Leeland, (The sound of Melodies) is this the new Delirious? Lyrically yes but they are not the musically innovators that Delirious? was when they started, but they get a 5 star rating from me.
From Christianity Today online:
Sounds like … sometimes worshipful, always melodic Brit-influenced pop/rock along the lines of Keane, Coldplay, Travis, Delirious, Tree63, and U2.
At a glance … Sound of Melodies is a great start for a promising new band, though it doesn't reveal a distinctive or pioneering musical identity for Leeland, too derivative of too many other equally talented bands in the last decade.
Their concluding paragraph:
There's lyrical earnestness and passion to all of this that hearkens back to classic Jesus Movement CCM, reinvented for today's Brit pop/rock sensibilities. But to declare it pioneering or innovative is wrong, simply because there's little here that hasn't been done before by equally talented artists and bands over the last decade. The real story is that Leeland is already at this point in their teens, fresh out of the gate. It's a strong start from a band that will only get better with time, provided that they develop their own distinctive sound for their melodies.
Christianity Today gave them only 4 stars which is due to their misunderstanding of excellence in a particular style with the constant need to be different. As there are so many other Christian bands today it is hard to stand out among so many. But Leeland succeeds and they are just starting out. Or maybe it is because I have not given anybody a 5 star rating yet. Good music and good lyrics is the most I can ask for though.
“Yes You Have” is a very catching song and if you look at the phrase “you’ve stolen my heart” in the way that it is used with a male female love relationship the phrase is appropriate as it expresses the loving attractive character of the other person, though at first glance it seems a bit odd. Nonetheless it makes the hook very memorable. The phrase is probably well defined by their song Can’t Stop; I can’t stop, I can’t stop falling love with you.
With your love you’ve forgiven my sins/ forgot my past and brought me back again
So I’ll sing you praise / So I’ll sing you praise
You’ve stolen my heart yes you have (2x) you’ve wiped away the stains and broke away the chains / yes you have
“Tears of the Saints” is a song that addresses all the prodigal children in desperation and calls for us to lead them home. A particularly meaningful song in that it addresses to me the need for our Churches to be seen as a home for people, the prodigals as well as the saints. The relationship with God begins with a relationship between people.
What I like most about this CD is that they write in a much more direct way then many Christian songs which deal more in the symbols then the reality of what those symbols represent. If Matt Redman ever reads this I hope he considers the difference between his lyrics and Leelands lyrics.
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