Audio Adrenaline

Item: Don't Censor Me
Author: Roger Appelinski

Don't Censor Me

(1994)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

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Label ForeFront RecordsThe LighthouseDecember 1993

alternative rock ccm hip hop rock

Audio Adrenaline shocked Christian music with their unique brand of music, termed NURock, on their debut release. Since their style is so unprecedented, they received various comparisons, basically centering around a combination of hip-hop, rock, dance, alternative, and pop. With their follow-up, Don't Censor Me, Audio Adrenaline (Mark Stuart, vocals; Barry Blair, guitars; Will McGinnis, Bass; Bob Herdman, keyboards) take NURock a step further as they speak out against how the secular world oppresses Christianity.

This time, the sound is similar, but more on the mid-pace Rock-Pop side. Steve Griffith was again at the production helm, while delegating two tracks to the "Gotee Brothers" (Toby McKeehan, Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood). AA handled the songwriting, except for Collins and McKeehan helping out with "Can't Take God Away."

The title track and "Can't Take God Away" stand against religious censorship and oppression. "We're a Band," an aggressive rock track, states the group's purpose, "God's coming back and I want to be playing His tune... We're a band/For the Son of Man/We will take a stand/You can make a plan/He'll be back again/We're a band," but returns to the topic of censorship, "Please remove your hand from my mouth..."

AA encourages kids that mission work is not only for foreign countries, but for our schools in "AKA Public School." "Jesus and the California Kid" is a interesting mix between aggressive techno-like verses and a Beach Boys style chorus. An almost jazzy, upbeat track, "Big House," talks about heaven in a fun way as a big house (with lots of rooms) with a big table (with lots of food) and a big backyard (where we can play football).

To me, the most impressive track is "My World View," a cautionary reminder to see the world through the eyes of Christ. This peaceful pop ballad features some guest vocals by Kevin Smith (D.C. Talk) and actually bagpipes effectively to create an almost dreamy mood. A similar ballad is "Rest Easy," where the verses tell of a man realizing he is sinful and has not achieved the goals he set, while the chorus returns a sweet message from God: "Rest easy/have no fear/I love you perfectly/love drives out fear/I'll take your burden/you take My grace."

The album ends with a downbeat acoustic sounding "My Scum Sweetheart," regretfully remembering a worldly relationship-but it's the only downbeat track on the project.

The only time this has left my stereo since it arrived was to work on another review-otherwise it would have stayed on repeat-mode the whole time. I think it's one of the freshest Christian music expressions in the Pop/Rock/Hip-Hop range since D.C. Talk's Free at Last. If that's your scoop, you'll probably dig this.