Tony Wolf is a multi-talented artist, with experience as a speaker, comedian, and musician. He's even combined the latter two together, with loads of parodies and several comedy albums under his belt. Bottle Rocket, however, acts as Wolf's first non-comedy album. The album isn't completely devoid of humor, but it is more serious overall, with a great deal of satirical observation about modern-day Christianity. Much of the album reminds me of classic Steve Taylor and Newsboys, both stylistically and in its tongue-in-cheek lyrics about what we get wrong in the Church. "Social Club" is a prime example, with its not-so-subtle jabs at the comfort and luxury of many American Christians who are too preoccupied with amenities to live a life centered around community, fellowship, or even the Gospel ("Sign up for a missions trip, we go in the fall / selfies with the orphans on the Facebook wall / the preacher's in a video that's up on the screen / and there's a pretty new girl in the worship team / but I wish it was over 'cause I'm dying for some food / I could kill for some pizza or some barbecue"). It's biting, but Wolf is right on point, as he also is in "Mr. Religion," where he touches on the difference between checkbox religion and the freedom of faith. But Wolf also takes time to worship God, humble himself, and point to Jesus without criticism or wit. "Indestructible" talks about overcoming the obstacles placed in our paths by the enemy (and even just life), "If I Was Jesus" goes through the life of Christ from a hypothetical first-person view, "When?" gets serious and asks an unnamed third party about how long it's going to take to let go of his or her burdens, and "Hope Is Alive" recalls some passages from Scripture where people received God's grace by simply humbling themselves ("I got nothing in these hands of mine / all I have I give to You / all this pain inside this heart of mine / Master, can You take that too / 'cause I'm at the bottom of this life of mine / and my only hope is You"). Bottle Rocket is a longer album, but it covers a lot of ground and leaves the listener with much to think about. Fans of early Newsboys should get a kick out of the quirkier tracks, but there is also a lot that should appeal to the larger crowd of CCM fans.
- Review date: 10/14/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Record Label: None
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