Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Music Spotlight Review

Adrian Mathenia

Adrian Mathenia
Rise Anew

Street Date: October 20, 2015
Style: Folk Rock
Official Site: Official Website
Buy It: iTunes


Adrian Mathenia is a singer/songwriter based out of Louisville, Kentucky. His second full-length record is entitled Rise Anew and features excellent production; it was mixed and mastered at Resonate Recording. Adrian's background is largely in bluegrass, folk and classic rock. Those influences certainly come out in his music -- especially the latter two genres. Rise Anew focuses on the acoustic guitar, but nice smooth electric leads and piano highlight songs throughout the album.

The album starts with two solid tracks in "The Sun Hides" and "Far Away," but begins to get more interesting with "Paradise." In the chorus Adrian sings, "I made a desert of this paradise You gave. Behold the Lamb, behold the monsters that He saves." Following "Paradise" is the first true taste of the classic rock influence in "Blue/Black." The more folk-inspired "Company" introduces a piano and some rather impressive female vocals. "No Enemies" changes it up a bit more with a country inspired number, complete with a fiddle. Adrian flexes his lyrical muscles again on this with the second and third verses. An example is the third verse's lyrics, "I am promised to a bridegroom; I will have my wedding dress. And one day by the sea of glass, when the table has been set, the last thing on my married mind will be your feeble threat." Softly picked guitar comes back for "Slow Bones" and carries the album to its conclusion with "The Water," picking the pace up only slightly.

Rise Anew is full of songs about grace and mercy, beautiful imagery, thought-provoking lyrics, and personal stories. Adrian Mathenia has done an excellent job in crafting this wonderful piece of art. This album just continues to show proof that some of the best artists out there today are in the independent scene. Fans of folk music, or just acoustic music in general, will likely find a lot to love about Mathenia's second album. It's a true singer/songwriter album and sounds great. "Far Away," "Paradise," Black/Blue" and "Company" are excellent starting places if you're looking just to get a small taste of what Adrian has to offer. Overall, Rise Anew is on point for all aspects: Musical, lyrical, and vocal. This one is unquestionably worth checking out.

- Review date: 3/31/16, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

JFH Indie Spotlight Review . Record Label: None
. Album length: 10 tracks: 40 minutes, 23 seconds
. Street Date: October 20, 2015
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: AmazonMP3

  1. The Sun Hides (4:06)
  2. Far Away (3:48)
  3. Paradise (4:05)
  4. Blue / Black (4:41)
  5. Company (4:42)
  6. No Enemies (3:16)
  7. Slow Bones (3:06)
  8. In Darkest Wood (4:04)
  9. When We Meet (4:38)
  10. The Water (3:57)

 

 

 

go to main Indie review page
go to Indie Review Index

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, May 16, 2025
ALBUMS
Confessions of a Traitor This Pain Will Serve You [Facedown]
Free Worship Praise Before It Happens [BEC]
GVTH DVDDY GVTH DVDDY [Velvet Blue]
Karen Peck & New River Good Answers [Daywind]
Lecrae & Miles Minnick Get Well Soon! [Reach]
Seventh Day Slumber Fractured Paradise: Garden of Shadows [Rockfest]
Sons of Sunday Sons of Sunday [Elevation]

SINGLES
AyeTJ Outdated - Single [Syntax]
Elan Brio Perfect Timing - Single (independent)
Melissa D Will I Be Bored in Heaven? - Single (independent)
Will Kellum Ready or Not - Single [Syntax]
Britt Nicole FAITH - Single (independent)
Makara Walk By Faith - Single [DREAM/DBMIX]
MAYIA Where Do I Go? (ft. Cutright) - Single [Syntax]
Matt Sassano My Armor - Single (independent)
Seph Schlueter Won't Start Now - Single [Provident]

VINYL
Petra The Best For Last (Studio Edition) Vinyl [Girder]

Next Tuesday, May 20, 2025
BOOKS
Shai Linne Penelope Judd [B&H]
Tauren Wells Joy Bomb: Unleash Jesus’s Explosive Joy for an Extraordinary Life [Zondervan]

Next Friday, May 23, 2025
ALBUMS
Big Daddy Weave Let It Begin [Curb]
ELEVATION RHYTHM Victory Lap [Elevation]
Signum Regis The Eyes of Power (Remixed & Remastered 2025) [Beyond the Storm]

SINGLES
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - Single [DREAM]
V1 Worship Fool for You - Single [DREAM Worship]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Get all of JFH's indie compilation now totally free!
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images