Some of the greatest spiritual moments of my life occurred when I was listening to Christian music. I remember being blown away the first time I heard PFR’s last album, Them, in its entirety. I’ll never forget how affecting the lyrics of Third Day’s “Consuming Fire” were, and the memory of hearing Caedmon’s Call’s “Lead of Love” for the first time still makes me shiver because of the absolute feeling of freedom that song evoked. Unfortunately, Christianity gets slagged off too often because of its limited appeal. As a result, Christian artists tend to make their references to God ambiguous, and in my opinion, this is the worst thing they can do.
Although some direct references to God can be found on The Beautiful Letdown, the subject matter is mostly dubious, left for the listener to figure out. You want it to be about God? Okay, that will work. Your girlfriend? Sure! And this attitude is a large part of what causes the lack of edge on TBL. For example, check out the lyrics from “On Fire”: “And you’re on fire/when he’s near you/ You’re on fire when he speaks/ You’re on fire burning at these mysteries.” While “On Fire” is the strongest track musically, you have to wonder how dedicated to a cause a band really is if you can insert your own proper noun where their pronouns fit in the lyrics.
Musically, TBL is, for the most part, formulaic and overproduced. The crossover hit, “Meant to Live,” is reminiscent of Creed, and I think you’ll all agree that there’s no need to rehash THAT. In “Twenty-Four,” lead singer Jon Foreman sings, “I want to see miracles/ To see the world change.” This band by no means lacks the musical or songwriting ability to write great Christian rock, but if you want to change the world, sometimes you’ve got to be willing to step up to the challenge. Bands like Caedmon’s Call and Jars of Clay have already set the bar, and Switchfoot has a lot to learn.
1. Meant to Live
2. This Is Your Life
3. More Than Fine
4. Ammunition
5. Dare You to Move
6. Redemption
7. The Beautiful Letdown
8. Gone
9. On Fire
10. Adding to the Noise
11. Twenty-Four
More about: Switchfoot
