Formless is the highly anticipated debut of producer Shane Newville his first solo release. The new album brings a unique sound to listeners that's comparable to the music of The Chemical Brothers. It's an instrumental mix of hip-hop, electronica, and techno. You can just imagine the dance scene going nuts as the DJ spins this San Diego boy's tracks.

The album is completely lyric-free, which makes it hard to find much meaning behind the music, but these tracks are definitely worthy to be blasted in any club or house party. On the flip side, I wonder about the versatility of Newville's style. It's a great sound in certain settings, but might not lend well to everyday listening. It's certainly upbeat, offering the kind of tracks you'd likely hear as part of a film soundtrack as the climax chase scene occurs.

Shane Newville definitely has skills when it comes to spinning records and production, but one has to wonder if his own sound will be embraced in today's music industry. The secular realm has a few popular artists who have succeeded with this exact same style a nd maybe this is just what the Christian music scene needs. For the sake of Shane and his talents, I hope so.

- Review date: 11/26/07, written by Kevin Hoskins