so it’s Monday again, and we’re just at the halfway point of introducing all five categories for Monday Morning Mashed Potatoes… hopefully you’ve been enjoying these and hopefully, i’ll get through the remaining two this week so that starting next week, these features will be taking a queue from its full name and occurring once a week (on Monday mornings-ish) and pullfrom each of the five categories… anyway, today the focus is music and i’ve got three doozies for you…

now, a quick note before diving in, there have already been a lot of good albums released this year and, i… well, i don’t get quite as many albums as i used to, so i can’t really speak to albums like, say, The Rocket Summer or TobyMac, or Fair… or even albums released this week, like Lifehouse, Meredith Andrews, Danny Gokey, or Pocket Full of Rocks… and, i’m not complaining, per se, but i want you all to know that if you ask me about certain albums, popular ones, i may not have gotten them…

once things get going a little more regularly, i certainly hope that i start getting more consideration… until then, we work with what we’ve got… off we go…

THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT…

now playing: The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades – Timbuk 3

certainly one of the most exciting music news of the last few days is the official release date for the new Deepspace5 album, The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be… the crew has signed on with Mega Royal Records and plans to release the album on April 27th… on top of that news is the official release of the amazing video for the lead single, From the Outside… which i’ve been enjoying for a long time unofficially and have now been playing pretty much on repeat for the last few days… it is highly, highly addictive and posted below…

as i’m sure you can tell, this is shaping up to be an unbelievable album… one that i’ll hopefully be able to get ahold of for early coverage… (*wink wink, nod nod*)…

A BOLD NEW WORLD?…

now playing: Rocky Road – NewWorldSon

when last i was in Nashville for the annual shindig known as GMA Music Week (RIP – another story), the talk of the town was none other than NewWorldSon… and, true to form, they put on a brilliant showcase performance – one of the very, very few to actually inspire all of the serious and uppity critics and collegues to move during the show… you see, it’s kind of a tradition, or expectation, that one remains serious and stationary during showcases, which can make things rather awkward for the folks pouring out their hearts and sweat on stage… NWS managed to break down that barrier and wow us all…

then came Salvation Station, their debut CD with Inpop Records that managed to – on some level – capture the essence of the live show with energetic arrangments and soulful vocals that might make listeners clap and move around at least a little bit… the album was well received and proved to be a solid effort worth repeat visits… however, for me, the album lost some of its luster over time and i was more than ready for some new material…

That preparedness was rewarded by the self-titled follow-up album released in February… the experience, though, is certainly a rocky road… it starts out pretty strong with “You Set the Rhythm” and maintains a steady keel until the back half where it begins to fade and fade quickly… while i still enjoy the album as a whole, i find myself skipping through the self-indulgence of “Total Eclipse” and “Jamaican Praise Medley” among others… i will say that “O Lament” is probably the best on the entire album and it’s likely because it translates so well to the recording… many of the other tracks leave me longing for a live performance…

This is, of course, a matter of opinion… the group is still immensely talented and probably still one of the better live shows… this album just didn’t keep me wanting to come back quite like the last one… [NewWorldSon is available at such fine retailers as Amazon, AmazonMP3, and iTunes]

STAR STUDENTS
- now playing: Someting to Say – Starfield

speaking of bands who sound totally different in concert than on CD… Starfield is one of those bands that initially struck me – and this is years ago – as a band with some pretty good potential, but when i saw them live at Creation Festival, i was really blown away by their enthusiasm… mind you, pretty much every “rock” band sounds better, harder, stronger when they’re feeding off of a live crowd and hoping to get everyone moshing along with the rhythm, but Starfield was truly impressive… but their albums always seemed to leave a little something to be desired…

Well, that’s all changed and now they’re a band with loads of potential that has the added danger of being aware of their strengths… The Saving One reveals a band confident in who they are and more than capable of expressing everything they desire… this turn clearly began sometime around when they were working on the previous album (I Will Go, but has culminated with the honesty and well-craftedness of this release…

Certainly, rock fans will eat up the energy of the title track, Declaration of Dependence, and Overwhelm among others, but nothing on the album beats the heart-wrenching lyrics and delivery of Something to Say and Rediscover You… these two songs really bring some serious Psalms / end-of-myself type worship to the mix and they are just phenomenal… i’ve always liked Tim’s vocals, but these tracks in particular really make them pop… and it’s all-in-all a really solid effort, one that definitely proves that they’ve got it together…

[The Saving One is available at such fine retailers as Amazon, AmazonMP3, and iTunes]

WHAT SAY YOU?

okay, that’s what i’ve got to say… have you any experience with or thoughts onthese three choices? I’d love to hear it… that’s what makes life fun… next time on MMMP it’s books… see you then…

peace… love… bdg…