Hey Jonas Brothers, you've been one-upped! Remedy Drive has four, count 'em four, brothers playing their own instruments as a rock band—and they're self-sufficient too, not relying on extra musicians in the studio or on tour.

Not that these two groups sound anything alike—the guys in Remedy Drive are aiming to become more than tweenage pop idols. Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, the Zach brothers were heavily influenced by everyone from Keith Green to Switchfoot. Bringing those varied interests together as a band, Remedy Drive set out with a simple goal not often cited in the Christian industry: To make great rock music and put on a quality live show. You could say that the band views their good work as musicians as ministry, and by the sound of their national debut, they're preaching it well.

It's not that Remedy Drive has reinvented the wheel or anything on Daylight Is Coming (and the album cover is completely devoid of imagination). Basically, they're NeedToBreathe and The Fray crossed with Switchfoot and All Star United, blending piano-based rock and catchy pop melodies with plenty of electric guitar riffs and aggressive drumming. Which explains why producer Ian Eskelin (All Star United, Stellar Kart) is perfectly matched with this band, though the "oh oh oh" hook in "Heartbeat" seems a little forced. The album is one fun song after another, and even though a few tracks sound a little too similar to one another, most will have listeners tapping their feet and eventually singing along.

As far as message, Remedy Drive is a clearly Christian album without clearly identifying itself as one. The encouraging radio single "Daylight" reflects on the dawn that comes after darkness, and there's nothing uniquely religious about having "Hope." But believers will recognize whose boundless love is described in "Belong with You" and "Sunshine Above the Weather," while the shimmering and soaring ballad "All Along" exalts the only One who can satisfy our souls. There may not be much Jesus-per-minute to the lyrics, but he's unquestionably at the center of "Valuable: "The scar that's in my side says/As the sea is wide my love is more so/I'm everything you need/Don't you know the blood I bleed is for you."

The album is somewhat short, just shy of 35 minutes, and though the band's versatility brings variety to their style, they could stand to vary it even more. But for those who say that Christian pop/rock has lacked verve in recent years, Remedy Drive may be just what the doctor ordered.

Copyright © Christian Music Today. Click for reprint information.

Click here to view our music review archives.

Visit the artist pages for related interviews and reviews.

				Try an Issue of Today's Christian Woman Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian Woman coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian Woman as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up now for the Christian Music Today weekly newsletter:    RSS Feed   RSS Help