Category Archive

The Christian rock band Red recently released its second CD titled “Innocence & Instinct.”  This follows their critically acclaimed debut effort, “End of Silence.”    Their unique style of combining driving guitar riffs with soaring ochestration is again prevalent on “Innocence.”    It’s clear that Red recognized after the release of their first CD that it had a winning sound with it’s core audience, young Christian rockers.   They do nothing to alter the formula in “Innocence.”  This is both good and bad.   Good because it’s unique and makes for an interesting listen.   Bad, because at times you aren’t sure which CD you have dialed up on your iPod.    One of the nice features of “End of Silence” is how the tracks flow seemlessly together; you want to experience the CD as a whole.   I don’t have that same feeling listening to Innocence.  The tracks seem to stand alone, again both a good and bad element of the CD.   That doesn’t mean there aren’t some exceptional tracks on Innocence.   Most of the tracks deal either with deep struggles, both inside of us and with the world around us.    “Start Again” is an emotional track dealing with repairing broken relationships, a cause Christians should be more concerned with than they seem to be at times.   “Fight Inside” and “Confession” deal with the fight that rages between the carnal and spiritual sides of our being–hence the title of the CD.   The CD comes to a slightly disappointing end with the slower “Take It All Away.”   Although they try hard here, Red pulls off the rock ballad-style climax to the album better in their first CD.    All-in-all, a fine listen that maybe tries too much to carry forward the momentum of their debut album.  But that’s a minor point, as their unique sound begs for more for the ear to chew upon.    This is a band, a CD, and a message that Christians and secular folks can both appreciate.