The Outsiders＜Translucent Red Vinyl＞

Needtobreathe offer up another collection of sweeping, reverent rock songs with The Outsiders, the band's first effort since The Heat earned praise from the Christian community two years prior. This is the musicians' first album as genuine stars, and the music is appropriately huge, with echoing vocals and ringing guitars that take their cues from classic rock. Such epic material has become fairly standard in the CCM world, where the influence of U2 and Coldplay is never more than a guitar riff away. The Outsiders also flirts with touches of roots rock and traditional gospel, though, from the title track's powerful Southern stomp to the sheer power of Bear Rinehart's voice. Like Will Hoge, Rinehart puts a contemporary spin on the raw, gritty sounds of Joe Cocker and Otis Redding, and his strong delivery is almost preacher-like in its intensity. As a result, this album covers more ground than records by similar artists, and it does so without alienating any of its secular-minded listeners, too. ~ Andrew Leahey