Hello friends! After a little break for Memorial Day, music monday is back! I hope your weekend was fantastic. We did a lot of driving and a lot of performing, and this week we're starting a special project that I'm looking forward to sharing with you all. More details on that soon, but today we're talking about an Anderson family all-time favorite: NEEDTOBREATHE.
Every once in a while I discover a musician/band that has that magical combination of creativity, talent, and obvious passion that pulls me in for the long haul. I discovered NEEDTOBREATHE a few years ago when a friend recommended their sophomore release The Heat to Jordan. We immediately fell in love with the creative songwriting and great musical talent, and were impressed with the high quality art these guys were making. We couldn't resist purchasing The Outsiders not too long after that, and by the time The Reckoning came out we got that as well without a second thought. We play all three in heavy rotation, and I truly love each of them. They have a great pop/rock sound with some country influence, and as far as lead singers go, I am pretty smitten with Bear's voice (also, how rockstar is the name Bear Rineheart). Bear and his brother Bo, along with Joe Stillwell and Seth Bolt, make up the band.
Along with the attention and respect they've earned from the Christian music industry (including more than a few Dove nominations and wins), they've garnered plenty of mainstream attention as well, with songs featured everywhere from TV and movie soundtracks to commercials to CBS's NFL coverage. They've toured with acts such as Train and Taylor Swift, and as I mentioned in this post, another favorite of mine, Ben Rector. I find their songs to be both spiritually encouraging, and creatively inspiring. If you haven't given them a listen, I would highly recommend checking out any of their music! I don't have their first album Daylight, but as I've already said, I have the other three and am crazy about all of them.
Are you already a NEEDTOBREATHE fan? Any particular favorite songs or albums? I don't know if I could choose a favorite album, but a few of my favorite songs are "Washed by the Water", "White Fences", "A Place Only You Can Go" and "Something Beautiful".
Yes, NEEDTOBREATHE had me at "Signature of Divine (Yahweh, Yahweh)," which was my favorite song of 2007. The music scene that year featured some impressive new albums by my favorite faith-based mainstream bands, Lifehouse and Collective Soul. I owned "Daylight" so I immediately purchased "The Heat" and NEEDTOBREATHE instantly became my favorite band. Rarely can a rock band give me goose bumps or tingle my spine when I listen to their songs, but this band has an uncanny ability to get deeper and more emotionally penetrating with each release.
ReplyDeleteIf you've been waiting to jump on the NEEDTOBREATHE bandwagon, it's time to "wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes." My personal top 5 favorite songs: 1."Signature Of Divine (Yahweh, Yahweh)" 2."Slumber" 3."Keep Your Eyes Open" 4."Something Beautiful" 5."Drive All Night." "The Reckoning" is an incredible album, and I've seen the band 4 times live and don't miss any chance to see them in concert.
I love Washed By The Water, Lay 'Em Down, Yahweh (Signature of the Divine), The Outsiders...I saw them when they were on tour with Taylor Swift, but I was out of the country when they came as the headliner to my hometown area. It was very sad.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends once said, "I wish I could just put Bear's voice in my pocket" That sums up our love for this band pretty nicely :)