Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

This 2014 album sees the Pittsburgh-based parody band offering up covers of mainstream songs. Surgically removing each well-known song's original lyrics and transplanting them with Scripture-referencing ones is what ApologetiX do and, although the band's writers try their best to make this work, this method does feel somewhat shoe-horned and tenuous at times with the likes of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" becoming "Hanukkah" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" morphing into "Offer Your Prayer". What makes this release work is the instrumental authenticity that the band have managed to conjure up with each track sounding uncannily like the original which showcases the wide-ranging and chameleon-like talents of all involved. For instance, "Servin' The Father" ("Surfin' Safari) sounds just like the Beach Boys right down to that iconic guitar solo and, although no match for Downhere singer Marc Martel's Mercury impression which adorned the recent Bohemian Rhapsody biopic, the lead singer on "Another One Died For Us" delivers a fine Freddie-like performance. Despite being an unashamed parody act, the band generally play things straight which makes occasional attempts at humour come across as clumsy and of questionable taste - most noticeably in the decision to turn Robert Palmer's "Bad Case Of Loving You" into "Bad Case Of Leprosy". Nonetheless, there's no doubting the group's musical talent and the heart behind trying to communicate God's love through songs that will be familiar to millions.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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