodic rock, but Sure Conviction isn’t an arena group. There is even a Spanish fandango flavor in at least one tune (I kid you not), but this is not ethnic music.

If eclectic is your bag, you might find Blind as refreshing as iced tea on the hottest day of summer. Still, the music is so full of spirit and earnest effort, it’s hard to dislike. It’s a little like observing a college graduate in his first professional position. He’s talented and full of potential but kind of clumsy and naïve. Since he is functioning in the dark, he pulls off things others are afraid to try. In that sense, choosing Blind as the title for this work is the most congruent decision in it.

There is much to appreciate in Blind. Kurt Heinzman’s lead vocals are infused with vigor and energy even though he mumbles sometimes. The harmony is sweet and full but often extinguishes too quickly. The lyrics are at times poignant, but not profound, no forum for pursuing deep theological themes.

One particularly moving song, however, deserves special mention. The tune is called "Don’t Cry" and is written by a grieving parent responding to an apparent miscarriage: "Would you have been my little man or Daddy’s little girl? I never got to hear the words, 'Daddy take my hand’. I’ll never get to watch you write your name, it’s just so hard to understand. As I wipe away my tears, I can faintly hear a gentle voice saying, "Don’t Cry." That topic is plenty sad enough to write a song about. I love sparse, acoustic arrangements and that’s just the ticket for this tune. It is very well done.

You will probably like something on this album too. With so many choices, there is something for everyone. What we have here is a solid, but incongruent endeavor. If an established artist self-indulges with a wild departure from his bread and butter niche or assembles a hodgepodge, it’s likely to sell a lot of copies. Sadly, for a band seeking an expansive audience, eclectic is probably not a good career strategy. I’m not suggesting that Sure Conviction is whimsical or unrestrained. Rather, here is a group of talented guys playing their hearts out with ostensibly little thought to marketing or career strategy. They are fun to listen to, but for $12 plus S&H, most of us will opt for something closer to our core preference.

Curt McLey  December 18, 2001

The fourth album from Sure Conviction, Blind, is a rock album that shows the band exploring themes of dealing with past failures, struggles against sin and conforming to the world, and lip service.  Sonically, the band ranges from Jars of Clay to The Waiting to Live.

"Who Do I" revisits the message of Romans 7: the problem we all face in doing what is wrong while desiring to do what is right.  It asks the same questions we all do: "Why do I still walk away from you? Why do I continue to do the things I don't want to do?"  "She Said" opens with a Tom Petty guitar riff, and shows a woman looking for love who has tried all of the usual approaches, only to fail.  She cries out to God, but refuses to change. 

"The Past" portrays the need to move forward as opposed to dwelling in past mistakes ­  it reminds us that we can get bogged down in the mire of our shortcomings, rather than growing from them.  "Open Up" pleads with someone who will not hear the Word of God:

  You'll do anything you aspire to do
  But I can't convince you, The Great Denier
  You instigate and aggravate in constant chagrin
  And everything I offer you just earns your contempt
  You can change your mind
  Open up your eyes…

"Show" pulls no punches, demanding that people who claim Christ live their lives in the same manner:

 …I want to see in your life that He's real,
      not a safeguard from Hell or how you feel
     I've been around for more than a day
     And a lot of people claim to know the way
     I've learned a thing or two
     Action speaks louder than a phrase from you.

  Would have been my little man or my little girl?…
  and I pray with all my might that the life you live
  is better now than the life you'd have with us
  I only wish we'd had the chance to give you all our love
  Will you recognize me when I see you in the end?
  Will you call me father or will you call me friend?

Brian A. Smith 3/10/2002