Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

JFH Music Review


Finding Favour, Farewell Fear
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Finding Favour
Farewell Fear



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Pop / Rock
Album length: 10 tracks: 33 minutes, 27 seconds
Street Date: August 25, 2017


READER RATING:   


Expectations often negatively affect our experiences. Be it the third movie in a trilogy or a new release from a beloved artist, expectations are shaped by the past and ultimately create bias in the present. Worship act Finding Favour have made a name for themselves as one of Gotee Record's more uplifting groups that blends pop/rock tendencies with Blake Neesmith's buttery smooth vocals. Though the opening songs of Finding Favour's latest, Farewell Fear, promise an intriguing departure into something groovy, the album quickly devolves into pseudo-inspirational, quasi-worshipful tunes.

The electro-funk of the opening title track sets up a very enjoyable and engaging sound. Simplistic chords, offbeat rhythms and infectious production choices combine with tight synth and bass lines, which continues into the soulful "Get Down." The first 4-and-a-half minutes of this batch of tunes are undoubtedly exciting and catchy, as are "Dance" and "Reprise," which return to the album's initial style. Unfortunately, the next two tracks fall flat and are more indicative of the album as a whole.

"What We Have Is Now" and "Mountains Must Move" feature bland strings, trite lyrical choruses, and the album's ultimate crime of being simply forgettable. The instrumentation attempts to leave creative room for memorable melodies, but both songs have choruses and verses that come across as uninspired. This is particularly disappointing since Neesmith certainly has the vocal chops to provide something fresh.

One could say that the melodies are intentionally direct in order to allow fans and congregants to sing along, but the worshipful vein present in their previous releases is almost entirely absent on Farewell Fear. "Mountains Must Move" does highlight the line "Mountains must move/Waves lay down/In the name of Jesus," but songs like "Completely" and "It Is Well" posture more of a "God is on my side" lyrical approach. This ambiguous sense of adoration is most obscure on "Faithful." The pleasant combination of low piano tones and sustained strings feels like the most worshipful atmosphere on the album, but the song actually depicts the story of their typical listener. The song itself is enjoyable, but lines such as "Faithful in all the little things no one ever sees" and "You're the greatest hero never known" can be misconstrued.

Each song on Farewell Fear contains an element of something likeable, be it the guitar-based bridge of "Happy Ever After" or the vocoder on "Dance," but most of the runtime is notably lackluster. When combined with the stylistic confusion and the absence of worshipful moments, dedicated listeners will likely have to pick and choose individual songs that they find most memorable.

- Review date: 8/1/17, written by Mason Haynie of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

 

JFH Album Sampler
. Record Label: Gotee Records
. Album length: 10 tracks: 33 minutes, 27 seconds
. Street Date: August 25, 2017
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com (CD)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. Farewell Fear (1:24)
  2. Get Down (2:59)
  3. What We Have Is Now (3:41)
  4. Mountains Must Move (4:12)
  5. Completely (3:24)
  6. Happy Ever After (3:51)
  7. Faithful (3:34)
  8. Dance (4:16)
  9. It Is Well (4:25)
  10. Farewell Fear (Reprise) (1:41)

 

 

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

Search JFH




This Friday, November 8, 2024
ALBUMS
Gabby Barrett Carols and Candlelight [Warner Music Nashville]
CXMMXNS CXMMXNS Chapter 1 - EP [Essential Worship]
New Hope Oahu There Is One - EP [DREAM]
Neal Morse & The Resonance No Hill For A Climber [InsideOut]
TAKE Time Bomb [Resuscitation Records]
Lauren Talley A Lauren Talley Christmas [Horizon]

SINGLES
Cory Asbury I Hope You Dance - Single [BEC]
Jordan Kauflin, Laura Story Approach, My Soul - Single [Getty]
Sam Bowman & GLADDEN Misfit Toys - Single [DREAM]
Wavorly Enemies - Single (independent)

VINYL
Michael W. Smith Every Christmas Vinyl [Rocketown]
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Vinyl [Frontiers]
TAKE Time Bomb Vinyl [Resuscitation Records]

DVD
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Blu-Ray [Frontiers]

Next Friday, November 15, 2024
ALBUMS
Dolly Parton & Family Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables [Owepar Entertainment]
The Lore Family Faith Over Fear [Horizon]
Fernando Ortega For All the Saints - EP (independent)
Earnest Pugh Worth is the Lamb
We Are Messengers Rejoice! (A Celtic Christmas) - EP [Curb]
Paul Wright III Reverie [United Alliance]

SINGLES
Big Dismal Here In My Heart - Single (independent)
Hannah Kerr It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Single [Curb]
Olivia Lane Silent Night - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Wake Up It's Christmas - Single [BEC]
Jamie MacDonald A Million Chances - Single [Capitol CMG]
Ronnie Martin On Christmas Morning - Single [Velvet Blue]
Hunter Plake Daylight - Single [BEC]
Jordan St. Cyr Christ is Here - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Sixpence None the Richer Divine Discontent Vinyl [Word]



For all release dates, click here!
 



Check out the new album from Taylor Holland Armstrong!



Listen to the new Single from Second Adam and the New Creations!

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images