Beyond The Turntable

Third Day's Wherever You Are targets the hurting, giving comfort with a sound geared towards adult pop/contemporary, as expected when Brown Bannister (Amy Grant) produces. Mac Powell's vocals are as strong as ever, and there are a few brief guitar moments, but this is not the Monroe Jones-era Third Day. Cry Out To Jesus will encourage many, and this project will get plenty of Way-FM/K-Love airplay, but I'm among those who prefer an edgier Third Day, as heard in Wire and Conspiracy #5. That's not to say this isn't a fine album--it should be well-received and will minister to many, but I'm convinced that Third Day could have made a great album if they would have taken more risks lyrically and gone with more of a Southern rock sound.

Wherever You Are is worth getting even just for Cry Out Jesus. Hearing the band perform the song takes it to a level impossible to reach simply by reading the lyrics--that's the magic of good music. However, my favorite song on the album is Communion, a heartfelt worship tune. Wherever you are in your life, God can use Third Day to bring you comfort in troubled times.

Visit: Third Day.