Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

After all the speculation, it's nice to know that Ver Talk haven't sold out, backslidden or decided to no longer sing about Jesus! Mind you, they HAVE decided to drop grungy guitars and rapping so you could be tempted to suppose that their new album might be a little smooth/bland CCM album. But don't give in to temptation because what you actually get is a well crafted, creative, sonically perfect pop'n'rock CCM album that simmers with quiet brooding intensity here and explodes in a wall of sound there! At the centre are three guys whose intertwining vocal styles play off each other perfectly amidst the usual high quality songwriting. From the rocky "It's Killing Me" through to Kevin's poetic ending, this is an exciting ride. The slow funk of "Dive" complete with quirky sonar effects leads into the pleading pop of "Consume Me". Elsewhere, there's a bit of soulful gospel on "Wanne Be Loved" and there's the wonderful ballad "Into Jesus" proving they're still Jesus Freaks. The standout to these ears is "My Friend (So Long)" which is a fantasy song about the band's reactions if one member went solo and was hugely successful. At the moody pop end of things, "The Truth" and the album's final song "Red Letters" are both inspirational pieces of pop. There are only two clouds on the horizon which prevent this being an absolute classic. Firstly, "Since I Met You" sounds like a track from their backing band Zilch's album...oh dear. It would be brilliant for Zilch but we've come to expect more from dc! Also, Kevin's tendency to imitate his hero Freddie Mercury at every opportunity would definitely make him a winner on Stars In their Eyes but here it gets a bit wearing after a while!

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