Casting Crowns [DualDisc]

Christian rock's detractors often cite the eternally sunny, feel-good "I'm okay, you're okay" attitude of many CCM albums as a quality antithetical to real rock & roll. While Casting Crowns certainly offer their fair share of optimistic praise, the group also takes a page from the original 1960s San Francisco Jesus Freak movement's aggressively evangelical book. On several songs, lead vocalist/lyricist Mark Hall quite directly points out the disparity between the Bible's teaching and the world's shortcomings, calling out all manner of hypocrisy, materialism, and cowardice, and then demanding an explanation. This unusually forceful message is framed in an appropriately flamboyant arena-rock sound that recalls the heyday of bands like Asia and Kansas. In addition, Hall's voice is a powerful tool perfectly suited to throwing around a little fire and brimstone, often sounding like a cross between Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd. A refreshingly unabashed statement of Christian fundamentalism in the literal sense of the term, CASTING CROWNS offers an energetic and tuneful missive. This DualDisc presents the CD version of CASTING CROWNS on one side and a DVD version with surround-sound mix and bonus video material on the other.