Disco de Newsboys: “Devotion”

We've listened to Newsboys for years, and when they made their first worship album we were a little disappointed by the change in tone from the usual sense of humor we were used to. But I have to admit, Adoration grew on me (it didn't hurt that my nine-year-old listens to it constantly), and we were not disappointed with Devotion at all. I heard them do the title cut live, and I preferred it over the recorded version, but it's still good. They are a great live band, anyway. I hope they haven't completely abandoned their former style, but I like their worship music as well.

I have to confess to being a little perplexed at how someone could purchase this CD without knowing it is a worship CD unless they didn't look at it at all prior to purchasing it. Newsboys have never tried to hide the fact that they are a Christian group, and, while not all of them are, several of the song titles should be pretty obvious.

Newsboys last 2 cds, 'Adoration: The worship album', and this, 'Devotion' are albums of praise and worship songs. However, 'Devotion' is a decidedly rockier affair than the former.

The title track kicks things off with racing, pulsing guitars U2 style. The next track, 'I love your ways' is a sunny, upbeat rocker with a very catchy chorus, and a slight Coldplay ('Clocks') feel. 'Blessed be your name' is a duet with fellow Aussie Rebecca St James, which sounds eerily like U2's 'With or without you'. 'Presence (My heart's desire) is a tender ballad declaring a great need for God's presence.

The two most outstanding tracks to me are 'The orphan', a beautiful ballad with wonderful, deep, poetic lyrics, and the Delirious?-like 'When the tears fall', a heartbreakingly beautiful ballad about resolving to cling to, and praise Jesus 'when hope is lost/ when pain surrounds/ through the darkest night'. It has a haunting, dark sound, with beautiful guitar fluorishes and a choir, but most of all, passion and sincerity in the vocals. Awesome!

This CD took me a few listens before I began to enjoy it. In fact, I didn't like it at first. I'm not a big Newboys fan, but Adoration had grabbed me with some standout new songs and a few covers I recognized. This CD has no truly great stand out song, and I didn't recognize any of the songs right off the bat. Still, I decided recently to give it a second listen. That's when I discovered how good it was.

While the project does have covers of new Matt Redman and Tim Hughes songs, most of the songs are original. Many of the songs are pure praise, like "God of Nations," "Name Above All Names," "Strong Tower," and "Blessed be Your Name." These songs sound like many of the modern praise songs, and are good.

Several of the songs, however, do touch on the pain in life. I like the theme of praising God in spite of the pain, something that is often missing in modern worship music. This especially comes out in the last song, "When the Tears Fall," with lines such as "When hope is lost/I'll call you Savior. When pain surrounds/I'll call you Healer."

This CD might not be as good as Adoration or immediately catch your ear. But it's worth giving it some time. I will certainly be enjoying my copy for a long time to come.

I am a more recent Newsboys fan, so I will not pretend to be able to compare this album with all their previous work. But, Devotion is a nice follow-on to the last album, Adoration. It is not quite as strong in my opinion, but it does have some really good worship songs.

Overall, I think the Newsboys are a strong modern worship band, and they have created some great songs on previous albums. As far as this disk does, my favorite song on the whole album is "Orphan" which I think has a really different sound, and I also like "Devotion", "I Love Your Ways", and "Presence".

Although some may disagree I really do not like their version of "Blessed be your name". I think it pales in comparison to the original, or the version put out by Tree63. I literally hit the skip button everytime this song comes up. I hate to hear a great song ruined.

Having said that, I still recommend this album to any Newsboys fans, or anyone looking for some quality modern worship music.

Once again the Newsboys have managed to put their hearts and faith into their music using powerful lyrics and melodies to reach not only believers, but also those who are starving for the Truth.

It is amazing to see how this band has progressed in musical style, not only since their beginnings, but even since Adoration. This is one band that will not shy away from seeking the Truth, the Lord, and worshipping Him. As well as reaching fans, the Newsboys not only teach about our Father and our faith, but help us give expression to our powerful need to worship our Father. All of this is evident within the music, which is precisely why they have such an extensive fan-base. The Newsboys aren't just another band, they are a ministry to us all, and in seeking to glorify the Lord in all aspects of their lives, it is no wonder the Lord continues to bless them and all they do.

I firmly believe you won't be disappointed with a single song and strongly suggest you purchase this amazing Newsboys album.