Louder Than The Music

Peter Furler was the main man for Newsboys from 1992-2009. As the Newsboys lead vocalist and songwriter he has set a high bar with 27 #1 radio singles. So can he live up to his impressive reputation with his new album and new band?

The album kicks off with 'Sun and Shield' and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Besides its catchy tune and brilliant vocals, the lyrics don’t only speak to the hearts of believers but also the heart of non believers. Starting off with a broken heart the song moves into the chorus which talks about looking up and finding your help. Leading into the second verse which speaks about not giving up and about how your, “future is an open window,” before the bridge that tells you, you are called. From start to finish the song represents the life of a person from before he is saved all the way to when God calls him.

'So high', when I listen to this song I can just see Peter Furler and his band going crazy on a stage somewhere. It's one of those songs you know they had fun doing. At the same time it's a song that I would sing in the shower or in my car. Lyrically it's not bad either. "You set my feet on a rock, you make my footsteps firm, you lift my Spirit high, so high." As you can see the song is all about how turning to God lifts your Spirit.

Moving on to, 'Dare I Say', and three songs in, the album doesn't get any worse. This song starts off with an electric guitar intro before drums come in to accompany it in the first verse. The chorus talks about how there is a target on our back, but it doesn't matter where the devil aims he's gonna miss.

When we get to,'Shame', the album calms down a bit. But calm doesn’t necessarily mean worse. The tune is no less catchy than the first three songs, and it’s not a song I get to and want to skip. In fact I listened to the lyrics of this song more than the lyrics of the first three. Lyrically this song is open for interpretation. The way I interpret it, is that I have a whole lot of junk in my life and when everyone else has had enough God still sticks around. But maybe you would interpret it differently.

'Yeshua', is the next song on the album. This song features Mylon Le Fevre, who is Peter Furler’s father in law; Mylon has had a long career in Christian music and song writing. As far as the song, 'Yeshua', goes, it is in my opinion the only song on the album you would consider using in a worship set. However, it is not like your usual 2014 contemporary worship songs. It reminds me more of Michael W. Smiths 'Agnus Dei'. But 'old-school', doesn’t mean bad. I personally, really like it.

The album leaves calm and gets a bit rockier with 'Overcomer'. This song focuses on the fact that God is the Overcomer and no matter what we face in life, God is bigger. "In this world, we know the labour pain, is not in vain, take heart." Lyrics like these give a bit of encouragement to people going through a rough time, and I think that is what this song was written to do.

'It’s Alright (For Lazarus)' seems to be inspired by the well-known story in the bible about Lazarus. I think this is a song that everybody will relate to in one way or another. Even in death Lazarus heard Jesus’ voice and that is what I think this song is trying to portray.

'Right Wrong Girl', caught me a bit by surprise. It starts off melodically and then goes into something that musically doesn’t seem to fit, but you know what? I really like it! It makes the song different and the more you listen to it, the more you want to listen to it again. It is the only song on the album that is about a girl, and it is different, but I like the fact that it is on this album. It doesn’t fit with the theme of the rest of the album, but I wouldn’t change it.

So after that curve ball we go back to Peter Furler’s normal style with, 'The High Road'. This song talks about how there is a different road for every different type of person. And then talks about how if you put your whole heart into it, you will find what you are looking for. The lyrics, "When the high road calls out, to the crippled and the blind, if you seek with all your heart, you will find", sum up what the whole song is about in a line.

The album draws to a close with, 'We Won’t Forget'. Again, this song is up for interpretation, it talks about not forgetting sacrifices made. I think it is referring to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, but the way it is written, it could also be referring to sacrifices other people have made following Jesus.

In conclusion, 'Sun and Shield', is a great album to go out and buy. It's theme seems to be the walk of a Christian and lyrically is both challenging and encouraging. I personally really like this album and would recommend it to anyone who wants something easy to listen to in the car on the way to work or on a morning run.

Review by Wesley Huntley

LTTM Rating 4 Out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Sun and Shield
Dare I say
Yeshua