Monday, July 12, 2010

Newsboys: Shine--The Hits (2000)

(As published in the Times of Acadiana ... )

Newsboys
Shine: The Hits
(Sparrow)


Ignore the title--even in the group’s native Australia, these songs were only “hits” on the Christian charts. Still, the Newsboys are techno-popsters who know their craft, and this album usefully documents their development. That they took a quantum leap forward under the production of Steve Taylor is undeniable, turning out music far catchier than that of the band with whom Taylor eventually won his Grammy, Sixpence None the Richer. Also undeniable is that they reached a high point with last year’s Love Liberty Disco. So why is it completely unrepresented here? Probably for the same reason that the five customer-baiting new songs are included: to assure that the group gets the biggest buck for its bang. Now I ask you, how Christ-like is that? Rating: Three-and-a-half moneychangers in the temple out of five.

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