In an era of generic pop music and exasperating boy bands, True Vibe could not have chosen a better time to form. Nonetheless, along with Plus One, The Katinas, and Newsong, they brought something that no other boy band or conventional band (at that time) even considered doing. They were using their admirable melodic talents for encouragement amongst the youth and God's glory. Same can be said for a lot of new Christian artists who jump into the "it" bandwagon. Once a new popular cliché in the music industry sweeps the nation for the short run, it becomes crushed by the next one, until Disney manages to resurrect it for their preteen marketing strategies, of course. Fortunately, there are several Christian artists who don't feel the need to completely duplicate the ridiculous trends. So, where did True Vibe stand in that era? Let's just say, they were one of the best examples of a group who knew how to properly use a trendy genre and compile a moderately refreshing album out of it. This is brilliantly shown through their sophomore record, See the Light.

The album kicks off with the hit radio single and album title, See the Light. The first thing listeners will notice is the maturity that they've gained. It's a welcoming departure from their more over produced power pop endorsed style offered in their self-titled debut. "Super Natural" however, does bring back the style that was presented in their previous album. That's not to say it's a bad song by any means. "You are Holy" is a stripped down rendition of CCM at its best. Whereas, "More" is a catchy pop tune that brings a strong burst of fun energy to the album. The next track, "Pray," is one of the album's true highlights, capitalizing on their brilliant vocals all the while bringing forward powerful lyrics that remind the listener of how important the power of prayer is. "Forgiven" is a pretty straightforward song on the subject of redemption. Following "Forgiven" is "Complete," which is probably the best song in the entire record. It's a heart wrenching cry out to God in the darkest of times, "I've been a fool/So far from You/And for choices made/There's a price I've paid.Lord I'm crying out/I know you hear my heart/Once again I'm asking, will you reach this far?"

After a long run of slow songs, the album picks up the pace with "Stay" and it features a little rap segment courtesy of KJ-52. Sadly, it feels awkwardly out of place. "Everytime" slows the record down yet again, but it's a pretty decent song nonetheless. "Love is Calling" doesn't quite give the album any justice and sounds too familiar to "You Are Holy." Speaking of familiarity, the last song on the record, "Not What I Say (But What I Do)," is an almost exact replica of the last track from their self-titled debut.

Even though the whole era of boy bands thankfully ended a long time ago (if you're not counting Jonas Brothers), so did True Vibe, unfortunately. See the Light really proved that they were more than capable of expanding their sound and exploring different territories -- similar to what Plus One did towards its end. But it is what it is, and this is a very solid record for what it was, to say the least.

Review date: 3/29/09, written by Darius Sanchez for Jesusfreakhideout.com