Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


The Royal Royal, Rococo
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

The Royal Royal
Rococo



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Worship / Pop
Album length: 11 tracks: 45 minutes, 19 seconds
Street Date: September 22, 2017


READER RATING:   


The Royal Royal has been putting out indie worship music since 2011, but they have yet to really "catch on" in the Christian music industry. Their third full length project, intriguingly titled Rococo, is poised to change that as it is the band's most accessible album to date.

The band, made up of Italian-American brothers Nathan and Gabriel Finochio, first came onto the scene with The Royalty, which showcased the duo's unique style of indie worship. This full-length debut featured their biggest song, "Praise Him" ("Praise Him with all of the music"), which was co-written with Hillsong's Matt Crocker. Their sophomore release, The Return of the King, expanded on the retro qualities of their debut and had cleaner production. With the duo's recent signing to BEC Recordings, they've decided to subdue their inner rock and retro leanings for a more polished pop-worship sound.

The Royal Royal's strengths are Gabe's enchanting vocals, their ability to dabble in different genres, and their unabashedly Christ-focused lyrics. All three of these characteristics are on display here to varying degrees--Gabe's vocals sound even better than before, but the tradeoff here is that the sonic experimentation is more subtle. As the band's name suggests, repetition has been an emphasis of the duo's career, but thankfully it's been scaled back for Rococo.

"I-90" starts off the album with a two minute instrumental, setting a precedent for the overall sound of the album with epic drums and spacious synthesizers. This intro transitions beautifully into the first full song, "Water," which describes the Holy Spirit as the living water that moves through us. "Neon Sign" is undoubtedly the most catchy track on the album and aside from the corny metaphor of God being like a neon sign, it's quite an enjoyable track. "God Who Saves" and "Champion" are pretty standard pop-worship tracks, but the latter is elevated by a subtle calypso undertone. One area that could use some work, which is especially evident in these two songs, is the songwriting. Nathan and Gabe take a straightforward approach to delivering truths about God, but the lyrics can be too simplistic.

"Afterlife" brings back some of the retro qualities found on their previous album, but it's not quite as memorable as "Every Little Bit of Praise" or "Find Me" from Return of the King. "I Found Love" and "Love 3" serve as Rococo's ballads, and both are executed well, with "Love 3" being an album highlight. With delicate guitar picking, a gentle floor tom, and light synths setting a contemplative mood, "Love 3" displays some of the band's best songwriting. Loosely based on a poem by George Herbert, the song personifies grace, hope, mercy, faith, and love, all the while emphasizing Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and what it means for us, "My savior tasted blood / I only tasted wine."

Though the pop-worship genre has a bad reputation for sounding cheesy and delivering surface level lyrics, The Royal Royal does manage to avoid these pitfalls. Rococo may not be the most impressive album to come out in 2017, but it does have good replay value and is always a pleasant listen. Expect The Royal Royal to be a more prominent name in contemporary Christian music.

- Review date: 9/19/17, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

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

 

JFH Album Sampler
. Record Label: BEC Recordings
. Album length: 11 tracks: 45 minutes, 19 seconds
. Street Date: September 22, 2017
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com (CD)
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. I-90 (2:16)
  2. Water (4:01)
  3. Neon Sign (3:23)
  4. Champion (3:09)
  5. God Who Saves (3:55)
  6. Everything (5:13)
  7. Afterlife (3:38)
  8. I Found Love (5:34)
  9. King (4:06)
  10. Perfector (5:06)
  11. Love 3 (4:58)

 

 

 

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

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

Search JFH



This Friday, July 25, 2025
ALBUMS
Anchor & Braille New Mexico [Equal Vision]
B. Tee Told You [Syntax]
Bride Scarecrow Messiah CD Re-Release [Girder]
Empowered SALT - EP (independent)
Homesick Prodigals Different Good (independent)
KDNS After Eden [Syntax]
Olivia Lane Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard TASHA [Motown Gospel]
Kevi Morse Kingston We Winning [Syntax]
Pulpit Vomit Hospital Lens [Rottweiler]
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno Dance for Jesus - EP (independent)
Taylor & Co Worship Breakthrough - EP (independent)
Josh Wright LEAD (independent)

SINGLES
abenezer i was lost - Single [Gotee]
Joe L Barnes Good Shepherd (Studio Version) - Single [Provident]
Sho Baraka Still Got Faith (ft. L3xdivine) - Single [Syntax]
Gracie Binion Easy To Please - Single [BEC]
Katty Camargo Shine Upon Me - Single (independent)
The CCC Collective Thankful - Single (independent)
C4 Crotona Mr. Gritty - Single [Syntax]
CXMMXNS Trust and Obey (feat. CAIN) - Single [Provident]
EJ Swavv & Nickwit2Ks Growth - Single [Syntax]
Forrest Frank GOD'S GOT MY BACK - Single [River House / 10K]
Andrew Gonoude Closer To You - Single (independent)
Noah Paul Harrison Oh Lord My God (Live) - Single [Bethel]
J.Solo All I Have (ft. Kaboose & MotionPlus) - Single [Syntax]
Kings Kaleidoscope + Kings Kaleidoscope Hymns Amazing Grace - Single [BEC]
Tasha Layton Life In Me - Single [BEC]
Lecrae Bless You (feat. Torey D'Shaun) - Single [Reach]
TobyMac God Did It (feat. Jamie MacDonald) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Matt Maher Wait (Radio Version) - Single [Provident]
Hunter Plake Down to Earth - Single [BEC]
QEW JOYXFIX (ft. Stevie Rizo) - Single [Syntax]
Naomi Raine God Will Work It Out - Single [Tribl]
Rave Jesus Runnin' - Single [Provident]
Saints in Exile Bad Vibes - Single [Syntax]
Xander Sallows infinite - Single [DREAM]
Silent Reflection Left Me for Dead - Single [Syntax]
Michael W. Smith Your Love Is A Flood - Single [The Fuel]
John Stratton The Body and the Blood - Single [Pure Mosaic Services]
Regina Vandereijk You're the Light - Single (independent)
Joel Vaughn Feel It - Single [DREAM]
Zach Williams Killed A Man - Single [Provident]
Zauntee Jesus Down In Florida - Single [BEC]

VINYL
Bride Scarecrow Messiah Vinyl [Girder]

DVD
Jordan Smith The People's Hymnal DVD [Gaither]

This Saturday, July 26, 2025
SINGLES
Anthony & Tiffany Salerno What Would You Do? - Single (independent)

Next Friday, August 1, 2025
ALBUMS
Crash Rickshaw Big Sir - EP [Velvet Blue]
McKamey Legacy Holding to Truth [Horizon]
Ordained Thunder Roar [Girder]
V1 Worship Archives [DREAM Worship]

SINGLES
Dan Bremnes Human - Single [Curb]
Lauren Daigle Let It Be A Hallelujah - Single [Centricity]
Sleeping At Last Believe - Single (independent)

VINYL
Disciple Attack! (Limited Run Vinyl) Vinyl [Girder]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images