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Insyderz The Motor City boys are back with their fourth album, Skalleluia Too!, a return to the alternative worship of the original Skalleluia. But this second round of worship is a definite step up for the Insyderz. They've reached a new level of maturity and are able to play a wider range of styles--at some points you'll be scratching your head and asking if this is really the Insyderz. When they sat down to write this CD, they didn't look for songs that would sound good with a ska beat. They looked for worshipful songs. The result is a pleasing mix of 14 songs (including two originals), that span the styles--including ska, punk, hardcore, jazz, swing, dixieland, reggae, and straight up rock & roll. Somehow they manage to mix it all together and come up with a really enjoyable album. The original Skalleluia suffered from a lack of diversity, but Skalleluia Too! manages to change it up and keep things interesting. Absent from the CD is lead singer Joe Yerke's usually scratchy voice. On most of the tracks he manages to soften it up and make the vocals a lot more bearable. But for those of you who like the edgy voice, it's still there on the hard core 'True of You.' The CD also features vocals from drummer Nate Sjogren and trombone player Sang Kim, who sings an Elvis-style, Dixieland version of 'Old Rugged Cross.' Highlights on the album are too numerous to mention, but I'll try anyway: the ska-punk rocker 'Peace of God,' the jazzy version of Delirious' 'I Could Sing of Your Love Forever,' the original and poetic 'When I Look Up' (written by Yerke), and the energetic and powerful 'In the Secret' are sure to please Insyderz fans. 'Who is This?' and 'Shout to the Lord,' two uncharacteristically mellow songs, are probably some of the best on the album and will impress not only the Insyderz fans, but a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise give the band a chance. While the CD starts off with power, it does seems to dwindle near the end. The last four songs seem to be lacking, from 'Psalm 139' that features Yerke on background vocals (his characteristic voice just doesn't do backing vocals), to 'Steadfast Love' with a drum solo that just isn't there. But with 14 songs, there's still plenty of CD left. Some critics will claim that the Insyderz are again trying to milk the popular worship & praise genre, but they're just missing the point. The Insyderz set out to make a worshipful album, and they succeeded. Worship music has been a part of the Insyderz since their beginning. This album is for more than just the ska fans, with enough variety in it to appease most any listener. The only problem is that many people probably won't give Skalleluia Too! a chance, preferring instead to pigeon-hole the Insyderz as a ska band--a big mistake considering the quality and musical maturity of this album. (Kevin H.) |
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