Family Force 5 is back. While the exit of Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds is a big sound change (at least in attitude maybe), hearing Jacob "Crouton" Olds and his brother Josh ("Fatty") sharing lead vocals isn't as big a style shift as some may have expected, especially when the style of this album hearkens back to their first two albums. Time Stands Still quite literally sounds like two albums in one, with 15 tracks allowing for a fair mix between radio efforts ("Show Love," "Walk On Water," "Let It Be Love") and true FF5 party jams ("Sweep The Leg," "Glow In The Dark," "Raised By Wolves," "Jet Pack Kicks"). It's slightly schizophrenic, especially when a song like "Walk On Water" that features Melodie Wagner of Hillsong Young & Free sounds more like a dance-pop-worship track from Tomlin or Hillsong UNITED than FF5, but the variety and passion spread throughout Times Stand Still is tangible. If you've been missing what you originally loved so much about Family Force 5 in the beginning, Time Stands Still just might be what you've been waiting for. They do the CCM pop sound surprisingly well, and even better than some of the veterans in that arena, but it nevertheless feels out of place on a "Family Force 5" album. Still, for those put off by that style, the generous 15-track outing allows for your own personal playlist trimming, leaving plenty of material to fill up a normal album's-worth of new tunes (Let us not forget III was a mere 10 tracks). Times Stand Still is still a gem despite its own vastly broad spectrum of sounds and themes. (The Josh Olds-sung chorus of the deliciously rowdy "Raised By Wolves" may be the most infectious and fun song you'll hear all summer. Get ready to want to blast this album with your windows down.) - Preview Review: 7/3/14; Final Review: 7/31/14 John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com


    So the "new" Family Force 5 is a bit odd. More so than usual, might I add. I mean, when the average Family Force 5 fan listens to the fiery dance rock tracks like "Sweep The Leg" and "Raised By Wolves," said fan will most assuredly feel right at home. But other tracks may leave those same fans scratching their heads. "Walk On Water" (which features Melodie Wagner of Hillsong Young & Free, who sounds like a poor Carly Rae Jepsen impersonator) is one of those tracks. If you couldn't tell from the guest vocalist, it's a quasi-worship song, just done in more of a Family Force 5 kind of way. It's also just a bad song, and definitely the weakest of the album (alongside the horribly-repetitive "Never Say Never"). I feel like this song (and the other worship tunes here...yes, there are more) were in response to their recent signing with Word Records, but regardless, they don't work for Family Force 5. There are also a few tracks where it feels like new lead singer, Jacob Olds (Crouton), has a difficult time coming out as the official frontman. "Sweep The Leg" and "BZRK," for instance, seem led by a rather timid Crouton who hasn't fully realized his new responsibility. He breaks out of that later, and actually does seem more comfortable in the less intense tracks, like "Show Love" and "Time Stands Still." Overall, Time Stands Still is a stronger offering than III (and even The Third), but as much as I dig some of the new material, I think this officially cements the fact that my days as a true Family Force 5 fan are done and gone. That being said, those fans looking for something more akin to Business Up Front, Party in the Back or Dance or Die should pick this one up and jam to "Glow in the Dark," "Raised By Wolves," "Jet Pack Kicks," and "Everybody Lose Your Mind." - 7/8/14, Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com


    The departure of a lead singer usually means either the death of that band or a totally new direction. However, that's not the case at all for FF5 and their new album, Time Stands Still. This 15-track album is filled with a lot of what fans remembered from years past: crunk rock and dance tunes for loads of house parties. Throw in a handful of radio play (dare I say worshipful?) songs, most of which come out well, and this is a fairly complete album for the crafty crunk veterans. I doubt FF5 will ever reach the bar that they so highly set in the first years of their existence, but fans certainly won't want to miss this one. - 7/23/14, Kevin Hoskins of Jesusfreakhideout.com


    In spite of the underwhelming reception of III, the change of lead singers, and their subsequent signing to Word Records, my worries of "Family Force 5: Generic Worship Edition" have been proven to be unfounded (mostly). Indeed, this might be the Family's most stylistically diverse album ever, not only with solid doses of their previous crunk-rock and dance-party styles ("Jet Pack Kicks" is awesomely corny and fun), but with some straight-up hip-hop, some alternative rock, and even some well-done worship (namely "Show Love" and "Glow In The Dark") mixed in. New lead singer (and former drummer) "Crouton" also puts in a very solid and versatile performance in his new role, with his one real setback being his sometimes awkwardly-forced raps. The thing that holds this album back from being a very solid 4 stars is the inclusion of "Walk On Water," "Let It Be Love," and "When Everything's Changing," which are all rather ordinary pop-worship tracks that I suspect (but have no real evidence in favor of) were included to satisfy label requests. - 8/6/14, Mark Rice of Jesusfreakhideout.com