Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

JFH Music Review


Unspoken, Unplugged
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Unspoken
Unplugged



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Pop
Album length: 10 tracks
Street Date: May 19, 2015


READER RATING:   


Unspoken has been around since 2003, but their big break came in 2012 with their first national release--a modest five song EP, entitled Get To Me. Since then, the four-piece band has released one project per year, each displaying traces of creative growth. Unplugged maintains that upward trend with five re-imagined favorites and five brand new recordings. This album may be more "plugged in" than the title suggests, but it's not an unfitting name as it finds the pop/rock outfit trading their radio-ready pop sensibilities for a less polished sound.

The boot-stomping "Broken Man" starts the album on a high note with a casual tone, textured instrumentation, and honest lyrics. That same sturdy and soulful vibe continues with "Start a Fire" and "Who You Are"--the latter of which is an album highlight with its bluesy electric guitar and jazzy piano breakdown. Things get more experimental with "Good Fight," largely due to an intriguing tension between the electronic beat in the verses and a full drum kit in the chorus. This fun tune serves as an anthem for believers to "keep fighting the good fight" outlined in 1 Timothy 6:12.

Though almost all of these tracks are solid tunes, they are held back ever so slightly by safe execution, particularly in the lyrics. "Lift My Life Up" is the prime example of this with its predictable songwriting and an excessive emphasis on rhyming. Even still, the song is an improvement of the original as it trades lackluster power chords for intricate acoustic guitar picking. Contrasting this weaker moment is the closing ballad "Solid Rock," which is the band's most vulnerable and emotional song to date. The simplistic piano and string backdrop fosters a worshipful setting as lead singer Chad Mattson sings about embracing suffering as an important part of God's plan to draw us closer to Himself.

Unspoken's Unplugged is more than a nice alliteration; it displays a band capable of carving a niche for themselves in a crowded genre. If you are already a fan, then grabbing a copy of Unplugged is a no-brainer. If you are new to Unspoken, or even if you wrote them off in the past, Unplugged is worth checking out.

- Review date: 5/17/15, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

 

. Record Label: Centricity Music
. Album length: 10 tracks: 35 minutes, 13 seconds
. Street Date: May 19, 2015
. Buy It: iTunes

  1. Broken Man (Acoustic) (3:26)
  2. Start A Fire (Acoustic) (3:34)
  3. Tell Somebody (Acoustic) (3:27)
  4. Call It Grace (Acoustic) (3:46)
  5. Who You Are (Acoustic) (3:41)
  6. Green Light (Acoustic) (3:13)
  7. Good Fight (Acoustic) (3:20)
  8. Lift My Life Up (Acoustic) (3:29)
  9. Born With A Broken Heart (Acoustic) (3:16)
  10. Solid Rock (Acoustic) (4:05)
spacer     Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics
    Click For Song Lyrics

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

Search JFH



This Wednesday, October 8, 2025
SINGLES
Amy Jay Back to What's Natural - Single (independent)

This Friday, October 10, 2025
ALBUMS
Citizens m us eum [Anotherland Records]
Jesus Culture Send The Fire: Live From London [Capitol CMG]
Tasha Layton Life in Me [BEC]
Myles Maestro Dead End Road - EP [Syntax]
Make Sure Starry May Morning (independent)
SNT. VINCENT Final Greetings [Syntax]
Razzie Digital Psalms - EP [Syntax]

SINGLES
Holly Brand One Thing He Wouldn't Do - Single [Integrity]
Chosen Road Daddy Was a Navy Man - Single [Thoroughbred]
Drakeford Writing on the Wall - Single (independent)
EJ Swavv & Jeff Knox Deja Vu - Single [Syntax]
Kelo Memory Lane - Single [Syntax]
MAYIA Pass Me Not - Single [Syntax]
Kevi Morse Like You - Single [Syntax]
Jeannie Ortega Decipher - Single [Syntax]
Run51 Song Of My Soul - Single [DREAM]
Zane Vickery Name (Live at Greenbriar) - Single (independent)
Vineyard Worship & Dreaming The Impossible Praise You For Eternity - Single [Vineyard]

Next Friday, October 17, 2025
ALBUMS
ANTHNY DIARY ENTRY 1 [Provident]
Blanca Full Bloom [Curb]
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas [Gaither]
Geoff Moore and The Distance Foundations (Re-Release) [Girder]
Geoff Moore and The Distance A Place To Stand (Re-Release) [Girder]
Nate Parrish Make Me A Mountain (independent)
Psallos The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews (independent)
Anne Wilson Stars [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
Zane Vickery All Things New - Single (independent)

DVD
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas DVD [Gaither]


For all release dates, click here!
 

Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase!
Need proofreading and editing help? We've got you covered! Click here to learn more
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images