S/t
Artist: 33 Miles http://www.33milesonline.com
Label: INO
Length: 11/43:27

Marketing types will call 33 Miles "crossover", "multi-talented", or "diverse". Long time listeners of Christian radio will read through this and realize that 33 MIles is like a hundred other bands in the CCM world. You can almost hear the producer and the A&R man saying "this will be the adult contemporary hit" and "this will be the one for the kids" and "here's our country crossover". Like FFH with a touch of NewSong and Jars of Clay, 33 Miles fails to break any new ground with their self-titled release. 

Talent-wise, they're not bad. The album is loaded with harmonies and big buildups to choruses, but you've heard it all before. The album is a pleasant, unoffensive way to kill an hour, but that's nothing here that will stick with you outside of "When I Get Where I'm Going", a song already made popular by at least two other artists. At some points, they sound like a boy band attempting to rock - and with nine different composers on eleven songs, they have that finely crafted feel of a manufactured band at times as well. The best of the lot here is "What Could Be Better", but 33 Miles is a band that seemingly has a few more miles to travel before drawing much more attention.

Brian A. Smith
7 September 2007