Outta Space Love: Bigger Love Edition

Photographer: Ricardo Navarro.
While Christian music comes in many flavors, it's seldom built with the treadmill, the club, or outer space in mind. Group 1 Crew look to change all that by combining the Black Eyed Peas' sound with a bit of `80s electro, specifically the genre's fascination with sci-fi and space. Outta Space Love repeats all five tracks from the group's Spacebound EP, adding seven additional cuts of synth-driven, hook-filled dance music that occasionally references something futuristic. The gospel factor is often even more subtle, but when this group declares "Thank God It's Friday" on the opening "Live It Up," they really mean it, and proceed to fill the album with positive messages and clean lyrics. Try the future reggae and tobyMac guest shot on "Let's Go" for the group at their chilled best, or check the title track for a little of that Jesus-as-spaceman spin ("This love has saved my life/So let you take me to my leader"). The closing "Manipulation" skillfully explains the whole process with "I'm like the messenger who/Told you about the good news/And soon you're downloading the tune/I approved on iTunes." No tech savvy Christian with a taste for slick dance music and futurism would disagree. ~ David Jeffries