Album Reviews
Movie Reviews
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Time Wasters
Contact Us

      I'm looking down into the eyes of the hopeless
      They're crying out to me
      I see the pain it's so much more than youth should 
      know
      It tears me apart
      What can I do to change what I see?

If there is a weakness with this Oregon based band's fourth CD it comes with the first three songs sounding so similar that unless you are paying close attention they simply sound like extensions of one another. We don't get a change of pace until the fourth track "Smile" graces our ears. There is nothing wrong with any of the songs but perhaps ordering the CD in a different fashion may have been more beneficial. 

"Smile" is an amazing song not because it weaves flowery poetry with a backdrop of pastel colors but due to the authenticity of the words. Primary songwriter Sumrall takes a simple life situation and uses it to remind us that opportunities abound to share our faith. "Smile" tells of an individual boarding a plane and sitting beside another passenger with whom he eventually has the opportunity to share his faith.

It is rare that a band will continue to work with the same producer throughout its career. Artists sometimes change producers just to achieve a different sound and not because there is any dissatisfaction with the previous working relationship. The combination of Aaron Sprinkle who produces Hearts of the Innocent and Kutless has been so successful that they have never had a reason to look elsewhere. 

One of the strengths of Hearts of the Innocent is the strings arrangements featured on the eighth track "Mistakes" and the tenth groove "Changing World." When CDs are produced in Nashville we become accustomed to hearing the same strings players on the recordings which is only a testament to their excellence. Hearts of the Innocent however, introduces us to a fresh cast of west coast virtuosos. The violin players are Washington State's JJ Jang who played Carnegie Hall when he was eighteen years old and Victoria Parker. Parker has played with Sarah Brightman, Manhattan Transfer and Aretha Franklin. She has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and Japan. Violist Sharyn Peterson and cellist Phillip Peterson (The House of Breaking Glass) are the other instrumentalists in the string section. Sharyn is the conductor for the Mount Baker Youth Symphony and is a strings virtuoso demonstrating excellence not only on the viola but also the violin and voice.

Word on the street is during the first week of sales Hearts of the Innocent doubled the sales of Kutless' previous release Strong Tower. When Kutless first appeared with their self titled debut CD in 2002 they were heralded as the heir apparent on the rock scene. I think it is safe to say we can now drop the moniker heir apparent, their time has arrived.

By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer. His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague. 

Kutless, Kutless, Kutless--you hear the name everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Whether I turn on Air1, RadioU, or am browsing the charts, I see that infamous name. Why? They are a remarkable band. This is only their fourth album and they have already become an icon in the Christian market. The bands first two albums, Kutless and Sea of Faces, were immediate successes. They had the catchy guitar riffs and the dynamic drumming and the vocals which we have come to love, provided by Jon Micah Sumrall. They had the rock 'n' roll style under control, with a dominating hand over the rest of the industries greats, but then it was time to change up. As the band released their third album, Strong Tower, fans soon noticed something different - This was not the Kutless we knew and loved. Would their success end here, when they decided to try something new--a worship album? NO! Fans loved it and not only did fans love it, so did new fans, who were caught by the emotional lyrics in the album, which offered nothing less than adoration to God

Now we are here, four years after the band first released an album, and yet another album is here. Hearts of the Innocent is not only the newest album from Kutless, but also the best. While some may argue that it has a similar sound to that of previous albums and I may agree, but does that make it bad? Every band has their own sound and Kutless does too. This album, however, does provide something new- more emotional lyrics. Right off the top of the album we hear "Shut Me Out," which is a powerful rock song expressing Paul's determination of spreading the gospel. As the album progresses we hear songs such as "Winds of Change," which slows down the music a little and shows Kutless' more creative side, "Beyond the Surface," which keeps with the catchy riffs and expresses how you should not conform to society, and of course the title track "Hearts of the Innocent," which is a cry for the older generations to see how much hurt our current generation is going through. 

Overall, this is a great CD. It keeps with the sound of Kutless, which hundreds of thousands of people love, while also showing Kutless' creative and compassionate side. 

Timothy Gerst  8/13/2006