Kutless released a new album at the beginning of March, entitled Strong Tower. Their previous album, Sea of Faces, is one of my all-time favorite albums, so I was anticipating some more great music from them. I will admit that when I found out that they were doing a worship album, I was a little disappointed. While I enjoy praise and worship music, I think it’s been overdone in the past couple of years, with just about every artist who’s at least “semi-major” releasing an album centered around the genre. Even though the songs are usually done in the artist’s own unique style, they still get old. I was also worried that Kutless would tone down their sound, compromising on what makes them so great.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! The album is awesome! While their sound is a little softer, it has only been toned down enough for this style of music. Thankfully, they’ve picked some of the better (in my opinion) praise songs, such as We Fall Down, Draw Me Close and Better Is One Day. There are also some new songs written by the band on the album (Ready for You and Strong Tower). These add a lot to the album, breaking up the standard praise/worship choruses with some new songs. They also did a remake of MercyMe’s Word of God Speak.

I’ll give Strong Tower an A-. If I weren’t getting tired of the praise/worship overkill, I’d score them higher. And it’s also not quite as great as Sea of Faces, which got a strong A+, but it’s still awesome.

If you’re a fan of Kutless, the album is a must have. If you like praise and worship music with a bit of an edge to it, be sure to check out the album. If you like great music, take a listen. In other words, go get this album!