For all you closet Zeppelin junkies, the wait is over. With passionate, wailing vocals and hard-edged, gritty guitar leads layered over acoustic-based rock melodies, John Cox's debut project, Sunny Day, feels like a return to Houses of the Holy. But while comparisons to LZ are inevitable, particularly on the title cut, Cox is by no means a Robert Plant clone. Veteran producer David Kershenbaum, best known for his work with Tracy Chapman and Duran Duran, uses a deft hand to insure Sunny Day remains true to Cox's vision. The songwriting is superb, exploring themes of loneliness and alienation without becoming depressing ("I Don't Know," "What Am I Doing Here?"); and offering hope without sugar-coated clichés ("Heaven Hears You"). The Zeppelinesque "I Need You" manages a good bit of solid theology (check out Corinthians 12). There are also nods to the great arena-rock bands of the '80s, like Aerosmith and Kansas, with a little pre-movie soundtrack Bryan Adams thrown in for good measure. Sunny Day is good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll: melodic, intense, intuitive and just a little bit rebellious. Cox should find a broad base of listeners in both the Christian and mainstream market.
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse June 1997Reviewed by Robert BermanThough 1996 was widely acknowledged as a mostly stinky year for new releases for both secular and Christian music, there were bound to be a few rays of hope at a time when sales and morale were both teetering. And as in 1995, the most intriguing new artists were not to be found on the "major" Christian labels. Enter John Cox. Though a salty music veteran (he was probably in high school while the…
