Kutless has become a staple in the Christian music world, following in the footsteps of some of the best Christian rock bands of our time. They have established themselves as a band that can withstand throughout the years. Now, taking off the immense popularity of their latest release Hearts Of The Innocent, the band is poised to release its first live CD/DVD, Live From Portland.

The audio portion of the album comes as no surprise to be the same recording as the DVD. The disc is somewhat longer than the average live album for a band, with 15 songs that would make any devout fan happy. It's a disc that covers the majority of the band's hits, along with a handful of songs from their newest recording, which makes for a great mix of old and new music. It's good to see such a successful band stick close to their roots and play so much music from their debut, especially when they're playing in their hometown. The only problem that comes with the live CD is that there are many points on the disc where you can hear that the producers edited out most, if not all, of the audience except where it seemed to work with the music.

The real treat for the fans of Kutless comes on the DVD included with Live From Portland. If you have been to any of the Hearts Of The Innocent Tour dates, you'll see almost a carbon copy of the show you saw on this DVD. They've changed some of the final songs, particularly including "Not What You See" instead of "Million Dollar Man," as seen on certain dates, but it still makes for an excellent set list and concert. The disc also includes the "Shut Me Out" music video from Hearts..., and a behind the scenes featurette about what it took to put together the tour and show. The featurette is a look into the band and the fun they've had on tour, especially with the other bands. It also shows the antics of the boys in Kutless, when they wake up the guys from Disciple at 9AM (which is early apparently) and ask them if they like touring with them. For clocking in at a 13 minute featurette, it packs a lot in from the band themselves, and shows that they are a very approachable and down-to-earth bunch of guys.

For the most part, this CD/DVD combo from Kutless shows where they've come as a band, and who they are now. It seems that the band has offered up one of the better live albums this year. Live From Portland is definitely one for diehard fans of Kutless, and even some new fans will enjoy it as well.

- Review date: 12/4/06, written by Justin Mabee