Casting Pearls is fronted by Bryan Olesen, the newsboys guitarist. It's no surprise, then, that their self-titled album features plenty of crunchy guitars. It's also no surprise that fellow newsboy Phil Joel adds some background vocals to the project. This album rocks with more of an edge than you might expect, thanks to producers Jason Burkum and Nathan Dantzler (Kids in the Way, Audio Adrenaline).

Olesen and the band wrote or had a hand in every song except for Whole World In His Hands, the worship tune by Tim Hughes. Most of the songs don't explicitly mention God, but the Christian worldview is obvious nonetheless, such as in Weighted:

I need Your love to make me whole and set me free / Break all these chains so I can fly again / I've waited here for far too long / I'm breaking free / I'm moving on / To the hope that's waiting for me / To the life I'm meant to be living / To the love You died to give me

Casting Pearls will be a must-buy for newsboys fans, and anyone who enjoys some guitar-driven pop rock. There's some good driving music on this CD!

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