The Real Thing
Artist: pureNRG
Site: www.purenrgonline.com
Label: Fervent Records
Tracks: 13 Tracks/ 41min

How did they do it? Pure NRG debuted in the top 20 of Billboard's general album chart with their third non-Chritsmas longplayer, The Real Thing, without benefit of much of the support that gives other tween pop acts equal or bigger sales? However they did, good for Caroline, Carolyne and Jordan.

And good for most anyone coming into PNRG's path. Though their first two were albums sprinkled withr general market pop that-more often than not-could be given heightened spiritual interpretation, they buck their own trend and deliver their most explicitly Chhristian set to date (yes, that includes the Christmas album). 

There is enough non-God-specific content here to get PNRG over with the Disney and Nickelodeon demographics, such as audience affirming "Cover Of A Magazine" the pro-forgiveness "Before The Sun Goes Down."  A brush with stompy, lite glam metal to promote non-conformity "Can You Handle It" comes off with surprising effectiveness as well. However, there is also fizzily produced, bubblegummy soul food for those with pubescent ears to listen. 

It's easy to contextualize the fairly doctrinally solid titular tune and relatively minimal midtempo "Savior" between structurally solid preaching by Ray Comfort or Ron Luce on one of those tours that match up sermonizing with youth music. And in an ecclesiastical environment rife with murky ecumenism and doctrinally amorphous emergence talk, it's refreshing to hear performers as young as PNRG's members singing of the reality of sin (however briefly). Encouraging listeners to praise the Lord via the Scott Krippayne oldie "Live To Worship" is no bad thing, either. 

For fans who have been following from the get-go, or to inspire first-timers to buy back catalog, the instrumental sing-along tracks from all three non-holiday albums round out the running time. Perhaps more worth noting is the trio's heightened fashion sense;their handlers are dressing them with more sophistication than other acts of their ilk (Jordan knows that's a 45 RPM singles adapter on the T-shirt he's sporting on the lyrics & credits fold-out, yes?). Carolyne and Caroline prove that gals who might not yet be old enough to drive can maintain fashionability modestly and needn't bear midriff and cheesecake in order to sell their music.

PureNRG has only gotten better with each consecutive release (Christmas withstanding, alas), and at that rate, they might just hvae more surprises come album #4.

Jamie Lee Rake 

---

Pure pop is like a block of chocolate (again, chocolate. Have you noticed a recurring thought here?). It has a colourful, pretty outer package to catch your attention, but just inside the package there is a shiny crinkly wrapper (except for those expensive or handmade chocolates)--building your expectation to what lies just underneath your fingertips. You know that, no matter the flavour you've chosen, what waits beneath is a sickly sweet, but deliciously decadent delight only micro millimeters from your fingers. Rip it open and put a piece in your mouth where it melts, disappears and leaves only a memory with a craving for more.

Pure pop is just the same. It is a brightly packaged, thinly layered, sickly sweet delight that lingers only briefly in your memory (unless it is done well). It then usually leaves you craving more.

As much as I outwardly joke about Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, etc., I have to admit that my secret pleasure is pure pop. I love handmade chocolate, like Neal Morse, Kings X, Jon Foreman, etc. But in my collection is a fair sprinkling of sugary sweet, mass-produced chocolate--pure pop, with my secret pleasure still being Magnetik's album,So-Re-Al, and in particular one song, "Happiness". I still leave it on repeat. I know it's formulated, but the sugariness sucks me in every time.

I love well done, sugary pop. Think JT, All Saints, Spice Girls, Britney, Christina, Beyonce, or the reigning queen Madonna. And then Christiandom has their own special variety including Shine, Zoe Girl, Jump 5, and Stacie Orrico. In both camps the list is as long as it is forgettable--because for the few mentioned here, how many have been forgotten, or gotten lost in the shiny crinkly world of pop never to be heard of again.

Great pop is youthful NRG at its purest--clean, uncomplicated and fun to be around. The makers of pureNRG know this formula well. Your kids will love them. And if you, like me, have a secret pleasure for pop, you will enjoy pureNRG's new disc, The Real Thing, also. It is 10 tracks (plus 3 extra sing-a-long tracks with lowered main vocals) full of hooks, youthful voices, clean, Christ-centered and encouraging lyrics, plus a healthy dose of sugar powered NRG,The Real Thing, has it nailed.

The kids of pureNRG have grown up a bit since their 2007 release, pureNRG. They look and sound older, and I am sure that if they keep going, we will see them break out and create their own style to craft their own lyrics and music. As with all Popsters who do this, they will already have enough industry background and experience to create something good (think Alanis Morrisette, Madonna, etc).

So if you or your kids are after a sugar rush, you can't go past pureNRG's newest release, The Real Thing.

Rob Boynton

---

Even though Jesus is that real thing they sing about, in another sense, pureNRG is becoming the real thing. Since signing with Fervent Records in 2007, the group has now released five albums when you count this one, which may be their best yet. They have a polished pop sound courtesy of producer Rob Hawkins, who also plays a slew of instruments, and vocal producer Mark Hammond. Both have done an outstanding job. 

Though this is similar to what they have done before, you can hear a growing maturity in their style and lyrics. It doesn’t hurt that they chose “Live to Worship,” a song that Scott Krippayne helped write, and “Sweet Jesus,” which includes Matthew West in the credits. Both of these songs plus “Overwhelmed” move the group into modern worship territory. 

A little added heft in the guitar tracks is evident on songs like the catchy “Radio,” which affirms that individually and together we can change the world. “Savior” flirts with an urban groove before it gives way to a bright chorus where they seek to introduce the listener to Jesus. “Cover of a Magazine” is a song that needed to be written. It recognizes that none of us can measure up to the artificial perfection that we find on those glossy covers. 

The CD also includes three sing-a-long tracks at the end. These songs have been stripped of some of the vocal tracks so that anyone can join in.

This group is on track in fulfilling their clearly defined mission statement, which you could summarize as being a Godly influence and positive role models for their generation.

Michael Dalton
August 20, 2009