After their greatly esteemed freshman album released in 2004, entitled Crashings, Falling Up is back to release their follow-up, Dawn Escapes. Signed with BEC Records, Falling Up is a modern Christian rock band hailing from Albany, Oregon. They made their name known with songs like "Escalates," "Bittersweet," "New Hope Generation," and "Symmetry." Now, about a year and a half later, Falling Up is releasing an album full of similarities and differences, modern rock and piano melodies, strong vocals and stunning lyrics, and their notable brief song titles.

Dawn Escapes draws many musical parallels to Crashings, but contains a dozen new tracks of high-paced rock that focuses on the band's unique worship style. Highlights of the album include "Moonlite," "Searchlights," and "Exhibition," which will definitely get you off your feet.

Although I enjoyed the album at first, Dawn Escapes seems to be a blunt continuation of Crashings, with just a few alterations. When first listening to the album, most can automatically tell that the music is undeniably Falling Up. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can have its downsides. The album has definitely progressed somewhat musically and lyrically above that of Crashings; but, for the most part, the sound is still rather familiar. Those who just loved the sound of their first album will probably love this album also, but those who look for originality between albums might be a little disappointed. For example, "New Hope Generation" from Crashings sounds rather similar musically to "Marathons."

Like Crashings, Dawn Escapes begins with an extensive instrumental introduction in the first song, "Searchlights." I found that Dawn Escapes includes the rock/rap/worship mixture that Falling Up is known for. Most of the songs on this album also start off slower than those on Crashings, which is an interesting and rather pleasing change. There are more strings and violins present this time around, along with piano solos like those found in "Exhibition" and "Contact." The hip-hop and rock melodies fuel the album's momentum, even when the songs get heavy at times, but are balanced with aspects of other genres. There are too many bands out there today that try and mix all genres together and they all end up sounding the same.

Lyrically, Ribordy writes from his heart, wanting the listeners to interact with the music. Falling Up uses their music as a ministry and a way to worship. Two notable songs are "Intro the Gravity" and "Contact," which are slower and more violin and piano driven songs. Ribordy's distinct voice seems to be maturing and becoming a lot stronger since Crashings, which adds to this album.

For those who enjoyed Crashings and want to hear more of the same, definitely check out Dawn Escapes. If you haven't heard the quickly rising Falling Up yet, and enjoy the likes of Kutless, Seven Places, Jeremy Camp, or Pillar, you may find a place in your collection for Falling Up. Although I give Falling Up credit for continuing with their interesting style of modern worship, if you're expecting a totally different and unique album than those you have heard before, you may be a little disappointed. Regardless, Dawn Escapes is worth a listen if you're looking for a new rap/rock record to add to your collection.

- Review date: 10/19/05, written by Jessica Vander Loop