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

JFH Music Review


Darrell Evans, Fearless
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Darrell Evans
Fearless



Genre(s): Worship
Album length: 10 tracks: 35 minutes, 46 seconds
Street Date: September 25, 2015


READER RATING:   


Before there was a Delirious? or a Sonicflood, before there was a Chris Tomlin or a David Crowder Band, there was Darrell Evans. As many youth group kids in the early-to-mid 90's can attest, Evans helped usher in the modern worship era with such songs as "Trading My Sorrows (Yes Lord)," "Let The River Flow" and "I Lay Me Down." Evans helped pave the way for electric guitars on a Sunday morning, and his songs continue to find their place in the CCLI top songs sung in Churches around the world.

But Evans' latest album, Fearless, is anything but a classic. In an attempt to "modernize" Evans's sound, the album's producers have added a litany of sounds, textures and odd effects that don't mesh at all with Evan's simple and straightforward songwriting. Sounding like a latter-day, warmed-over Bon Jovi album, Fearless sinks under the weight of odd choices and uninspired songs.

The odd choices come fast and furious in the first five seconds of album opener "The Lord's Prayer." A series of robotic blips and bloops is followed by an over-processed vocal from Evans in what sounds like a higher-than-normal key for him. "The Lord's Prayer" is a well-intended mess of an opening salvo, and things struggle to get better on the next track, "Unmistakable," with Evans over-singing against a bombastic score. The title song comes next, with a distorted, garbled vocal and a cartoonish mash of sound. The song improves a bit from there, but not by much. "Yesterday's Gone," "Clean" and "Provider" all float by without much to note, except that "Provider" is the best song on the project, due to its more stripped-down nature.

"Charity" finds Evans going in a more coherent direction, with a song of hope for a stressed out girl named Charity. With an 80's, Phil Collins vibe, "Charity" could have been an interesting song and stylish curveball, but at 2:22 seconds in length, it barely registers before the 80's love song clunker "That's Why" comes along. With lyrics like "won't stop sleeping in the bed we made / Baby, I'm not afraid to stay in this forever," Evans channels the 80's blue-eyed soul of the early MTV era, but the song sounds more like a parody of that era that you might see on a YouTube clip.

And then the album ends with a nearly-exact version (it's two minutes shorter) of "You Could Never Be Praised Enough," a song from Evans's last album that was put out just two years ago on the same record label. With only ten songs on the album, including a duplicate song is a head-scratching decision, but not one that is out of character with the rest of the album.

Veteran artists often go through the "updating their sound" phase, but the stylistic lurch from Evans' last album, Awesome God Is He, to Fearless is evidence that some updates are worth considering for a few more minutes.

- Review date: 9/25/15, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Buttons, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase! Save for the holidays with code JFH20 at checkout!

 

. Record Label: DREAM Worship
. Album length: 10 tracks: 35 minutes, 46 seconds
. Street Date: September 25, 2015
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. The Lord's Prayer (3:08)
  2. Unmistakable (2:48)
  3. Fearless (3:37)
  4. Light Of The World (4:46)
  5. Yesterday's Gone (3:22)
  6. Clean (3:59)
  7. Provider (3:52)
  8. Charity (2:22)
  9. That's Why (3:37)
  10. You Could Never Be Praised Enough (4:15)

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Buttons, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase! Save for the holidays with code JFH20 at checkout!

Search JFH




This Tuesday, October 29, 2024
SINGLES
Pipe Bomb Hate Club - Single [The Charon Collective]

This Thursday, October 31, 2024
ALBUMS
Neon Horse Habit of Creature - EP [Velvet Blue Music]

This Friday, November 1, 2024
ALBUMS
AWZY Sinners and Saints - EP [DREAM]
Forrest Frank Child of God (Deluxe) [river house]
Future of Forestry Symphonic Christmas (Live) (independent)
Influence Music It's All About You (independent)
The Kingdom Heirs No Better Time [Sonlite]
Limoblaze Young & Chosen (Power Pack) - EP [Reach]
Paul & Hannah McClure Christmas Morning (Re-Release) [Bethel]
Planetshakers Winning Team: Songs For Church (Live) [Venture3Media]
Skillet Revolution [Atlantic]
Sam's the Hero Charlie Cox - EP [Small Step]
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld Light of Joy - EP [Vere]
Ivan Theva Waiting Here for You - EP [Descendent/Provident]
John Van Deusen Anthem Sprinter [Tooth & Nail]
Phil Wickham Hallelujah! It's Christmas! [Fair Trade]
YWAM Kona Music Missionary Anthem - EP [Integrity]

SINGLES
Ayo Shamir, YP aka Young Paul Aaron Judge - Single (independent)
Gabby Barrett O Come, O Come Emmanuel (feat. The Piano Guys) - Single [Warner Music Nashville]
Brennley Brown Mary, Did You Know? - Single [Provident]
Lauren Daigle Then I Will - Single [Centricity]
Dreamers The Reason - Multi-Single [DREAM]
EJ Swavv I Hate Lucy - Single [Syntax]
Jess Ford This is My Jesus - Single (independent)
FYR FYTR So Simple - Single (independent)
Michael Monroe Pour It Out - Single [Provident]
Seph Schlueter We Sing (Joy To The World) [feat. Leanna Crawford] - Single [Provident]
Skye Peterson, Ben Shive Keep the Feast - Single [Getty]
SNT. VINCENT Confession - Single [Syntax]
Cyndi Thompson Silent Night - Single [County Line]
Thrive Worship Hark - Single [Integrity]
Tauren Wells Making Room - Single [Capitol CMG]

VINYL
Skillet Revolution Vinyl [Atlantic]

Next 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]



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