Remedy [Audio CD] CROWDER,DAVID BAND

2007 release from the modern Worship Alt-Rock band. The follow-up to the universally acclaimed A Collision, Remedy finds the band returning to a more 'back to basics' approach. The cruel joke about contemporary Christian music for years has been that the recipe for successful CCM is to take a neutered form of some "alternative" rock from ten years ago, replace the word "baby" with "Jesus" and there you go--please do not forget to pick up your Dove award on your way out the door! At first, this seems to be the case with the David Crowder Band's new album, Remedy. "Can You Feel It," after all, sounds like tepid alt-y dance-pop with "edgy" distorted vocals, while "Everything Glorious" sounds like James Blount throwing off another adult contemporary snoozer while playing Pac Man. Thankfully, it's an eclectic release. Crowder's adept at mixing and matching genres, as anyone who's listened to his bluegrass-flavored A Collision--or its even rootsier follow-up, B Collision--will attest. Remedy sounds like a strange mix tape, but there is undeniable passion and skill at work here. Crowder, who's affiliated with the Praise & Worship movement, really knows how to write rousing anthems, even when making dubious production choices. --Mike McGonigal